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How Does VAAP Decide Which Cases to Accept?

VAAP can help with a wide range of immigration legal issues, but our intake form prioritizes certain needs based on urgency, impact, and available resources.

We receive far more requests for legal help than we can take on. We open and close new cases daily to our ability to accept new work changes day to day.

We use a simple checklist to help us make fair decisions about what we accept, considering:

• Urgency: Is the person at immediate risk of a permanent and irreversible harm like detention, deportation, or family separation?

• Impact: Could a lawyer make a meaningful difference in the person’s likely or wanted outcomes, or prevent future problems?

• Fair access: Does the person face systemic barriers to legal help because of where they live, the language they speak, or their race, religion, country of origin, or other protected characteristics?

• Other options: Is another qualified lawyer available to help?

• Community needs: Does the case address a historical gap in legal services identified by our communities or other providers?

• Broader impact: Could the case help create new law or policy that will help us protect the rights of others?

• Our capacity: Can we take the case without compromising our professional responsibilities to existing clients or workforce sustainability?

Depending on your needs and our availability, VAAP may offer legal help directly, refer you to another free or fee-based legal service provider, or share resources to help you take next steps on your own if a lawyer is unlikely to be available.