How long does an immigration psychological evaluation take, and when should you order it?
Standard turnaround is three to seven days from the clinical interview to the co-signed report, with a 48-hour expedited option and a same-day emergency option. The better planning answer is to order the evaluation about three weeks before the filing deadline, and the reason is the co-signature rather than the writing.
What those days actually contain
The clock most people picture starts at the interview and ends when a PDF arrives. The real sequence starts earlier. We take intake and records from the referring immigration office, schedule one or more clinical interview sessions with the qualifying relative over secure video, and administer standardized instruments. The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 run on every case. We add the PCL-5 with the LEC-5 when trauma is indicated, the PSS-14 when chronic stress or caregiver burden is central, and the WHODAS 2.0 when functional impairment needs a number attached to it.
Then the report gets written. Twelve to twenty-five pages depending on the case, addressed to USCIS, with DSM-5-TR diagnostic impressions and every clinical statement traced to a source.
Then it goes to our clinical lead for review and co-signature. That step is the one people forget to budget for, and it is not a formality. The report is read in full, and when something needs another look it goes back before it goes out. A report leaves this firm with two clinicians’ names on it or it does not leave.
So when should you order it?
As soon as the qualifying relative is identified and the client has agreed to the clinical piece. In practice that is usually earlier than people think, because the evaluation does not depend on the rest of the legal package being finished. It depends on having access to the qualifying relative and whatever records exist.
Three weeks of lead time is comfortable. One week is workable. Under 72 hours is an expedited case and should be priced and scheduled as one from the start, rather than discovered as one halfway through.
Standard evaluations are $750, expedited 48-hour is $1,050, and same-day emergency is $1,650. Complex, RFE, and supplemental cases run $750 to $1,250. Full detail is on the pricing page.
Related questions
- Can the evaluation be done entirely remotely?
- Yes. Interviews run over secure video and we work with referring offices nationwide from New Mexico. Instruments are administered during the session.
- Who gets evaluated, the applicant or the relative?
- The qualifying U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident relative. The waiver turns on the hardship they would suffer, so they are the person we assess.
General information about immigration policy and the psychosocial evaluation process. Not legal advice, and not a substitute for consultation with an immigration attorney.