Trauma-Informed Immigration Evaluations for USCIS & Immigration Court

At Tesfa House Psychotherapy and Consulting LLC, we provide specialized immigration psychological evaluations for individuals and families involved in USCIS, immigration court, and related legal proceedings.

Our evaluations are conducted by a licensed clinical psychologist and are designed to provide objective, clinically supported documentation regarding the psychological, emotional, cognitive, and trauma-related impact of hardship, persecution, abuse, trafficking, family separation, and other immigration-related experiences.

We work collaboratively with immigration attorneys and provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed evaluations tailored to the clinical and legal standards commonly required in immigration cases.

The majority of your psychological evaluation with our team will be a clinical interview. Some patients find this interview intimidating, but you should just think about this as a relaxed talk with a caring professional. In order to gather the information we need to provide USCIS and/or other immigration offices in other countries and your legal counsel, we may need a visit with you over the course of three or more one hour sessions. The number of meetings will really depend on the complexity of your case. Because you’re seeking asylum or hardship immigration, we’ll want to take the time to discuss any past trauma. It’s important that we be able to help you evaluate and begin to address traumatic experiences. We will also discuss any past psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. We want to help patients receive the appropriate ongoing care. We also discuss your current living situation and plans for the future as well as any friends, family, or other support systems you have in place to help you successfully immigrate. This may include discussing future employment and/or education plans. The goal of this part of your clinical evaluation is to help you plan to handle stresses that may arise during your transition. During the clinical interview process, the role of your clinician is to collect necessary information for any of your legal documentation. We’ll also assess any potential roadblocks to your safe and successful immigration, and help you address them. We will also directly tackle any concerns that can arise during these discussions and provide you with the techniques to continue working through emotional responses that may arise. In addition to this clinical interview, you will also be asked to complete some questionnaires that will use rating scales to help gain further understanding of your emotional and mental processes. These scales as well as the information gathered during your clinical interviews will be used to create the report that we provide to your legal counsel as part of your immigration process. It will take four to six weeks for our clinicians to complete these reports.

To schedule an asylum and immigration psychological evaluation, contact us.

Types of Immigration Evaluations

Extreme Hardship Evaluations (I-601 / I-601A / Cancellation of Removal)

Extreme hardship evaluations assess the psychological, emotional, medical, financial, and family impact that deportation or separation would have on a qualifying U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member.

These evaluations are commonly used in:

• I-601 and I-601A hardship waivers
• Cancellation of removal cases
• Deportation defense
• Family separation matters

Common hardship factors may include:

• Mental health conditions
• Trauma history
• Caregiving responsibilities
• Medical needs
• Child developmental concerns
• Financial dependency
• Educational disruption
• Country condition concerns

Political Asylum Evaluations

Asylum evaluations document the psychological consequences of persecution, torture, political violence, imprisonment, discrimination, trafficking, religious persecution, gender-based violence, and related traumatic experiences.

These evaluations often assess:

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Complex trauma
• Dissociation
• Psychological effects of torture or persecution

A professionally prepared psychological evaluation may help establish consistency, credibility, and the emotional impact of persecution experiences within asylum proceedings.

VAWA Psychological Evaluations

VAWA evaluations are conducted for individuals who have experienced psychological, emotional, physical, financial, or sexual abuse by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, partner, or family member.

These evaluations assess the psychological impact of abuse and may document:

• Trauma symptoms
• Depression and anxiety
• Coercive control
• Emotional abuse
• Fear and safety concerns
• Effects of chronic domestic violence

U-Visa Psychological Evaluations

U-Visa evaluations assess the psychological impact of serious crimes experienced within the United States.

These cases commonly involve:

• Domestic violence
• Sexual assault
• Human trafficking
• Kidnapping
• Assault
• Stalking
• Other violent crimes

The evaluation documents the emotional and psychological consequences of victimization and trauma.

T-Visa Psychological Evaluations

T-Visa evaluations are conducted for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation.

These evaluations may assess:

• Trauma-related disorders
• Fear of retaliation
• Re-victimization risk
• Psychological consequences of trafficking
• Safety concerns if returned to country of origin

Citizenship Disability Waiver Evaluations (N-648)

N-648 evaluations are conducted for individuals seeking a medical disability exception to the English and/or civics testing requirements for U.S. naturalization.

These evaluations assess whether a medical, psychiatric, developmental, or neurocognitive condition significantly interferes with the ability to learn, retain, or demonstrate the required information for citizenship testing.

Conditions may include:

• Dementia
• Intellectual disability
• Developmental disorders
• Traumatic brain injury
• Severe PTSD
• Major psychiatric disorders
• Neurocognitive impairment

A typical immigration psychological evaluation may include:

• Comprehensive clinical interview
• Review of medical, psychiatric, educational, or legal records
• Consultation with attorney when appropriate
• Trauma-informed assessment
• Psychological testing or screening measures when clinically indicated
• Cognitive or neuropsychological screening when relevant
• Preparation of a detailed forensic-style report

Most evaluations require between one and three sessions depending on complexity.

Extreme Hardship Evaluations

(I-601 / I-601A / Cancellation of Removal)

Service	Fee
Standard Hardship Evaluation	$1,650
Complex Hardship Evaluation	$2,100–$3,000+
Multi-Family Member Evaluation	Custom Quote
Expedited Report (3–5 business days)	+$450

May Include:

• Clinical interviews
• Psychological assessment
• Trauma-informed evaluation
• Records review
• Attorney collaboration
• Comprehensive forensic-style report

Political Asylum Evaluations

Service	Fee
Standard Asylum Evaluation	$1,750
Complex Trauma / Torture Evaluation	$2,250–$3,500+
Expedited Report	+$450

May Include:

• PTSD and trauma assessment
• Documentation of persecution-related symptoms
• Clinical diagnostic impressions
• Psychological testing when indicated
• Detailed forensic report preparation

VAWA Psychological Evaluations

Service	Fee
Standard VAWA Evaluation	$1,500
Complex Domestic Violence / Trauma Case	$2,000–$2,800+
Expedited Report	+$450

May Include:

• Domestic violence assessment
• Trauma evaluation
• Coercive control assessment
• Functional impairment analysis
• Attorney consultation when appropriate

U-Visa Psychological Evaluations

Service	Fee
Standard U-Visa Evaluation	$1,500
Complex Trauma Evaluation	$2,000–$3,000+
Expedited Report	+$450

May Include:

• Crime-related trauma assessment
• PTSD/depression/anxiety screening
• Review of supporting documentation
• Forensic-style narrative report

T-Visa Psychological Evaluations

Service	Fee
Standard T-Visa Evaluation	$1,750
Complex Human Trafficking Evaluation	$2,250–$3,500+
Expedited Report	+$450

May Include:

• Human trafficking trauma assessment
• Re-victimization and safety concerns
• Trauma-related diagnostic impressions
• Comprehensive clinical documentation

Citizenship Disability Waiver Evaluations (N-648)

Service	Fee
Initial Screening Consultation	$200
Standard N-648 Evaluation	$1,350
Complex Neurocognitive / Trauma Evaluation	$1,850–$2,500+
Expedited Report	+$400

May Include:

• Clinical interview
• Mental status examination
• Cognitive screening
• Review of medical or psychiatric records
• USCIS Form N-648 completion
• Supporting clinical documentation

Additional Services & Fees

Service	Fee
Interpreter Coordination	$150+
Additional Records Review (Extensive Files)	$150–$500
Additional Attorney Consultation	$150+
Supplemental Letter / Addendum	$150–$350
USCIS RFE Response Support	Custom Quote
Court Testimony / Legal Appearance	Custom Quote
Evaluation Update (for expired reports)	Varies

Typical Timeline

Service Stage	Estimated Time
Initial Consultation Scheduling	1–7 business days
Evaluation Sessions	1–3 sessions
Standard Report Turnaround	10–15 business days
Expedited Reports	3–5 business days

Complex cases involving extensive records, multiple family members, interpreters, or neurocognitive testing may require additional time.

Payment Information

• Immigration evaluations are private-pay services.
• Insurance is not accepted for forensic or immigration evaluations.
• Full or partial payment may be required prior to scheduling.
• Payment plans may be available in select circumstances.
• Expedited services must be paid in advance.

Interpreter services can be coordinated when needed.

For Tigrinya-speaking clients, evaluations may often be conducted directly without an interpreter.

Interpreter Coordination Fee

$150+ depending on language and session length

The role of the psychotherapist in these cases is to inform the court, not to decide the ultimate question of deportation. The forensic psychotherapist generally provides the attorney with a comprehensive written evaluation assessing the degree of hardship, the category of hardship, related documentation of the history of the person and an explanation of the impact deportation would have on the person, as well as their family.

Depending on the results of the evaluation the attorney may or may not submit the psychological evaluation to the court. The demonstration of extreme exceptional hardship based on the evaluation and other factors does not automatically indicate a privilege for relief or the granting of cancellation of removal. The Cancellation of Removal and Adjustment of Status for Certain Non permanent Residents (1996): I.N.A Section: 240 A (b) states in addition to the identification of an exceptionally extreme hardship the application for cancellation of removal must verify:

• The alien has been physically present continuously in the United States of America for a period not less than 10 years immediately preceding the application;

• The alien has been a person of good moral character;

• The alien has not been convicted of an offense or “aggravated felonies.”

The decision to cancel removal is multi-factorial and the determination ultimately rests with the USDOJ-EIRO Immigration Court Judge, or the Attorney General, based on the specifics of the case.

The purpose of the evaluation in immigration deportation cases is NOT to diagnosis in order to treat a psychological disturbance, but rather to determine if the disorder is present and if an exceptional hardship would result due to the disorder if deportation occurs. Therefore, the forensic evaluator is contractually hired by the immigration attorney NOT the client (even though the client/family usually covers the costs for the evaluation). All reports are furnished directly to the hiring/referral attorney NOT to the client or the client’s family.

Dr. Yacob Tekie is licensed in Pennsylvania and authorized through PSYPACT to provide services in multiple participating states, including:

• Alabama; Arizona; Arkansas; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; District of Columbia – DC; Florida; Georgia; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Maine; Maryland; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; North Carolina; North Dakota; Northern Marianas; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin and Wyoming. 

Please contact us regarding jurisdictional questions or international consultation requests.