After failing to secure a green card through marriage, Karine is now trying to have Paul arrested for domestic violence to obtain a VAWA visa

Posted by on

Karine Martins, a former cast member of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, seems to be working overtime to sabotage her own chances of staying in the United States.


After living in the US on a two-year conditional green card through her marriage to Paul Staehle, she had a clear path to permanent residency—file jointly with Paul and prove the marriage was legitimate. Instead, Karine took a detour that defies logic: she got pregnant by her new American boyfriend, Michael, while still legally married to Paul, and made her new relationship public. Whether she believed that giving birth to a U.S. citizen child would magically secure her status, or that flaunting a new relationship would somehow help her marriage-based green card case, the result was the same—disaster.

After the birth of her third child, Paul finally pulled the plug on what many suspected was a green card scheme. While they might have had a slim chance of convincing immigration authorities even as a separated couple, Karine’s public relationship with another man—and the baby that followed—effectively torpedoed any remaining credibility. U.S. immigration may be slow, but it’s not blind. When fraud is this blatant, it’s only a matter of time before consequences follow. Paul, sensing the legal storm ahead, distanced himself from the situation entirely, leaving Karine to face the fallout alone.

With her marriage-based green card hopes in ruins, Karine pivoted to a new strategy: applying for a VAWA visa by portraying herself as a victim of domestic abuse. 


But that plan also unraveled when Paul exposed messages allegedly showing Karine and her boyfriend conspiring against him. To make matters worse, Karine herself has domestic violence charges on record, which could disqualify her from VAWA protections. Had she focused on building a stable life, caring for her children, and following the legal path to residency, she might have had a future in the U.S. Instead, her reckless choices, public drama, and disregard for immigration law have left her with few options—and likely, a one-way ticket back to Brazil.