Psychological Immigration Evaluations
Call today: (803)200-2451

COST AND WHAT'S INCLUDED: 

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COST AND PAYMENT PLANS

 The cost for an immigration evaluation is $890 dollars. I offer a payment plan that consists of (3 installments of $296) The first payment ($960) is due 24h before the first initial assessment. The second payment ($296) is due the day of the second session. And the third payment ($296) will be completed the day the assessment is completed and ready to submit. Immigration evaluations are completed via TELEHEALTH. Upon completing your intake you will recieve a phone or email notification with a reminder of yoursession and the link to access your telehealth session. It is a very simple step and it can be done from the comfot of your home or location.

 

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN MY FEE?

• Two online personal detailed assessment interviews (2-3 hours).

• Thorough and detailed report with bio-psycho-social history (18-28 pages total).

• Clinical Assessment with scores, DSM-5 diagnosis, prognosis and recommendations.

• Administration of validated symptom screening tools and severity measures to support clinical diagnoses.

• Consultation/coordination with attorney and delivery of evaluation using a HIPAA compliant and secure platform.

• Culturally sensitive de-stigmatization of symptoms and Mental Health/Psychiatric referrals for ongoing treatment, as indicated.

• Evaluations is conducted virtually via a HIPAA compliant video conference platform.

• Sessions are available in English and Spanish your report will be completed in English. All other languages will require an interpreter provided by the client.

• Time will depend on the complexity of the report. Rush services are available for an additional fee. 

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LEARN MORE:

1. EXTREME HARDSHIP

In Extreme and Exceptional Hardship cases, a citizen of the United States, or a legal permanent resident (LPR) of the United States and is the spouse, fiancée, parent, or child of an individual who could be deported from the United States. The U.S. citizen applies for a waiver on the basis that deportation would result in an extreme and exceptional hardship.

Immigration policies use the term “extreme hardship” to mean that if a person or a loved one faces possible deportation, the living circumstances would be very hard to cope with. When an authority, like a mental health professional, discovers extreme hardship through interviewing and testing, a removal from the U.S. can be waived.The purpose of the psychological evaluation is to assess and explain the hardships that all the relevant family members would face if the waiver were not granted. The professional opinion rendered in a psychological evaluation greatly strengthens the case.

2. SPOUSAL ABUSE: VAWA (Violence Against Women Act)
Despite the name of this act, the VAWA immigration provisions benefit both women and men. In spousal abuse cases, a woman or man from a foreign country marries a citizen or a legal permanent resident (LPR) of the United States. After the marriage, the immigrant claims the presence of domestic abuse and seeks to file for legal status separately from their U.S. citizen spouse, usually because the U.S. citizen or LPR spouse does not assist his or her spouse in this process. The foreign national can file a VAWA petition even if the marriage ended in divorce, as long as there was a connection between the divorce and domestic violence and/or abuse. The abuse can take the form of verbal, physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse and even financial. Marital incompatibilities which cause severe strains on a marriage and, in fact, could lead to divorce, do not by themselves constitute extreme cruelty. “Extreme cruelty” includes, but is not limited to, threats of violence, forceful detention, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, rape, molestation, incest (if the victim is a minor), and forced prostitution. In these cases, it is important for the therapist to evaluate the scope and nature of the abuse and the emotional impact that the abuse has had on you. In the safety of the evaluation process, you can talk about the painful ordeal and its adverse impact on your life and your emotional well-being. This process can also be empowering and aid in the healing process.

Sometimes the abuse is obvious, but at other times, it is subtler. In some cases, there is a collaborating evidence of medical records from hospitals, testimonies of witnesses, and police records. However, in many other cases, no one else has witnessed the abuse, and the victim is too terrified to seek professional help. Examples of nonviolent acts that may also constitute extreme cruelty are social isolation of the victim, threats of deportation, threat of bodily harm, not allowing the victim to get a job, degrading the victim, and humiliating the victim privately and/or publically.
The most important goal of VAWA is to allow you, as the victim, to sever dependency on your abusive spouse by allowing you to file for permanent residency, without your spouse’s consent, help, support or participation of any kind.
In these cases, it is important for the therapist to evaluate the scope and nature of the abuse, the practical ramifications, and the emotional impact that the abuse has had on you. In the safety of the evaluation process, you can talk about the painful ordeal and its adverse impact on your life and your emotional wellbeing. I often have witnessed this process be of tremendous help in empowering the victims and aiding them in the healing process way beyond the resolution of their immigration case.

 

3. U-VISA

U Visa gives legal status to immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, who have been victims of serious crimes in the United States. Such crimes including, but are not limited to, sexual abuse, domestic violence, involuntary servitude, sexual exploitation, kidnapping, trafficking, and rape. With a U Visa, the immigrant may stay and work in the U.S for up to four years. After three years, however, a victim with a U visa may apply for a green card. The goal of the psychological evaluation is to assess the extent of serious physical, mental, or emotional consequences of the experience. An applicant for a U Visa has to be willing to assist the police and/or District Attorney’s Office in the investigation and/or with the prosecution of the criminal.

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4. POLITICAL ASYLUM

Applicants for political asylum often have been exposed to extreme deprivation, severe abuse, and even torture in their home country. Frequently, the mistreatment is associated with a political, religious, and/or ethnic persecution. At some point, the individual flees his or her country to the United States and files a Political Asylum claim.
The purpose of an immigration evaluation in asylum cases is to collect information about this mistreatment and to examine the psychological impact that these circumstances have had on the immigrant. It is most common that the individual has developed psychological problems as a result of the abuse, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), severe anxiety, and/or depression.
If your immigration case involves is political asylum, it is important to assess the extent and severity of your original trauma, whether you continue to suffer from psychological symptoms after your arrival in the U.S., and how long-lasting the psychological ramifications could be.

In addition to the legal aid you are receiving, an immigration evaluation therapist can help you communicate and document the mental health aspects of your case.

Over the last 20 years of my practice, I have worked with diverse cultural populations as well as conducted many immigration evaluations. Having a thorough and completed evaluation report could make a huge difference in the outcome of your case at trial or on appeal. Additionally, in my experience conducting many immigration evaluations, I have seen that for many individuals and families, having an opportunity to talk about the difficulties, stressors and even traumas associated with their immigration process is an important empowering and healing step. Sharing their hardships, pains, and the challenges that they have fought to overcome allows many immigrants to appreciate their strength as well as identify areas in which they could use more emotional help and support. Each immigration situation is different, and I approach each case and each person individually. My goal is to provide you with a place where you feel safe, supported, respected, and helped in this complicated process.

 

5. T-VISA

 For victims of human trafficking (and their immediate family) if they agree to assist law enforcement.

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