Indian national found guilty in US for faking abuse claim to get immigration benefit

An Indian national has been convicted in the US for submitting a fraudulent immigration application under the Violence Against Women Act ( VAWA), following an investigation that involved assistance from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS).

Nasir Hussain was found guilty and sentenced to time already served for making a false material statement in support of an I-360 VAWA self-petition. The development was announced by the US Attorney’s Office in Vermont.

Court documents and trial evidence showed that Hussain traveled to Connecticut in October 2021 to enter a marriage with a US citizen for immigration purposes. He never met the woman before or after the wedding.

To create the appearance of a real marriage, Hussain purchased insurance policies, magazine subscriptions, and ordered products in his wife’s name, all addressed to his residence in Orlando, Florida. He later visited a medical clinic and falsely claimed that he had been abused by his wife. These claims, along with the manufactured evidence, were submitted to USCIS to support his VAWA petition.

Testimonies presented in court, including those from the woman and former roommates, confirmed that the woman never lived in Florida. This directly contradicted Hussain’s claims that he had been abused while living with her in Orlando.

If his application had been accepted, Hussain could have received a VAWA visa and potentially gained lawful permanent residency in the US.

Hussain has been in federal custody since May 2023 in connection with a separate wire fraud conspiracy case. Although a jury found him guilty in October 2024, the court later overturned the verdict. The US government has filed an appeal, which is currently pending.

The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with support from USCIS.