One requirement to winning a VAWA case is to show the applicant has “Good Moral Character.” Here is a helpful quote from a recent practice advisory put out by Clinic Legal that summarizes the requirement:

“To prove GMC, self-petitioners generally must submit affidavits of good moral character, police clearance letters, criminal background checks or other evidence of good moral character for the three years preceding filing of the VAWA self-petition. In addition to demonstrating the three years’ absence of a statutory bar to good moral character or eligibility for an exception to a bar, the self-petitioner must also present sufficient information to allow USCIS to conclude that they are a person of good moral character. The applicant’s declaration is primary evidence of their good moral character. It must be accompanied by police clearances from each place where the self-petitioner has lived for six months or more during the past three years. USCIS could also conceivably look beyond the most recent three years if they have reason to believe the self-petitioner was not a person of good moral character.”