Immigration Psychological Evaluation

Do you need an immigration psychological evaluation?

Your legal team has probably suggested for you get a psychological evaluation.  In certain immigration cases a thorough, psychological evaluation is necessary to truly understand an individual’s unique situation and needs. A professional with clinical credentials and experience can assess the mental well-being, emotional experiences, hardships and fears of an individual and capture them in a psychological evaluation that immigration authorities can use to review and assess the merits of a case.  This evaluation allows the immigration authorities to see a detailed picture of your well-being and experiences throughout your immigration journey.

I’m a bilingual Licensed Clinical Social Worker who provides immigration evaluations in the state of Texas.

I have a master’s degree in social work from The Catholic University of America, specializing in mental health.  I was trained to conduct psychological evaluations by several human rights/ legal aid organizations, such as the Tahiri Justice Center, Physicians for Human Rights, Los Angeles Human Rights Initiative (LAHRI), Chicago People’s Rights Collaborative and Brown Human Rights Asylum Clinic (BHRAC).  Also, I have taken the specialized curse of Geogia King, LCSW “Mastering Immigration Evaluations Training.”

While my formal training has contributed to my proven track record as an evaluator, my real training and what makes me the best for your immigration psychological evaluation is the 25 plus years I have working with survivors of crime, domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, forced marriage, victims of torture and persecution, refuges, and my own immigrant’s experience in the US.  Having conducted hundreds of evaluations over the past 25 years together with the close work I have done with survivors has given me a deep understanding and comprehension of the dynamics of all these victimizations.

What Kind of Evaluator Am I?

Impartial and Empathic

Knowledgable of the Immigration Field

Skilled at Interviewing

Detailed Orientation

Objective in the Facts

Culturally Competent

Process to get a Psychological Evaluation for
Immigration

Step 1: Get Started Today

Reach out today by calling me at 469-754-9719 or sending me an email in the contact section.

Step 2: Sign Consent

Sign respective consents and permissions that allow me to collaborate with your legal team.​

Step 3: Meet for the psychological evaluation

We will meet to start the interviewing process. These meetings are virtual, unless you live in the the Dallas area, and you prefer to meet in person

Step 4: Synthesize data and produce a report

I will compile the multi-faceted layers of the information I have collected from you, and your legal team throughout this process, into a report.

Step 5: Review Immigration with legal team.

I will share the first draft of the report with your legal team and consult with them to ensure that your assessment is as complete as possible

Step 6: Receive your immigration evaluation.

I will share the first draft of the report with your legal team and consult with them to ensure that your assessment is as complete as possible.

Types of cases I can support

  • In extreme hardship cases, an applicant can be provided a waiver if their removal from the US would cause “extreme hardship” for a family member who is a citizen or lawful permanent resident. Your case must show that there will be extreme hardship if family members are separated due to deportation or if family members must relocate with the one being deported.

  • A psychological evaluation may be helpful if you are seeking asylum. To receive asylum in the United States, you must show that you have suffered persecution or have a well-founded fear of persecution in your home country. Persecution may be based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a social group experiencing discrimination (e.g., Sexual or Gender Identity). 

    A psychological evaluation documents the persecution or suffering you have already experienced before coming to the United States or the reason why you are fearful that you would not be safe if you returned to your home country. It can also help document why you did not apply within the year deadline of arrival in the US, if applicable.

  • The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was created to provide a pathway to legal status for family members who have experienced abuse from a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR). An immigrant family member usually relies on a U.S. citizen or LPR to petition for legal status on their behalf. But for cases in which there has been abuse, VAWA protects individuals applying without the knowledge, consent, or participation of their abuser.

    This application and evaluation is not only for women; it protects people regardless of sexual or gender identity.

  • A T-Visa provides victims of human trafficking with the right to live and work in the U.S. A psychological evaluation can help an immigration court understand how human trafficking affects the petitioner.

    Part of the qualifications for this visa is that the petitioner has complied with any reasonable request from a law enforcement agency for assistance in the investigation or prosecution of human trafficking or you are unable to cooperate due to physical or psychological trauma; if either case applies, you may not need to show that you complied with reasonable requests from law enforcement).

  • The SIJ Classification allows certain noncitizen children to apply for lawful permanent resident status in the United States (also known as applying for a Green Card). These children have been subject to state juvenile court proceedings related to parental abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under state law.

  • For many immigration applications, a psychological evaluation can support your case. This evaluation provides a clear portrayal of your story and describes the hardship you have already faced or expect to face in the future due to deportation. If you have suffered any psychological or physical abuse, it is valuable to have the mental impact of this abuse well documented.

FAQ Immigration Psychological Evaluations

  • An immigration psychological evaluation is a report written by a therapist who has performed a clinical assessment of someone in immigration proceedings.  The report is used by the individual’s lawyers as part of their immigration case.

  • The final comprehensive report includes: a review of personal, family and background information, a review of psychiatric conditions, the current mental status of the individual assessed, hardship factors, results of a mental status examination and scales, DSM-V diagnosis, a summary, and recommendations. All this information is gathered and compiled into a detailed report (15-25 pages).

  • In most cases the report is completed 2 weeks after the last interview and once all documents have been received.

  • I am bilingual in Spanish, my native language. I can conduct interviews in both English and Spanish. Reports are completed only in English.  For clients who speak other languages besides English or Spanish, I can work with an interpreter to complete the evaluation interview.

  • We will have conversations about you, your family, your partner(s), how life was living in your country, and the details that are pertinent to your case. These conversations do not have right or wrong answers, our main goal is to get a good picture of your current situation, past traumas or difficulties, and how those difficulties have affected your mental health.

  • I typically meet 1-4 times with clients to assess their case.  I do not charge a flat fee for the evaluations as every case is different. Some cases will take maybe 1-2 sessions while others may take 3-4. What is important is to obtain all the necessary information to create a report that captures what happened to you.

  • I cannot see clients for both therapy and Immigration Evaluations as dual relationships are considered unethical. Having the same clinician as therapist and evaluator is considered a dual relationship and compromises the objectivity of the evaluator and therefore the report.

  • My rate is $150 per hour.  Whether that hour is doing interviews, collaborating with the legal team, writing the report, or traveling to meet the client – including detention centers/ hospitals/ etc.

    Charging by the hour allows me, as a clinical expert on Immigration Psychological Evaluations, to invest the time that your case requires to produce a personalized, thought-out, and detailed report.