Immigration evaluation for extreme hardship

Being in an immigration process is not easy. You have been living in the United States for a long time and you need to change your status in order to legally reside in this country and to continue working for the well-being of your family. You have already been contributing to society and its progress. Perhaps you have gone through some legal difficulty that makes it difficult to stay, but returning to your country would be very difficult for you and your family members, causing extreme hardship that could cause emotional problems. In these cases, your attorney may recommend that you visit a psychologist or mental health expert for an immigration evaluation. What are the steps to follow to find the psychologist or mental health specialist who can perform the best evaluation for your case?

 It is important that you find a psychologist or mental health specialist who has training and experience in immigration evaluations, because these are very different from other psychological or mental health evaluations. The specialist must have knowledge and experience that allows her to evaluate the clinical aspect of your case in the context of your psychosocial, educational, work, family, and medical history. But she also has to have knowledge and experience in the legal aspect of your case, understanding immigration laws to determine what aspects of your life need to be evaluated. Finding a psychology expert with a specialty in immigration can be difficult, especially if you require the assessment to be done in Spanish or another language. Additionally, if your case requires the psychologist or mental health specialist to testify in court, it is important that you find someone who may have the ability to testify as an expert in immigration court and be prepared to answer the clinical questions of your case in the context of immigration law, which requires knowledge of both fields and the desire of the specialist to testify in court, since not everyone can or wants to do so. To ensure that your case is handled with the highest chance for success, it is important that you take all these factors into account to find the right person for your case.

 When your case requires evaluation of children, it is important that you select a psychologist or mental health specialist who can evaluate the educational, behavioral, and emotional aspects of your children, since not all evaluators specialize in pediatrics. Working with young children and adolescents requires training to be able to identify possible diagnoses or hardships that may affect your child, especially in the absence of a father or mother if deported. It is important that you find out if the evaluator has experience working with children in non-immigration cases, as these specialists would be the most appropriate to work with children. However, knowing how to work with children is not enough, as the evaluator must also have experience in the context of immigration law for your case to be successful.

 At Monica Oganes & Associates, we are happy to speak with you to help you obtain the best services for your case. We also provide services for other immigration cases such as asylum evaluations, victim of abuse (VAWA), or medical certification for disability exception for the citizen exam cases (form N-648). We have providers in the field of school and clinical psychology who provide services at our offices in Miami and Orlando and could testify in court. We provide Telehealth services to individuals residing in Florida. Our work is thorough and ethical, with many years of experience evaluating children and adults in a friendly and empathic way, so that you and your family feel comfortable despite the circumstances. It is difficult to be in an immigration process, but our goal is to provide you with the best services. Contact us at (305) 800-9399 for the Miami office and (407) 809-5680 for the Orlando office. We will be happy to assist you.