U.S. Immigration Law for Evaluators
When you’re writing immigration evaluations, even a well-intentioned word choice can shift the outcome of a case. Reports that miss the mark—not because they’re poorly written, but because they’re misaligned with the legal strategy—can jeopardize relief for your client.
That’s exactly why I brought on Jacob Sapochnick, a seasoned immigration attorney and managing partner at one of the largest immigration law firms in Southern California, for a candid conversation on my podcast, Beyond Borders: The Immigration Evaluations Podcast.
Jacob has seen it all from last-minute court emergencies to clients being detained over decades-old records. And he knows firsthand how psychological evaluations are received by immigration officers and judges. His legal perspective offers a behind-the-scenes look at how your clinical work fits into the broader legal strategy.
Originally, this was going to be a single episode. But mid-recording, Jacob got an urgent call: one of his clients had just been detained by ICE. She had been pulled from her home over a conviction from more than two decades ago. It was a startling moment and an all-too-real reminder of the high stakes involved in this work.
So we paused. And when Jacob came back, we picked up right where we left off with even more clarity, urgency, and insight. The result is a two-part series that offers clinicians a rare legal perspective on the exact function, power, and pitfalls of our evaluations.
🎧 Part 1: How Immigration Adjudicators Read Our Reports
In Part 1, Jacob and I unpack how adjudicators actually read (or don’t read) our reports. We cover:
Why evaluations over six pages often go unread
How certain common phrases can unintentionally signal bias
What makes even strong reports fall flat
Real examples from waiver, asylum, and U visa cases
How attorneys use our reports in legal briefs
Whether you’re new to writing evaluations or have years of experience, this conversation will sharpen your understanding of how to write reports that are legally strategic and clinically grounded.
🎙️ Listen to Part 1 on:
🎧 Part 2: When Detention Happens and Strategy Shifts
In Part 2, we open with the ICE call that interrupted our first recording, and the legal scramble that followed. Jacob breaks down how criminal convictions, even from decades ago, can resurface and trigger detention, and what attorneys can do to fight back. We also dive into:
Why psychological evaluations can be critical in cancellation of removal and VAWA cases
What attorneys need from clinicians during the writing process
How to tailor your report based on the type of immigration relief being pursued
When it’s helpful to check in with the attorney, and when to stay out of the way
🎙️ Listen to Part 2 on:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube
Why This Conversation Matters
Too often, clinicians write evaluations in a vacuum without understanding the legal roadmap the attorney is building. But when we, as mental health professionals, learn to align our work with the legal context, we amplify its impact.
Jacob’s core message to us was simple: Don’t just write a good story. Write a report that serves the case type’s intended purpose in court. That’s where the power of our evaluations truly lives.
