T Visa Evaluation for Trafficking Survivors
A T visa evaluation is a psychosocial evaluation written to support an application for T nonimmigrant status. It documents what you survived, the effects it has had on your mental health, and the harm that returning to your home country would cause. At Neema Counseling, the evaluation is conducted by a Licensed Professional Counselor over secure video, wherever you are in Texas or Colorado. The fee is $750, and the finished report usually takes three to five weeks.
Why a T visa case often includes a mental health evaluation
T nonimmigrant status is for survivors of a severe form of human trafficking, whether that was labor trafficking or sex trafficking. The application is filed on Form I-914, and it asks the applicant to show several things at once: that they were trafficked, that they are in the United States because of it, that they have complied with reasonable requests from law enforcement, and that removal would cause extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm.
Two of those requirements connect directly to mental health.
The first is the law enforcement cooperation requirement. Applicants who were under 18, and adults whose trauma makes cooperation impossible, may be excused from it. Showing that takes a clinical account of what the trauma has done, and not just a statement that it was severe.
The second is extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm on return. Much of that harm is psychological, including the risk of being trafficked again, losing the treatment that has helped the applicant stay stable, and the effect of returning to the place and the people connected to the trafficking. A written psychosocial evaluation is how an attorney is able to put that into the file.
Your attorney decides whether your T visa application needs a mental health evaluation and which questions it should answer. Our part is the clinical report, so please have an attorney in place before you schedule.
Who a T visa evaluation is for
- A survivor of labor trafficking, including forced or coerced work, debt bondage, and involuntary servitude
- A survivor of sex trafficking induced by force, fraud or coercion, or who was under 18 at the time
- A survivor who was trafficked by a family member, a partner, an employer, or a recruiter
- A qualifying family member included in an application, when the attorney asks for an evaluation
Whether a particular experience meets the legal definition of a severe form of trafficking is a question for your attorney. We are always glad to talk with your attorney about what the report needs to cover.
What the evaluation documents
The evaluator works through this with you over two video meetings, and occasionally a third:
- How the trafficking began and how it continued. This includes recruitment, the promises that were made, debt, documents that were taken, threats, surveillance, and the control that kept you there.
- What you endured, told in your own words and at your own pace, including only the detail the report requires.
- Your mental health now. This includes symptoms of trauma, anxiety, depression, dissociation, sleep problems, shame, and any other effects, along with how they show up in your daily life.
- Why cooperating with law enforcement has been difficult, when that is part of your case, and the clinical reasons behind it.
- What return would mean. The specific risks and losses you would face, and the clinical basis for expecting the harm you describe.
- What you have rebuilt. Work, school, relationships, faith, and anything else you have been able to put back together since leaving. Attorneys find this helpful, because recovery under these conditions is itself evidence of what you survived.
The report is objective. It records what you shared and what the evaluator observed, explains the clinical basis for each finding, and stops short of arguing the case.
Safety, privacy, and pace
We conduct every immigration evaluation by secure video, which means you get to decide where you are when you talk with us. Nothing about the evaluation requires the involvement or knowledge of anyone who trafficked or harmed you, and the finished report is written for your attorney to use in your case.
Trafficking survivors are often asked to tell their story again and again, to police, to lawyers, and to agencies. Your evaluator will follow your pace. Breaks are expected, and you won't be asked for more detail than the report requires. It's also completely normal to stop and pick things back up on another day.
Cost and timeline
A T visa evaluation costs $750. That covers the interviews, a review of any documents your attorney sends, and the written report. Expect the report three to five weeks after your final appointment. If your filing deadline is close, ask about an expedited report, which costs extra and depends on clinician availability. Our free 15-minute counseling consultation doesn't apply to evaluations.
Who performs the evaluation
Evaluations at Neema are psychosocial and mental health evaluations written by Licensed Professional Counselors. When a case calls for formal psychological testing or expert testimony from a psychologist, we refer you to a colleague who does that work. Telling your attorney this early means the filing is built around the right kind of report.
Counseling after the evaluation
The evaluation happens once, and then it's finished. It is an assessment, and it isn't ongoing treatment. Telling your story for the evaluation can stir up a lot, and T visa cases often involve long waits. We offer immigration counseling and trauma therapy in English and Spanish online across Texas and Colorado, and in person at our Austin office in English and Spanish and at our Houston office in English. Whether or not you start counseling makes no difference to your evaluation, and the evaluation makes no difference to your counseling.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to have reported the trafficking to police?
Not in order to have the evaluation. The law enforcement requirement is a legal question for your attorney, and there are exceptions. When trauma is the reason cooperation hasn't been possible, the evaluation can describe that clinically.
Will the people who trafficked me find out about the evaluation?
Not from us. They have no role in the evaluation at all, and the report goes only to your attorney.
Can I come to an office for the evaluation?
No. Every immigration evaluation happens by secure video, from anywhere in Texas or Colorado. Many people choose a room at home or another private place where they feel safe.
How much does a T visa evaluation cost, and how long does it take?
The fee is $750. Most reports are ready three to five weeks after your final appointment, and a faster turnaround is sometimes possible for an additional fee, depending on clinician availability.
Can I do the evaluation in Spanish?
Yes. Fabian Armenta, LPC, conducts T visa evaluations entirely in Spanish, with no interpreter needed. Lauren Jones, LPC-S, also evaluates Spanish-speaking clients, with Elvia Delgado, LPC-Associate, translating. Tell us which you prefer when you call.
What if parts of what happened are hard to remember in order?
That is very normal after trauma, and it's something the evaluation can address directly rather than work around. Gaps and shifts in memory have clinical explanations, and a report that names them is more helpful to your attorney than one that presents the account as seamless.
Does the evaluation guarantee my application will be approved?
No. USCIS makes the decision, and the evaluation is one document among many in the application. What it can contribute is a careful clinical account of what happened to you and how it has affected you.
Schedule a T visa evaluation
Once your attorney has requested a T visa evaluation, you can schedule an immigration evaluation with Neema Counseling. Interviews take place by video from anywhere in Texas or Colorado, the fee is $750, and most reports are ready three to five weeks after your final appointment. To learn how the interviews work before you call, read what to expect from an immigration evaluation.