Clinical Evaluation for Immigration

Let’s schedule an appointment

Multicultural Counseling Services
English, Spanish, and Portuguese
Counseling Institute of Atlanta is glad to offer you online services. If you think these online services might be helpful to you, please, contact us.

What Is An Immigration Evaluation?

An immigration evaluation, also known as an immigration clinical evaluation or hardship evaluation, is an assessment conducted by a licensed clinician to explain the mental health state of an individual in an immigration case.

Generally, definitions for immigration evaluations vary and tend to be bucketed to mean some component of a psychosocial, psychological / mental health evaluation. That said, immigration evaluations do come in various types and can be conducted by a licensed social worker, mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, psychiatrist, or psychologist.

What Are Immigration Evaluations Used For?

Mental health / psychological evaluations are routinely used to support immigration cases. They are helpful for proving extreme hardship or the emotional effect of being the victim of a crime which can be substantiated in court in support of an immigration petition.

Immigration Evaluation Categories

Immigration evaluations can mainly be broken down into two parts: trauma related and non-trauma related. 

Examples of trauma related cases are U-Visa, T-Visa, VAWA, and Political Asylum. Non trauma related cases are I-601 and cancellation of removal. The biggest difference between the two types of evaluations and their subparts is that one segment highlights more of a trauma than the other.

Types of Immigration Waivers

Mental health / psychological assessments are used in various types of immigration cases. Here are some of the most common ones: 

WAIVERS / HARDSHIPS

Mental health evaluations can be used to show that deportation would cause extreme hardship to qualifying family members, such as U.S. citizen children. 

POLITICAL ASYLUM

Political asylum is given to undocumented immigrants who are forced to flee their country as a political refugee. Immigration mental health evaluations can help asylum seekers show evidence of persecution in their home country. 

VAWA

This petition allows spouses and children who are victims of domestic violence perpetrated by a United States citizen to obtain a green card. A mental health evaluation can help document the consequences of the abuse, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related problems. 

CANCELLATION OF REMOVAL

A psychological evaluation can be used to help support a deportation cancellation of removal order. 

U-VISA

U visa gives undocumented immigrants who have been victims of a serious crime the right to live in the United States. Psychological evaluations can help U visa petitioners prove the mental and emotional consequences of the crime. 

T-VISA

A visa provides victims of human trafficking with the right to live and work in the United States. A mental health evaluation can help an immigration court understand how human trafficking affected the petitioner emotionally. 

Choosing The Right Therapist

In addition to choosing an immigration mental health examination for your case, you should also make sure that you choose a therapist or counselor who is experienced in providing psychological / mental health assessments. 

It is important to feel understood during the evaluation. Therefore, choose a mental health counselor who speaks the same language as you do and has extensive experience working with immigrants from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is also important to select a therapist who has experience in trauma and domestic violence. This can help you or your family member feel safe enough to talk about issues like violence and trauma. 

  • Victims of domestic violence (VAWA)
  • Victims of crime: U Visa
  • Waivers / Hardships

Choosing The Right Therapist

  1. Four Interview Appointments with the person being evaluated scheduled within two weeks of one another.
  2. Collateral Communication with the attorney/paralegal on the case.
  3. The written draft will be sent to the attorney/paralegal to cross-reference and confirm information (i.e. dates and names).
  4. A copy of the finalized evaluation will be mailed to the attorney/paralegal and another copy will be sent to the client.

Please Note:

Written consent to communicate with the attorney/paralegal on the case is required in order to complete the evaluation. Please consult with an attorney regarding the type of evaluation that is recommended for your case and whether or not one is required for your case. Also, rescheduling/canceling appointments may delay the turnaround time for the evaluation. Typically, evaluations are completed in 4-5 weeks; however, there is an expedite option in which we finalized the evaluation in one or two weeks.

Immigration Evaluation Fee: $950

Expedite process: $1200

ASK QUESTION

Frequently Asked Questions about an immigration clinical evaluation