Dear Elena,

As I understand from your email, you have already received a so called "conditional" green card because at that time you were married for less then two years. Now you are in the process of removing this "condition" and receiving your permanent card. Unfortunately, your relationship with your husband has worsened and you are not sure if you want this marriage continued any longer. The law is relatively clear on this subject. If you divorced your husband it means that he is not supporting your application for permanent card based on your marriage and you have to self-petition INS to remove the condition. However, the law provides you an opportunity to apply in both cases, if you still married or already divorced. The requirements for such self-petitions are quite different for still married and divorced applicants and the INS is quite strict with self-petitions. Additionally, you have mentioned an element of verbal abuse present in you relationship with your husband and it may and should be used in your favor I highly recommend you to consult with a competent immigration attorney and based on your specific circumstances to devise a smart strategy of getting your permanent green card. As you correctly mentioned, so much depends on the right strategy and you cannot afford to make a mistake.