Psychosocial Evaluationsfor Immigration Hardship Cases

When a noncitizen without stable legal status wants to remain in the U.S. with a qualifying family member, or is facing the risk of removal, they face a critical obstacle. That obstacle takes different legal forms: for someone who entered without inspection, it is the 3-to-10-year reentry bar triggered by consular processing; for someone in removal proceedings, it is the cancellation of removal standard; for others, it is the range of inadmissibility and deportability grounds USCIS and the immigration courts weigh.

To get the waiver approved, USCIS requires proof of extreme hardship. Not hardship to the immigrant, but to their U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member: their spouse, parent, or child.

That is the question our evaluation answers. We interview the qualifying relative, administer standardized psychological assessments, render DSM-5 diagnostic impressions, and produce a forensic report that documents the clinical evidence of extreme hardship. The report becomes a critical piece of evidence in the waiver filing.