VAWA Psychological Evaluations for Immigration
Coming to the United States was a dream come true. But that dream turned into a nightmare when mean comments and mistreatment quickly became abuse. Now you’re stuck. You don’t want to return to your native country – there’s nothing for you there. But if you leave your abuser, your ability to stay in the US will be at risk.
You may be protected by VAWA.
Foreigners who are victims of domestic violence by a spouse who is a US citizen or legal US resident can be eligible for legal status in the United States without relying on the abusive spouse to petition on their behalf under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Our experienced licensed psychologists offer VAWA psychological evaluations.
Our licensed psychologists have extensive clinical training that includes knowledge of cross cultural psychology which allows them to competently work with individuals from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. They conduct VAWA evaluations in English and Spanish from our centrally located offices in Miami, Florida.
Our comprehensive VAWA evaluations identify the nature, severity, and frequency of the abuse. Additionally, our reports assess the client’s current mental state and any relevant mental health conditions (e.g. Major Depression, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Generalized Anxiety, etc.) that may have arisen as a result of physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse, intimidation, manipulation, etc. Our reports also explore the long-term impact of abuse on the client’s emotional and social functioning.
Here’s what you can expect:
- 2 90-minute initial interviews (including psychological assessment scales) with a licensed psychologist
- 4-5 days to write report draft and send to attorney for feedback
- 5-7 days to receive attorney feedback and finalize report*
- 30-minute final feedback session to review final report with client
- Final report will be sent to the attorney.
Total Time for completion = 14 calendar days or less**
*This is an estimate. Response times vary by attorney. ** Rushed reports are available, subject to an additional fee.
You probably have more questions about our VAWA immigration evaluations.
Here are some of the most common questions that people ask us about our VAWA psychological evaluations.
Do I need an immigration psychological evaluation?
One way to figure out if you need psychological evaluation for your immigration case is to ask your immigration attorney. He or she can help you determine if you will be applying a VAWA petition. If you are, then you may benefit from undergoing a psychological evaluation to document your history of abuse.
What should I bring to my evaluation?
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
- 2 offical forms of photo identifaction
Are you qualified to do VAWA psychological evaluations?
Yes. The psychologists on staff at Envision Wellness are qualified to complete VAWA evaluations for immigration. They are licensed psychologists on the State of Florida and have completed specific training to conduct VAWA immigration evaluations.
Can this evaluation be done in a language other than English or Spanish?
Yes. We can perform these evaluations in other languages with the assistance of a Certified Medical Interpreter or Certified Court Interpreter fluent in the client’s native language. The client is responsible for the cost of the the interpreter’s time.
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.
My immigration hearing is in less than 2 weeks. How fast can you complete this evaluation?
We can usually complete most VAWA evaluations in 14 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. Rush fees are as follows:
$500 More than 72 hours but less than 14 days
$800 72 hours or less
Evaluation was rejected and needs to be completed again. Can you do a revision?
First, don’t panic. Rejections happen occasionally. We can provide revisions for individuals which we have evaluated, subject to a prorated charge. If you were evaluated by another psychologist, we cannot provide a revision. We would need to repeat the entire evaluation.
My evaluation been rejected several times. What’s going wrong?
Chances are that whoever did the previous evaluations failed to provide sufficient supporting data. 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 family member on 2 separate occasions for about 90 minutes each time. During the second session, you and/or your loved one will also complete psychological assessment scales. Then, the psychologist will prepare a draft of the evaluation report and send it to your immigration attorney for their review. Once your attorney has reviewed the draft, the report will be finalized and you’ll meet one final time with the psychologist to review the comprehensive final report, receive recommendations, and address any questions.
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 with good rates of acceptance by US immigration who specialize in neuropsychology, trauma, and cross cultural psychology.
Does my healthcare insurance cover this evaluation?
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.
How does payment work?
We require that 50% of the evaluation be paid in cash at the first appointment. The remaining 50% in cash 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 credit cards, personal checks, or money orders for this type of evaluation. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Do you conduct immigration evaluations for minors (age 17 & under)?
Not this time. Our immigration evaluations are only provided to adults (age 18 and older). Do you conduct immigration evaluations for minors (age 17 & under)?
Call us or schedule a Clarity Consult to learn more and get pricing for this evaluation.