I-601A Psychological Evaluation

USCIS does not list a psychological evaluation as a filing requirement for the I-601A waiver. Attorneys request one anyway because extreme hardship is, at its core, a clinical question, and a written evaluation gives the adjudicator documented evidence for it rather than assertion alone. If your immigration lawyer has suggested that your spouse get a psych eval for your case, this is the document they mean: a forensic report that names the hardship, ties it to standardized findings, and connects it to the USCIS factors. The decision to include it stays with your attorney; Kipu Terra provides the evaluation itself.

Many families know the I-601A by its everyday name in Spanish, “el perdón de los 10 años.” The waiver is requested before the applicant travels abroad for the consular interview, so families can ask for it without a long separation while the case is pending. Among the requisitos on the legal side, the psychological evaluation is the clinical piece: it documents the extreme hardship to the qualifying relative. Eligibility itself, and what the ten-year bar means for a given case, are questions for the referring attorney, not for the evaluation.

The evaluator builds the hardship picture from three sources: the relative’s own account, direct clinical observation, and standardized test results. The report ties concrete detail (sleep, work, finances managed jointly, health conditions, the relative’s role in the household) to the two scenarios USCIS weighs side by side: the hardship of separation if the family is split, and the hardship of relocation if the relative leaves the United States to keep the family together.

For adults in hardship cases, the PHQ-9 assesses depression and the GAD-7 assesses anxiety. The clinician adds the PCL-5 with the LEC-5 when trauma is indicated, the PSS-14 for chronic stress and caregiver burden, and WHODAS 2.0 when functional impairment needs quantification. Beck inventories (BDI-II and BAI) are available as alternates when clinically indicated. Evaluations of minors use the firm's minor-evaluee protocol with Clinical Lead approval.

Kipu Terra serves families nationwide from New Mexico through secure, HIPAA-compliant Google Meet. The forensic purpose of an evaluation does not by itself establish authorization to practice across state lines. Applicable licensing and practice requirements need confirmation with the relevant state board. Your attorney handles legal questions about the immigration filing; licensing questions should be directed to the board.

A standard I-601A evaluation starts at $750 with a turnaround of 5-7 days. Rush service adds $300 for 72 hours, $500 for 48 hours, or $900 for 24 hours to the case base fee, subject to availability. Complex, RFE, or supplemental cases are quoted per case, from $750. Base prices are published; a more complex case, or live interpretation in French, Haitian Creole, Mandarin Chinese, or Portuguese through a professional language-service partner (generally about $100 per hour), can change the fee, and your exact fee is confirmed in writing before the engagement. The client pays Kipu Terra directly for the evaluation. Full pricing lives on the pricing page, and the process page walks through each step of an evaluation.

Kipu Terra provides the psychological evaluation only. It does not prepare the waiver application, the client’s personal declaration, or legal arguments; those stay with the attorney. Questions about eligibility or filing strategy are for the referring attorney.