Services

Immigration Evaluations

Immigration evaluations are a type of psychological or forensic evaluation utilized in immigration court. These evaluations assess a client's mental health across the lifespan and document any psychological harm or vulnerabilities related to factors which form the basis of the client's immigration case.

Types of immigration evaluations offered

We offer immigration evaluations for clients pursuing asylum, withholding of removal, VAWA, U-visa, T-visa, and hardship waiver cases.

Evaluation Process

Clients meet with their evaluator for approximately three hours in total. Times can vary depending on the details of each client's history. Clients are interviewed about their biopsychosocial histories and presenting symptoms, screened for certain mental health diagnoses, and given diagnoses and clinical recommendations/referrals as indicated.

The evaluator spends several hours conceptualizing each case, scoring and interpreting assessment tools, conducting relevant research, collaborating with attorneys, and writing and editing each report. A finalized report is then shared with the client and their attorney.

Cost

Asylum/withholding of removal: $650

VAWA, U-Visa, T-Visa: $800

Hardship Waiver: $850

The prices listed above are flat fees which include the evaluation and report. Extra fees may be charged in the case of court testimony, to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Half the cost is due at the time of the first evaluation session, and the other half is due when the report is submitted to the attorney.

Timeline

Evaluation reports are typically completed 2 weeks following the initial evaluation session. However, timelines can vary depending on the scheduling needs of each client.

Mental Health Counseling

Clients who receive evaluations for their immigration cases often notice that speaking about their experiences can be cathartic. Many clients receive the clinical recommendation to participate in outpatient therapy following their evaluations. We offer counseling in English and Spanish for clients who have been evaluated by an external evaluator, and we refer our evaluation clients to outpatient therapists who can meet their needs. Clients who are not eligible for insurance benefits receive counseling services at a low cost.