VAWA Self-Petition Evaluations
Psychological documentation of battery or extreme cruelty for spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens or LPRs. Trauma history, current symptoms, nexus to qualifying conduct.
Read more →
Licensed Clinical Psychologist · PsyD · Forensic Specialty
Court-ready psychological evaluations for immigration counsel.
Forensic assessment, declaration, and expert testimony for VAWA, U Visa, T Visa, I-601 and I-601A extreme hardship, and asylum proceedings. Telehealth nationwide. Spanish & English. Turnaround in 2–3 weeks standard, expedite available.
Evaluation areas
VAWA
U Visa
T Visa
I-601 Hardship
I-601A Provisional
Asylum
Cancellation of Removal
Evaluation Types
Six core evaluations. One standard of evidence.
Every report is written for the trier of fact — clear nexus, current DSM-5-TR diagnosis where indicated, behavioral observations, and a defensible clinical opinion linked to the legal standard.
U Visa Evaluations
Documentation of substantial physical or mental abuse arising from qualifying criminal activity. Detailed symptom presentation, functional impairment, and treatment recommendations.
Read more →T Visa Evaluations
Assessment of survivors of severe forms of trafficking. Complex trauma presentation, coercion dynamics, and credibility-supportive findings consistent with the I-914 standard.
Read more →Extreme & Exceptional Hardship
Hardship evaluations for qualifying relatives of inadmissible applicants. Multi-axis assessment of psychological, medical, financial, educational, and country-conditions hardship factors.
Read more →Asylum & Withholding Evaluations
Documentation of past persecution and well-founded fear. PTSD, depression, and complex trauma presentations, with attention to credibility under the REAL ID Act framework.
Read more →Cancellation of Removal
Psychological evaluation of qualifying relatives for non-LPR and LPR cancellation cases. Exceptional and extremely unusual hardship analysis for immigration court.
Read more →
For Immigration Counsel
A referral resource built for the case file.
Every evaluation is structured so that your strongest factual showing has the clinical foundation it needs — and so the adjudicator can find each element on the page without searching for it.
Direct attorney access throughout the engagement. No intake gatekeeping, no clinical jargon without a translation, no surprises on report day.
-
Report structure mapped to the legal standard
Headers and findings keyed to each statutory or regulatory element — VAWA "battery or extreme cruelty," U Visa "substantial harm," I-601 "extreme hardship" factors.
-
Predictable turnaround
2–3 weeks from final interview as standard. 7–10 day expedite for filing-deadline cases. Status updates on request — no chasing.
-
Trauma-informed interviewing
Reduces re-traumatization risk during the assessment, supports credibility, and produces a more complete factual record for the file.
-
Testimony & declaration support
Available for immigration court testimony, supplemental declarations, and responses to RFEs. Flat-fee structure quoted in advance.
Process
From referral to report in four steps.
Designed to fit cleanly into your case workflow — minimal back-and-forth, clear deliverables at each stage.
-
Attorney consult
Brief call or written intake. We discuss the legal theory, deadlines, and whether an evaluation is the right fit for the case.
-
Engagement & client scheduling
Flat-fee retainer signed. Client scheduled within one week. Releases, intake forms, and document checklist sent directly to your client.
-
Clinical interviews & testing
Two to four hours of semi-structured clinical interviewing, plus validated instruments where appropriate (PCL-5, PHQ-9, GAD-7, others as indicated).
-
Report & counsel review
Draft delivered to attorney first for factual review. Final signed report and CV provided in PDF, with revision rounds included.
Portrait is a stock placeholder — every name, credential, license number, and quote on this site is demo content.
About
Dr. [Sample Name], PsyD
Licensed clinical psychologist with a forensic specialty in immigration assessment. Faculty appointment at NYU School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. Former staff psychologist at Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture.
Dr. [Surname] has prepared over 500 forensic psychological evaluations for immigration matters in federal courts and USCIS proceedings nationwide. Her work focuses on the intersection of trauma, cross-cultural psychology, and forensic standards of evidence.
- Doctorate
- PsyD, Clinical Psychology — Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University (2012)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Forensic Psychology — NYU Langone / Bellevue Hospital (2013)
- Licensure
- NY #021847 · CA PSY 30412 · TX 39102 · FL PY11288
- Selected publications
- Trauma in asylum-seeking populations (J. Forensic Sci, 2019); Cross-cultural validity of the PCL-5 (book chapter, 2021)
- Continuing education
- AILA Annual Conference faculty (2022, 2024); APA Div. 41 forensic practice
Fees
Flat-fee, quoted in writing.
No hourly billing surprises. Each engagement is scoped at the outset and confirmed in the retainer letter.
Standard evaluation
$2,800flat
- Up to 4 clinical hours
- Records review
- Validated testing as indicated
- Written report, attorney-first draft
- 2–3 week turnaround
Most requested
Hardship / Asylum complex
$3,400flat
- Up to 6 clinical hours
- Multi-factor hardship analysis
- Country-conditions integration
- Written report + revision rounds
- 2–3 week turnaround
Expedited / Testimony
+$750add-on
- 7–10 business day expedite
- Or hearing testimony (half day)
- Supplemental declaration
- RFE response support
- Quoted case-by-case
Reduced-fee evaluations available for qualifying pro bono and legal-aid cases. Inquire at intake.
From Referring Counsel
What attorneys say.
"Dr. [Surname]'s evaluations are the cleanest I receive. Headers track the statute, the clinical findings are tied to the legal elements, and adjudicators don't have to hunt for the nexus."
"We have used Dr. [Surname] on more than thirty I-601 hardship matters. Approval rates speak for themselves, and her turnaround has never slipped."
"Trauma-informed in the real sense — clients leave the evaluation feeling heard, and the record is stronger for it. She is my first call on VAWA and U Visa work."
Quotes shown are representative samples for demo purposes; production site will use approved attorney attributions.
Common Questions
What attorneys ask before the first referral.
Are evaluations conducted in person or remotely?
Standard practice is secure HIPAA-compliant telehealth (Doxy.me or comparable). In-person assessment is available in the New York metro area on request, and on a limited basis in California, Texas, and Florida.
How do you handle cases where the client speaks neither English nor Spanish?
I retain a vetted, professionally trained legal/medical interpreter for the language at issue, billed at cost. Common pairs (Mandarin, Haitian Creole, Arabic, French, Portuguese, K'iche', Mam) are sourced through established court-credentialed agencies.
Will you appear for testimony?
Yes — in immigration court, federal court, and at USCIS interviews when permitted. Testimony is quoted as a separate fee in the original retainer.
Are you available for second-opinion / rebuttal reports?
Yes, including review of an opposing expert's report and a written rebuttal. Provide me the existing report and underlying records and I will scope from there.
Do you take pro bono or sliding-scale cases?
A limited number of reduced-fee slots are reserved each quarter for legal-aid, law school clinic, and qualifying solo practitioner cases. Please ask at intake.
What documentation should the attorney provide?
At minimum: the legal theory and filing deadline, the I-918 / I-360 / I-601 / I-589 working draft (as applicable), police or court records if any, prior medical or mental-health records, and the client's declaration if drafted. A document checklist is sent on engagement.
Request a Consultation
Send a case overview. I respond within one business day.
For attorneys: a 15-minute call is the fastest path to a fee quote and timeline. Use the form, email, or phone — whichever is easiest.
-
Counsel inquiriescounsel@marquezevaluations.com
-
Direct line(212) 555-0199
-
Mailing address1185 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 300, New York NY 10036
Note for clients in crisis: This practice provides forensic evaluations, not emergency mental-health services. If you or a client is in crisis, call or text 988.