Which immigrants can afford evaluations?

I'll never forget an immigration lawyer telling me that most of his clients make 6 figures.

I was brand new to providing immigration evaluations, and I didn’t have many close connections with immigrants, so most of my impressions came from the news. I had never seen a news story about middle-class or wealthy immigrants navigating legal challenges, so I was shocked by what this lawyer told me.

But as I started providing evaluations for immigration cases, I started putting faces and stories with this lawyer’s words.

One of my clients was an accountant from the Middle East who’d been wrongfully imprisoned. Another was a Thai engineer seeking asylum. Another client was an American computer scientist, petitioning for his wife who was undocumented. One LGBTQ asylum seeker was a student from a wealthy family in Sierra Leone.

Over time, it became clear that clients who need these evaluations come from all walks of life and all different professional and financial backgrounds. Alongside wealthier clients, I started meeting with people from around the world fleeing violence and persecution, and I found that I could expand access by offering payment plans, as well as reduced-fee and pro bono options.

Most therapists charge $1000 to $1500 to cover the time for the interviews and write-up, and balancing full-fee and reduced-fee work can help create a thriving, deeply meaningful practice.

One of the things I love about this work is that it doesn't have to be all or nothing.

I think this surprises many therapists. There can be an assumption that immigration evaluation work is either entirely volunteer-based or only accessible to affluent clients. In reality, there is a wide range of financial circumstances among immigrants, and many clinicians find a balance that aligns with both their values and their financial goals.

For therapists who are looking for work that combines impact, flexibility, and sustainability, immigration evaluations can offer unique opportunities.

If you'd like to learn more about immigration evaluations and how therapists develop referral streams and get started, we'd love to invite you to download our free ebook, 5 Signs that Immigration Evaluations Are for You.