Christina McPike
Counseling & Evaluations

Psychological evaluations strengthen an immigration case by providing mental health assessments to document PTSD or other symptoms. These evaluations help to tell an immigrant's story, and to document the "invisible scars" of traumatic experiences. 

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Significant research has been conducted on the effectiveness of immigration evaluations and how they can strengthen a legal case. 

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In a 2022 article "The Critical Role of Psychological Evaluations for Asylum Seekers" by Latina Republic, author Adriana Pérez states, "According to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, asylum cases with psychological evaluations were 89% successful, contrasting the 37.5% national average without one." 

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The Physicians for Human Rights released a study in 2021 that indicated "Immigrants Who Obtained Forensic Medical Evaluations [Are] Much More Likely to Be Granted Asylum or Other Relief in United States." 

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Scholarly research in the Journal of Forensic Medicine expands on the "Impact of Forensic Medical Evaluations on Immigration Relief Grant Rates and Correlates of Outcomes in the United States". The study states that "the forensic medical evaluation provides crucial evidence of persecution/harm in individuals seeking immigration relief."