Immigration Evaluations | Central Jersey Psychotherapy, LLC

Psychological Evaluations for Immigration:

Central Jersey Psychotherapy is the leading expert in providing independent psychological evaluations for immigration. Our expertise includes affidavits and psychological evaluations for U Visa, VAWA petitions, extreme hardship, and political and humanitarian asylum cases. We offer in office and virtual evaluations and work with attorneys from all over the United States. Our office is located in Hillsborough New Jersey, accessible to routes 206, 22, 202, 287 and 78.

Why Work with Central Jersey Psychotherapy, LLC?

Our expert trained at the Columbia University Asylum Clinic.
Our expert is familiar with the Istanbul Protocol for evaluating asylum cases.
Our expert is a trained Expert Witness. She received certification from SEAK, (the leading Expert Witness trainers in the U.S.).
Our expert is available for in - person and telephonic testimony.
Our expert has training in both evaluation and treatment of domestic/ intimate partner violence.
Evaluations are conducted by an experienced mental health professional who has expertise in working with immigrants, immigration cases, and has training, certification and experience in both Domestic Violence and Complex Trauma.
Our expert works closely with your attorney and other collateral contacts.
Our expert is mental health professional, who creates compelling and comprehensive reports and evaluations.
Our reports can be very powerful tools in proving the immigrants' case in cancellation of removal proceedings related to extreme hardship cases, and for political asylum, U Visa and VAWA petitions.

Why do I Need an Evaluation?

A psychological evaluation can be paramount in strengthening and substantiating your immigration case. In the United States, there are laws to protect immigrants. If you have fled your country due to political, racial, ethnic, religious, or other persecution, you may be eligible for asylum. If you have been a victim of domestic/ intimate partner abuse, or a crime, an evaluation can help substantiate your case . You may be eligible to file for a U Visa, or petition to remain in the United states under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) .

Domestic Violence: The Violence Against Women Act not only protects women, but also men who have been victims of domestic violence. Domestic Violence revolves around dynamics of power and control and may include; mental, emotional, verbal, financial, sexual, physical abuse, or a combination of the above. A psychological evaluation and report can help document the abuse, and any psychological deficits and/ or trauma you may have experienced. This may be helpful, or even required for your attorney’s case.

Victims of a Crime: If you were the victim of a crime and cooperated with the authorities, you may be eligible for a U Visa. The U Visa is a temporary form of immigration status that allows a person to lawfully live and work in the United States. It does not automatically guarantee a “green card” or U.S. Citizenship. A person may apply for a green card, or lawful permanent residence, after three years of U Visa status. Crimes that potentiate eligibility for U Visa status include domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and others. In these cases, our reports and evaluations can help document your account of the crime which occurred, and its impact on your emotional state and current level of functioning.

Extreme Hardship: Psychological Evaluations are also helpful in extreme hardship cases ( I- 601).

When an individual faces deportation, this can potentially cause extreme psychological, emotional and other hardship for family members. When extreme hardship is uncovered via a psychological report, cancellation of deportation may be obtained, if the report contains information documenting exceptional and extremely unusual hardship for the qualifying U.S. spouse, family, or relative.

Political and Other Types of Asylum: Psychological Evaluations are often necessary in asylum cases. We take great care in handling these cases and in doing research regarding your country of origin, that will aid your attorney in defending your case. Moreover, if you are in immigrant and did not file for asylum within the one- year deadline as per U.S. immigration law, an evaluation which explains your particular circumstances and psychological deficits can help your attorney defend you in filing for an exception for not filing within your first year in the United States.

In order to prevail on an asylum application when the applicant is filing more than one year after arriving in the United States, the applicant must demonstrate “either the existence of changed circumstances which materially affect the applicant’s eligibility for asylum or extraordinary circumstances relating to the delay in filing the application within the first year of entry.” Additionally, the applicant must prove that the application was filed within a “reasonable period of time” after the changed or extraordinary circumstance.

Our Process for Evaluations:

We value integrity and pride ourselves in putting our clients first, thoroughly evaluating each case individually. We recognize that when you call us for an evaluation, you are in a difficult and vulnerable position. We work very hard to make you feel comfortable, and extend compassion and courtesy to each client.

After your initial phone inquiry, we will set up an appointment to meet at our office to begin the Clinical Interview process. We conduct in-depth bio- psycho- social assessments and evaluations, via clinical interviews, objective psycho- metric instruments,, collateral information, (when applicable) and DSM-V diagnosis. All of these help us produce a comprehensive, evidenced based report to support your petition.

Unlike some mental health professionals, we do not complete evaluations after speaking with you for only one or two hour.s Depending upon your case, we may meet with you for 4-8 hours which is included in our fees. We provide very extensive reports, and spend time talking with you and completing our evaluations. We work closely with your attorney throughout the evaluation process. If you are Spanish speaking, you will not need an interpreter. Our clinician is bilingual. However, we work with interpreters for clients who speak languages other than Spanish or English. Clients are responsible for bringing and paying for their own interpreters.

In addition to providing evaluations, we also provide wrap around services for those who may be in need of on-going counseling in Spanish or in English.

Quick Turnaround Times:

We attempt to provide a quick turnaround for our evaluations, usually within three weeks of completing the Clinical Evaluations and assessments. However, it is most helpful if you contact us as soon as you become aware of a pending immigration matter. We are happy to work with you attorney if you have already retained one. We also provide referrals to reputable immigration attorneys if you have not yet retained a lawyer.

Cost:

Please call us for a free consultation and estimate of the cost for your affidavit or evaluation. Cases vary in complexity. Our cost for an evaluation begins at $1,500. We need to speak with you directly, in order to give you an accurate estimate for our services. We do offer flexible payment plans. However, services must be paid in full, before your evaluation is completed and sent to your attorney.

If you need any evaluation immediately, additional fees apply as we have to work evenings, weekends, and put off working with other clients in order to expedite your case. We provide quality work and will not cut corners or rush to complete an evaluation. We have built a solid reputation on creating compelling and extremely thorough psychological evaluations and we are experts in writing psychological evaluations for immigration cases.