Timing, Honestly Stated · Florida
I am Najla Sallum, LCSW, Florida license SW19846. I provide psychological evaluations for immigration cases, with the timeline explained step by step, 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.
Three numbers answer most of it: interviews are usually scheduled within one to two weeks of the first call, the interview itself generally takes two to three hours, and the written report typically follows within seven to fourteen days of the final interview. Here is what sits behind each number, and what can speed it up or slow it down.
From the moment your request arrives to the day the report reaches your attorney, this is the usual sequence. Every step is explained to you as it happens, and nothing is booked until you have heard the quote and the dates.
First call
Free, and usually scheduled quickly after your request arrives. It confirms the case type, the language, who will be interviewed, and any deadline.
Interview date
Can usually be scheduled within one to two weeks of the first call, in person in Boca Raton or by secure video from anywhere in Florida.
The interview
Generally two to three hours. It may be split across sessions, especially when more than one family member is interviewed.
Records review
Runs alongside the interview. Attorney referrals, prior filings, and medical or police records are reviewed as relevant.
Report
Typically completed within seven to fourteen days of the final interview, and delivered to you and, with your consent, your attorney.
Follow-up
Reasonable questions from you or your attorney after delivery are answered. If the case later needs clarification, that is coordinated with counsel.
The interview is the core of the evaluation. It starts with consent and a plain explanation of what the assessment is and who will receive the report. Then it moves through your history, what brought you to this case, how you are functioning day to day, and the symptoms or changes the referral question asks about. Where clinically indicated, structured screening tools help document symptoms consistently.
Nobody is rushed through the hard parts. When a single long session would be too much, or when a spouse, parent, or child also needs to be seen, the time is split across sessions. That is a clinical decision, and it is explained to you before it happens.
Same professional, same interview, same report. You receive a secure video link and join from a private space. Identity is verified at the start of the first session. The interview still takes two to three hours and the report still follows within seven to fourteen days; what disappears is the drive. If your internet fails mid-session, the session pauses and resumes, or reschedules at no fault to you.
The office at 9825 Marina Boulevard, Suite 500, is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The timeline is identical. Families who prefer to sit across from their evaluator, or whose attorney prefers an in-person interview for the specific case, choose this format. Travel time is the only addition.
When any of these applies to your case, you hear about it on the first call, not after the fact.
Deadlines are factored into scheduling from the start. Tell me about the hearing or filing date in the request form or on the first call. Expedited scheduling for urgent deadlines is discussed case by case, and you get an honest answer about what is realistic rather than a promise that cannot be kept. If the timing is not achievable, you hear that before anything is scheduled or paid.
Your attorney is part of this conversation. When you have counsel, timing, the referral question, and useful records are coordinated directly with them, so the report arrives when the filing needs it.
Not ready to book yet?
A plain-language walkthrough of a typical evaluation, step by step.
See What to Expect During an EvaluationTiming questions, answered plainly.
Generally two to three hours. It may be split across sessions, especially when more than one family member is interviewed or when a single long session would be too much. Extra time is a clinical decision, explained to you directly.
Interviews can usually be scheduled within one to two weeks of the first call. The first call itself is free and is usually scheduled quickly after your request arrives.
Written reports are typically completed within seven to fourteen days of the final interview. Complex cases or additional records can extend that, and any change in timing is communicated to you and your attorney directly.
Tell me about the hearing date on the first call. Expedited scheduling for urgent filing deadlines is discussed case by case, and you get an honest answer about what is achievable rather than a promise that cannot be kept.
Yes. Secure video evaluations are available anywhere in Florida, alongside in-person appointments at the Boca Raton office. The interview and the report take the same time in both formats. What video removes is travel, which often makes an earlier date possible.
Not as a rule. USCIS and the immigration court weigh many kinds of evidence, and a clinical evaluation is one common way to document the psychological side of a case. Whether it fits yours is a decision for your attorney, and the free consultation can help you both decide.
The fee is confirmed on the free phone consultation, because it depends on the case type, the number of people interviewed, and the records involved. You hear a clear quote before anything is scheduled.
No. Najla conducts the interview directly in English, Español, or Português, with no interpreter in the room, so there is no extra step and no extra waiting.
Written and reviewed by Najla Sallum, LCSW (Florida license SW19846). Last reviewed: .