Immigration Court · EOIR-42B · Trilingual
Cancellation of Removal Psychological Evaluation
I am Najla Sallum, LCSW, Florida license SW19846. I provide psychological evaluations for cancellation of removal cases, for legal review. I meet you at my Boca Raton office or by telehealth anywhere in Florida, in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. Reports are typically ready 7 to 14 days after the final interview.
When a hearing date is set and the case turns on what removal would do to a husband, a wife, a parent or a child, a clinical evaluation puts that hardship into a report the court can weigh. Conducted by Najla Sallum, LCSW, in English, Português, or Español.
Quick facts
- Provider
- Najla Sallum, LCSW
- License
- Florida SW19846
- Location
- 9825 Marina Boulevard, Suite 500, Boca Raton, FL 33428
- Service area
- Florida only
- Languages
- English, Portuguese, Spanish
- Format
- In person or telehealth
- Typical turnaround
- 7 to 14 days after the final interview
- First step
- Free phone consultation, (754) 225-9819
What this evaluation is for
Non-permanent resident cancellation of removal is decided by an immigration judge. Among other requirements, the judge considers whether removal would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to a qualifying relative: a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or child. That is a higher bar than the extreme-hardship standard used in waiver cases, and it is where a clinical evaluation is most often requested.
The evaluation documents, in careful clinical terms, how the qualifying relatives are functioning now and what the clinical picture suggests about the effect of the family member's removal. It does not argue the law and it does not decide the case. It gives your attorney clinical evidence written for a courtroom reader.
Who may participate
- The qualifying relatives, most often U.S. citizen children and the spouse, as your attorney directs
- The respondent (the person in removal proceedings), whose role in the family shapes the hardship picture
- A caregiving parent or other family member when they can speak to a child's daily needs
- Family members who prefer Português or Español are interviewed directly in that language, with no interpreter
What the evaluation may explore
- Each qualifying relative's emotional functioning: anxiety, depression, sleep, school or work performance, and changes since the case began
- Children's attachment to the parent facing removal, and their developmental and emotional needs
- Medical, psychological, or learning conditions in the family that depend on care and routines in the United States
- What separation would mean day to day: caregiving, income, supervision, and emotional support
- What relocating with the family member would mean: schooling, language, safety, and access to treatment
Hearing dates are treated seriously
Removal cases run on the court's calendar, not yours. Tell us the hearing date and your attorney's filing deadline on the first call. Najla will say honestly whether the timeline is workable before you commit to anything, and interviews are scheduled to leave room for the report and your attorney's review.
Children are seen with care
In many of these cases the qualifying relatives are children. Interviews with children are paced to their age, parents are part of the process, and nothing is asked in a way that makes a child feel responsible for the outcome of the case.
Working with your attorney
When you have counsel, Najla coordinates directly with your attorney on the referral question, the relatives to be seen, useful records, and timing. The report is organized for legal review: clinical, specific, and free of advocacy language, so it holds up under a careful read.
Documents that may assist
- The hearing notice and any filing deadline from your attorney
- Medical, therapy, or special-education records for the qualifying relatives, when they exist
- School records or report cards that show how a child is doing
- Prior declarations or filings your attorney wants considered
Nothing on this list is required before you reach out. Your attorney and the intake call will confirm exactly what applies in your case.
What the evaluator does not decide
An evaluation documents clinical findings. It is honest, independent, and written for legal review. It is not a legal opinion, and it never promises an outcome.
- Whether the hardship meets the legal standard. That decision belongs to the immigration judge.
- Whether cancellation is granted. No evaluation, and no evaluator, can promise an outcome.
- Legal strategy, eligibility, or the other requirements of the case. Those are questions for your attorney.
Not ready to book yet?
A free tool for laying out important dates and events before your interview.
Build a Personal History TimelineCommon questions, answered
Straight answers before you book.
Who gets evaluated in a cancellation of removal case?
Usually the qualifying relatives: the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse, parent, or children whose hardship the judge will consider. The respondent may also be interviewed. Your attorney's referral defines who should be seen.
How is this different from an extreme-hardship waiver evaluation?
Both document hardship to family members, but cancellation of removal is decided by an immigration judge under a higher standard, exceptional and extremely unusual hardship, and it runs on a court calendar. The report is written for that standard and that reader.
Can you evaluate my children?
Yes, when your attorney asks for it. Interviews are adapted to each child's age, parents are involved, and children are never made to feel the case depends on what they say.
How long does it take?
Clinical interviews generally take two to three hours in total and may be split across sessions, especially with several family members. Reports are typically completed within seven to fourteen days of the final interview. Tell us your hearing date on the first call.
Can the evaluation be done by video?
Yes. Evaluations are available in person in Boca Raton or by secure video anywhere in Florida, subject to case-specific requirements.
Does the evaluation guarantee cancellation is granted?
No. The evaluation provides clinical evidence. The immigration judge decides the case, and no professional can promise how a report will be weighed.
Related pages
Written and reviewed by Najla Sallum, LCSW (Florida license SW19846). Last reviewed: .