1- Extreme Hardship: 

This situation applies when a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States (the Applicant) is the spouse, parent or child of an individual who may be deported from the US. If this happens,the US citizen or legal permanent resident might experience extreme hardship. 

For example, a US citizen or permanent resident might be under treatment for a medical condition which could not be as well treated outside of US. The applicant may have a sick parent or sibling or be unable to make in the country to which his or her spouse would be deported.

2- Political Asylum

This situation applies when the foreign individual have been exposed to extreme deprivation, mistreatment, severe abuse, and even torture in their home country. Frequently, these situations are associated with a political, religious, ethnic, or gender factor. At some point, the individual flees his or her country to the United States and files a Political Asylum claim.

Psychological evaluations are relevant in these cases because they document and examine the psychological impact of mistreatment, abuse, or persecution inflicted in a foreign country. The emotional impact may include the development of mental health disorders such as severe anxiety, depression and/or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

In political asylum cases, it is extremely important to assess the extent and severity of the traumatic experience, as well as the long lasting psychological ramifications of his/her trauma. The psychological evaluation also assess whether the individual continues to suffer from psychological symptoms after his/her arrival to US.

3- Spouse Abuse (WAVA) (Violence Against Women Act)

This situation applies when a woman or man of a foreign country marries a citizen or permanent resident of the United States is abused by the spouse. After the marriage, the immigrant abused spouse claims the presence of domestic violence.

Spouse abuse can take many forms. It includes: physical violence (hitting, pushing, biting, choking, kicking, restraining, shaking), sexual violence, threats of physical or sexual abuse, psychological or emotional abuse (name calling, bullying, isolating from family/friends, controlling, humiliating), stalking, intimidation

In these cases, the psychological evaluation, assess the quality of the abuse, its frequency and the emotional impact that the domestic violence or the abuse has had on the individual. The psychological evaluation also assess the client’s current mental state, the impact on emotional adjustment, social and family functioning, mental health diagnosis, and long-term impact.

VAWA allows the abused spouse, the victim, to file for permanent residency, without your spouse’s consent, help, support or participation of any kind.

4- U- Visa

This situation applies with the immigrant has been a victim o serious crime in the United States. Such crimes may include:  rape, domestic violence, sexual exploitation.

In this case, a psychological evaluation is used to document the substantial physical or mental abuse suffered after being the victim of a serious crime. This evaluation also assess the client’s mental state and the mental health consequences that result from the exposure to the crime.

Psychological evaluations include clinical interviews and psychological testing. The psychological report includes a description of the client’s symptoms and diagnoses, which may include Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depression.