Expedite requests can be important at various stages of a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), U or T visa application, particularly if there is an age-out issue or if your client is detained or has a final order of removal. In general, due to extremely limited resources at the Vermont Service Center (VSC), the AILA VAWA, U and T Committee and the VSC Liaison Committee recommend expediting requests for consideration of deferred action only in cases of imminent removal, medical emergencies, or other serious emergencies. The burden is on the applicant or petitioner to demonstrate that one or more of the following expedite criteria apply:

• Severe financial loss to a company or individual;
• Extreme emergent situation;
• Humanitarian situation;
• Department of Defense or National Interest Situation (Note: Requests must come
from official U.S. government entity and must state that the delay will be detrimental to the government);
• S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) error; or
• Compelling interest of USCIS.