Immigration Evaluations for Citizenship Exam Waiver (N-648)

One way to figure out if you need psychological testing for your immigration case is to ask your immigration attorney.  He or she can help you determine if you will be applying for a Citizenship Examination waiver.  If you are, then you will need to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine if you have a mental or developmental disability that would qualify for the waiver.  If you already know that there’s a disability (e.g. dementia, intellectual disability, traumatic head injury, etc.), then the results of a psychological evaluation can provide the evidence necessary for the N-648 form to qualify for the Citizenship Examination Waiver.

Please bring the following information with you to the appointment:

• Immigration attorney’s name and contact information
• Primary doctor’s name and contact information
• Psychiatrist’s name and contact information
• Names of all medications and dosages you are currently taking
• List of all medical conditions
• Your US Permanent Resident Card
• Your Florida Identification Card/Driver’s License

Yes.  The doctors on staff at Envision Wellness are qualified to complete and sign Form N-648 Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions.  They are licensed psychologists on the State of Florida and specifically trained in neuropsychology.  This specialized training allows them to administer and interpret neuropsychological tests in order to determine the presence of neurocognitive or neurodevelopmental disorders that interfere with attention, concentration, learning, and/or memory – cognitive functions all of which are needed to complete the US citizenship examination.

Yes.  We can perform these evaluations in other languages with the assistance of a Certified Medical Interpreter or Certifed Court Interpreter fluent in the client’s native language. The client is responsible for the cost of the the interpreter’s time. 

We recommend Verbatim Languages Translators & Interpreters. They provide certified medical translators and interpreters in a variety of languages in the greater Miami area. Costs range from $95 – $160 per hour (2-hour minimum) depending on the language.

Due to the legal nature of these evaluations, family members, friends, or other persons casually known to the client cannot serve as interpreters. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. 

Not necessarily.  Having a psychological evaluation done does not automatically mean that the psychologist will complete the N-648 form for you.  The psychologist will complete the N-648 form only if the results of the psychological testing indicate the presence of a substantial disability or impairment.

We can usually complete most immigration evaluations in 10 calendar days or less.  This is enough time in most cases.  However, we can accommodate you if you need the evaluation completed in a faster timeframe, subject to a rush fee.

First, don’t panic.  Rejections happen occasionally.  All it means is that the psychologist needs to provide additional evidence to substantiate the disability.  We can provide revisions of the N-648 form for individuals which we have evaluated.  If you were evaluated by another psychologist, we cannot provide a revision.  We would need to repeat the entire evaluation.

Chances are that whoever did the previous evaluations and completed the N-648 form failed to provide sufficient supporting data to substantiate an impairment.  Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of poorly conducted evaluations that cost families a lot of money.  We believe that this is a huge disservice to the general public and damaging to the mental health field’s credibility. 

At Envision Wellness, our psychologists will interview you and/or caregiver for about 60-90 minutes. During the second session, you or your loved one will be tested for 2-3 hours.  Then you’ll meet one final time with the psychologist to review the comprehensive final report, receive recommendations, address any questions, and receive the completed N-648 (if applicable).  If previous evaluations consisted of less than the above described, no quantitative data, or a 1-page letter instead of a final report, then it’s likely your previous evaluations were poorly conducted. 

Don’t get scammed.

Our evaluations may seem costly, but remember, you get what you pay for.  Our evaluations are comprehensive assessments conducted by experienced psychologists, specializing in neuropsychology, with good rates of acceptance by US immigration.

Maybe. However, our psychologists do not accept any form of health insurance. As out-of-network providers, they can give you a superbill (a receipt with medical procedure codes) that you submit to your healthcare insurance company. Your insurance carrier will determine if you are eligible for reimbursement of this evaluation’s cost based on your healthcare plan’s coverage.

You can pay with credit card or cash ($50 discount for cash payments). We require that 50% of the evaluation be paid at the first appointment.  The remaining 50% is expected on the day of the second appointment. We will provide you with a receipt for your records. No additional payment is required at the final session when you receive the evaluation’s results. 

At this time we do not accept personal checks or money orders for this type of evaluation. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.