The Human Rights, Immigration and Psychological Program at COIT

The Human Rights, Immigration and Psychological Program at COIT Provides Mental Health Psychological Evaluations and Expert Reporting for Immigration Petitions & Waivers

Since 2017, The Human Rights, Immigration, and Psychological Program at the Center of Inner Transformations has specialized in providing exceptional psychological evaluations to help various immigration cases, including the following waivers and petitions:

Asylum

U-Visa

T-Visa

Domestic Violence (VAWA)

i601 Extreme Hardship

Since its founding in 2017, The Human Rights, Immigration, and Psychological Program at COIT has served hundreds of immigrants and their families to fulfill their immigration goals and help them avoid deportation. We work alongside many attorneys, immigration liaisons, and various immigration professionals, and we have an almost perfect success rate in helping our clients win their immigration related filings with our support.

Our state board-licensed clinical therapists have received advanced clinical training from The Physicians for Human Rights Organization, where we have learned the best and latest practices for evaluation, intervention, and reporting for immigration cases. We also are certified forensic evaluators with advanced skills in developing comprehensive clinical reports for legal imposed cases. Our Founder and Executive Clinical Director identifies as a first-generation American who has been raised by two Punjabi Indian immigrants and understands the importance of helping other immigrant families achieve “The American Dream” through legalizing and avoiding returning back to their native countries. She has a passion for helping immigrants live a happy life in America, intact with their families, so they can have brighter and better futures.

We have helped immigrant natives from all over the world, including India, Pakistan, Mexico, The Middle East, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Africa, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Peru, Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Central and South America, Venezuala, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Equador, Brazil, the Phillipines, Brazil, China, former Soviet Union, and many more countries around the Caribbean, Europe, Oceania, Asia, Africa and Central and Southern America

Our Specialized Immigration & Mental Evaluations Include:

A thorough forensic psychological evaluation and bio-psycho-social mental health assessment
Administration of psycho-metric screening and assessment tools to assess and report clinical DSM-5 diagnosis and symptomology, behavioral observations and interpretations
Specialized psycho-education, recommendations, and referrals
Culturally sensitive de-stigmatization of symptoms and treatment recommendations, including clinical justification to defer and avoid deportation. (Our goal is to help our clients heal and stay in the United States of America safely)

Our Team

At the Center of Inner Transformations, we pride ourselves on being skilled, thorough, and compassionate skilled clinical therapists.

All of our contracted clinicians are:

Active State-Board licensed mental health therapists
Family members of immigrants who have experienced their own immigration challenges
Trauma-trained and trauma-informed
Experienced in addressing the unique cultural needs of immigrant and transcultural individuals and families.
Cultural competent to understand and work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and different countries.

Currently We Offer:

Virtual-Online Tele-Health Evaluations

Telehealth video session evaluations are offered on a confidential, HIPAA-compliant video conferencing platform and an electronic records system to complete the required forms and psychological questionnaires. Our clients can access their client portal to engage in their services from their smartphone, tablet, or computer from the comfort and privacy of their own home or any private confidential place.

In-person evaluations are for special needs cases and are conducted in our New Jersey office.

Call to Schedule an Appointment or for a Free Consultation: (732) 508-0052.

WHAT IS A IMMIGRATION PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION?

A mental health evaluation is a conversation with a licensed mental health professional. We will talk about your history (where you come from, how and why you came to this country, and what your life is like now) as well as the state of your mental and emotional health as it relates to the reason for your immigration petition. We are REAL PEOPLE WHO CARE. So expect compassion, patience and all the support you need as we help you tell us more about you and what your going through.
The evaluation process can last anywhere between 3-4 hours. We conduct our sessions in one comprehensive two-part session. Additional collateral interview sessions via audio, video or in person are conducted as needed.
A comprehensive forensic pdychological evaluation report, anywhere from 18-30 pages is written to summarize the evaluation, findings and recommendations based on the specific needs of the individuals case.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS?

Call 732-508-0052 for a consultation and schedule an appointment with one of our licensed mental health professionals.
You will provided a private secured online platform, called your Patient Portal to electronically complete and sign required forms including consents, disclosures and questionnaires before your evaluation.
You will attend your Tele-health video evaluation with your mental health therapist, which could last 3-4 hours.
A comprehensive report will be mailed directly to you, your attorney, your advocate, or your representative in about two-three weeks after your evaluation. (Additional fees are required for expedited services)

WHAT SHOULD I BRING WITH ME or WHAT DO I NEED?

If possible, a copy of your legal declaration (you can request this from your attorney)
It helps if you have some basic dates on hand, such as: the year you immigrated to the US and any other important dates related to the reason for your immigration petition. If you have a copy of a police report, any previous medical reports, witness testimonies, or other testimonies, this could be helpful, but it is not necessary.
A valid photo ID (driver’s license, passport, etc.)
The fee for the evaluation
Honesty and Openness about your true feelings and experiences

FEES

The cost of this process is $1500 – this includes the complete tele-health evaluation and the finalized written report after 2-3 weeks from the day of the initial evaluation.

Expedited Services: If your report needs to be delivered in less than 3 weeks, we offer expedited rush services at an additional fee.

For a 10 Day turnaround, there is an additional fee of $200.

For a 7 day turnaround, there is an additional fee of $300.

For a 3 day turnaround, there is an additional fee of $600.

For In-Person Appointments, there is an Additional $50 per hour.

In-Person Appointment Fee

As a primarily telehealth-focused clinic, our rates are structured to reflect the convenience and efficiency of virtual care. For in-person appointments, we charge an additional $50 per hour. This fee accounts for the additional time, resources, and operational costs associated with in-person visits, such as preparing the physical space, travel considerations, and ensuring compliance with onsite health and safety protocols.

Our telehealth services are designed to provide high-quality care in a cost-effective and flexible manner, but we are happy to accommodate in-person appointments when necessary or preferred, with this surcharge reflecting the additional costs involved.

HOW CAN I PAY?

We accept Credit, Debit, Zelle, Cash-App, and Venmo payments.

You may choose to pay the fee with a credit or debit card (Additional 4% credit card processing charge).

You can also choose the Fee-Less or Fee-Free options of using these payment methods: Zelle, Cash App, and Venmo.

All services must be paid in full at the time of evaluation and writing the comprehensive report.

CANCELLATION POLICY
For immigration evaluations, there is a 24-hour cancellation policy. If you 1) cancel or reschedule with less than 24-hours notice, 2) arrive more than 20 minutes late for your scheduled appointment (considered a no-show), or 3) do not attend your scheduled appointment, you will be charged a no show fee equal to the amount of the lossed time in services which could be up to 50% of the evaluation. (There will be four hours that will be set aside for your appointment in advance.)

Psychological Evaluations for Specific Immigration Petitions and Waivers

Extreme Hardship

In an extreme hardship case, a citizen or resident of the United States applies for the immigration waiver because the deportation of a family member will cause extreme hardship for themselves or their family.

The deportation will cause extreme hardship to the family (e.g. spouse, children, or parents) rather than to the individual that may be deported. The court consider extreme hardships to be unusual or beyond what would be normally expected from deportation.

A few examples of situations that are considered “extreme” include:

A family member has a major medical issue and can’t safely travel abroad, making it necessary for the individual to remain in the U.S. to care for the family member.
An individual’s parents are aging and require the person to stay in the U.S. to care for them.
An individual is a primary breadwinner in the family and their deportation will cause extreme financial hardship for the family.
The individual’s children are far along in their education in the U.S. and are unable to speak, read, or write in the language of the foreign country. Leaving the U.S. might permanently prevent them from completing their education.
If one parent has to leave the U.S., it can cause the child that is left behind to develop separation anxiety. In some cases, young children who lack the emotional maturity to understand why a parent might have to leave the U.S. might also develop a depressive disorder.

If the court finds that there will be extreme or exceptional hardship on the U.S. citizen or resident, the deportation order may be canceled and legal permanent residence granted.

Asylum

In asylum cases, the immigrant has been subjected to mistreatment and abuse in their country of origin due to situations such as their political beliefs, religious affiliation, ethnic identity, or gender. They are seeking asylum or safety from their country of origin within the U.S. It is common for individuals to develop depressive disorders or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the abuse or mistreatment they endured in their country.

A psychological evaluation will establish the mental health consequences of prior abuse or persecution. An evaluation will also help determine how the abuse or will continue to impact the individual in the future.

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides for immigration benefits to men and women who have been physically and/or mentally abused by their U.S. citizen spouse.

If an individual is undocumented, married to a U.S. citizen, and they are victims of domestic abuse, they may be eligible for permanent residency in the U.S.

A psychological evaluation will help establish the psychological impact that the verbal, physical, or sexual abuse had on the individual.

U-Visa

A U-Visa may be granted to an undocumented individual living in the U.S. if the individual can demonstrate that they have experienced substantial mental or physical abuse due to being a victim of a serious crime that occurred in the U.S.

Examples of serious crimes include but are not limited to the following: domestic violence, sexual abuse, rape, murder, torture, kidnapping, and stalking.

The individual must also be willing to help law enforcement and provide information that assists with the prosecution of the individual that committed the crime.

It is not uncommon for victims to develop a depressive disorder or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A psychological evaluation can help establish how the crime mentally impacted an individual.

T-Visa

A T-Visa can be granted to victims of human trafficking and their immediate families if they agree to assist law enforcement in testifying against their perpetrators.

In order to be eligible for a T-Visa, an individual must demonstrate that they will endure unusual or severe harm if they were deported from the U.S.

Unusual or severe harm does not include current or future financial detriment or lack of social and economic opportunities.

Unusual or severe harm can include the following:

Age and personal circumstances of the T-Visa applicant.
Serious physical or mental illness of the T-Visa applicant because treatment is not available in their home country.
High likelihood of re-victimization.
Reasonable expectation of punishment by the trafficker or related individuals upon return to their country.

A psychological evaluation can be helpful in highlighting the specific hardship issues related to the case. It is also not uncommon for individuals to develop depressive disorders or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of their experiences.

A psychological evaluation will establish the mental health consequences of the physical or sexual abuse they endured while they were being trafficked.

What is the evaluation process like?

The in-person evaluation typically lasts two to four hours and involves an in-depth clinical interview and psychological testing. You will be given a variety psycho-metric assessments to evaluate your mental health symptoms prior to you entering the evaluators office. You then will be engaged in the comprehensive bio-psycho-social interview to gather information relevant to supporting your immigration case.

All of our evaluations are comprehensive and are tailored to the needs of the client. We consider all your attorney’s recommendation and our aim is to assist you with providing a compelling and detailed written report.

Can you work through an interpreter?

Yes, We work with interpreters regularly. We have a Spanish speaking interpreter on staff at an additional cost. Please note: clients are responsible for finding and bringing an interpreter to the appointment. We can provide assistance with getting an interpretor to work with you, but we encourage you try to find your own. The professional interpreter charges their own fees, which may be costly. The client would be fully responsible for the cost of any interpreters that may be used during the time of our service. We recommend finding an interpreter for the evaluation if possible.

Do I need to bring anything with me to the appointment?

In most cases, no. However, there may be instances in which obtaining a copy of your medical or legal records would be helpful. We can discuss this at the time of the evaluation.

How much do you charge for Immigration & Mental Health Evaluations and the related comprehensive, hand written report?

We charge $1500 for evaluation. This includes a comprenensive 3-4 hour clinical interview and assessment, records review, and a comprehensive hand typed 18-30 page report that will be mailed to your attorney or representative (or to you directly if not represented by an attorney).

Additionally, I may be available for your court hearings as an expert witness at an additional charge.

Do I have to pay the full amount at the time of the appointment?

Full payment is required at the time of evaluation.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept cash, money orders and credit/debit cards. There is an additional 4% processing fee for all credit card payments.

We have Electronic Fee-Less options, of Zelle, Cashapp and Venmo.

What is the report like?

After the interview, I write a comprehensive (15 to 25 pages) report outlining your personal (family, educational, medical, etc.) history, any mental health diagnoses and clinical interpretations that support your reason for your immigration petition. All reports include a summary paragraph where I answer the legal question specific to the case. I may also request and include medical or legal records that are relevant to your case.

How quickly will you have the report ready after our appointment?

Standard return for reports are within two – three weeks after meeting with the client. Expedited services are available for 3-day, 7-day or 10-day returns.

How will a psychological evaluation help?

The answer to this question differs depending on the type of case (i.e. hardship vs. U visa vs. asylum vs. VAWA.) However, the general purpose of a mental health evaluation for immigration court is to document any mental health conditions or diagnoses and to describe, from a psychosocial perspective, how potential deportation would impact a client and their family. A mental health evaluation can also help address discrepancies in a client’s report of personal history or clinical presentation, for example, by citing research regarding memory and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Research studies have demonstrated the utility of psychological evaluations in immigration cases. For example, in a study of asylum seekers, 89% of those who received a medical evaluation from Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) were granted asylum, versus the national average of 37.5% of US asylum seekers who did not receive PHR evaluations.

Offering Tele-Health Video and Distance Treatment Services