We just received notice that another client who had applied for an I-140 Visa has been approved. Great news and we enjoy sharing the good news with each other and all our readers! This person had a particularly difficult situation, and was applying for an EB3 visa.

Sometimes, people just give up hope after receiving an RFE or denial, especially for a three-year degree, and think they have nowhere else to turn. CCI offers these persons free pre-evaluations to determine whether they can help provide the evidence required by USCIS. If the expert evaluators and professors don’t believe they can offer a successful outcome, they are upfront and honest about that.

The majority of time, though, the experts can provide the necessary evidence. More than 95 percent of the time, they are successful. Once clients have received an RFE or denial, though, it’s an uphill process. The best outcomes occur when clients come to CCI first.

If you do turn to the experts at CCI for assistance, be sure to follow all instructions carefully. If you don’t include all the evidence that you’re given, you risk having your petition denied. Don’t save evidence for later – it won’t help.

If you want help having your immigration visa approved, you’ve come to the right place. If you have the necessary academic credentials, the experts at CCI can help show that your foreign credentials are the educational equivalent of the U.S. degree required on your labor certificate.

People who immigrate to the United States arrive in this country with a wide variety of foreign degrees and other education. They may have completed high school, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or even Doctoral degree programs in their home countries. Determining to what level of education each of these foreign degrees is equivalent can be a complicated process. Because of this, most people must have their degrees evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation agency prior to getting a job or enrolling in a higher education program in the United States.

In order to enroll in a college degree program in the United States, a person must have the equivalency of graduation from high school in their home country. For example, if a person has completed 11 years of high school and would not be eligible to attend university in their home country, they would not be eligible for higher education here.

People who have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in their home country may or may not have the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor’s Degree. For example, in Pakistan, many Bachelor Degree programs are of two years’ duration. This is the educational equivalency of an Associate Degree in the U.S. In contrast, though, many three year degree programs, particularly in Europe, are equal to a U.S. Bachelor Degree.

This is because most European students take a 13th year of high school, which is considered equal to one year of undergraduate education in the U.S. Similarly, some Master’s Degree programs are only one year long, and these are therefore usually equal to only one year toward a U.S. Master’s Degree. Generally, however, a Doctoral degree is equivalent to a U.S. PhD.

Some people are surprised to learn that their degrees or diplomas are not considered equivalent to accredited education in the U.S. Others are disappointed to learn that their continuing education or seminar certificates are not evaluated for college credit by the credential evaluation agency. Generally, only course work that has been taken at an accredited college or educational institution recognized by the home country’s Ministry of Education is considered equivalent to U.S. college education.

This week, we were very pleased to hear from another client who had received approval for his I-140 visa. It’s always wonderful to hear good news from people we have been able to help, and to offer help for someone else who has received an RFE or Denial. This person had received an RFE based on EDGE, so this approval was especially good news, and may offer hope to many.

This person had obtained a three-year degree from India, and the USCIS required additional evidence that his degree was equivalent to a US Bachelor Degree. Using all of the documentation and research accumulated by Dr. Sheila Danzig and Professor John Kersey, we were able to show satisfactorily that this degree was indeed the educational equivalent of a US Bachelor Degree.

This can be a difficult process, because universities in India do not document semester credit hours in the same manner as the US. However, when clients are able to obtain the actual number of credit hours from the university, they are usually able to satisfactorily demonstrate that they have at least as many contact hours as those required for a US Bachelor Degree.

We are always very glad to hear from our clients when we have been successful in demosntrating their academic credentials to be equivalent for immigration purposes. We also are glad to be able to share general details about these cases in the hopes that they may help a potential or future client. If you’ve received good news about your RFE or denial, contact us and let us know. We won’t use your name or particular details unless you give us permission to do so. We will honor your privacy. Just let us share the good news and hope with other people who are experiencing the same difficulties you have!

Often, people applying for foreign credential evaluations for their Bachelor or Master Degrees don’t stop to realize that there is a big difference between A and O. Advanced and Ordinary Level secondary exams, that is. In fact, in many countries, Advanced Level exams are equal to an extra year of college education.

Countries such as Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ghana, France, Sri Lanka, and many others offer students ordinary level exams, which is equivalent to US high school graduation. These countries, however, also offer A Level exams, which is equivalent to one year of undergraduate education. Because of this, their three-year Bachelor Degrees can easily be shown to be the US equivalency of a Bachelor Degree, for both education and H1B visa purposes.

Other countries, however, including those in West Africa (including Nigeria, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone) offer both ordinary and advanced level exams. For many of these students, however, the completion of A level exams is equivalent only to graduation from high school – not an undergraduate year of college.

Some people don’t realize the difference, but many other people automatically assume that the credential evaluation service will take these differences into account without having proof of the completion of these exams. This isn’t the case, however. Unless applicants send these exam results, they won’t get credit for this education.

So if you’re ready to apply for an academic credentials evaluation, and your high school education was in a foreign country, send your high school diploma, as well as your ordinary and advanced level exam results. This will save a lot of confusion, and help you get the highest educational equivalency that your academic credentials deserve. Don’t sell your education short – help the evaluators by sending all of your educational documents.

April is a busy month for credential evaluation services such as CCI because of the April 1st H1B visa application deadline. This year, it’s been a little busier even than usual because the H1B visa cap did not fill. This is a reflection of the economic times. As companies are struggling to survive, and laying off more and more people, it’s hard to justify hiring foreign workers except in circumstance where their expertise is vitally needed.

Because CCI specializes in unusual and difficult cases, we see some very interesting and complicated cases, as well as the more straightforward high school diploma, college diploma, and foreign degree. Because this month has been a busy one, there hasn’t been as much time to update our readers as we’d like. So we wanted to take a moment at the end of this month and update you regarding the free offer we make to the U.S. military.

Each month, we offer free document evaluations to 50 U.S. Military personnel. We’ve consistently challenged service persons to keep up with this number, but they haven’t caught up yet. In fact, in April, only 5 military persons requested the free foreign credential evaluations.

Often, we receive the requests from army, navy, or air force recruiters who are waiting to enlist a future soldier, but sometimes the military people see our information online and contact us themselves. Either way, we are happy to help. You’ve spent your time serving, or are about to serve, our country – now let us offer this free service to you – don’t hesitate to benefit from it! Call the toll-free number and our customer service representatives will help you. No gimmicks, no strings, just our way of thanking the U.S. armed forces for all they do!

Each year, the USCIS receives tens of thousands of applications for temporary and permanent visas. Sometimes, qualified workers are turned away or questioned because they don’t have academic credentials evaluations that show their foreign degrees to be the educational equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree.

When this happens, the professional must find a foreign credential evaluation that specializes in difficult or challenging cases. Once a person has received an RFE or denial, though, the application process is often an uphill battle.

CCI recently received a foreign credentials evaluation request from a client who had received a Bachelor of Laws degree from a foreign university, and then obtained a Master of Laws degree at an accredited U.S. university. USCIS issued an RFE, indicating a concern that the law degree was not the U.S. equivalency of a Juris Doctor, which is the degree required to practice law in the United States.

Using an expert opinion and a course by course evaluation, CCI was able to offer enough evidence that the degrees were indeed the U.S. equivalent of a Juris Doctor. The client’s application for an I-140 visa was subsequently approved bu the USCIS.

The professionals at CCI enjoy hearing their client’s success stories. Has your foreign credential evaluation helped you earn a job or receive visa approval? Contact us today and share your story. We’ll keep your name and personal details confidential. Let other people benefit from your successes today!

If you earned academic credentials in another country, you will probably have to have your degree evaluated before getting an education or finding a job in the United States. Several reputable credentials evaluation services, including Career Consulting International, are available. The prices, as well as the service times, of these agencies vary, so check with them before ordering.

Even before you have your evaluation in hand, you can start looking for a job or considering attending a university, if you have some idea of what your degree is equivalent to. Not all Bachelor Degrees are equal to U.S. Degrees. For example, a Bachelor Degree from Pakistan is almost always equal to a U.S. Associate Degree.

Some countries don’t use the word “Bachelor” to describe an undergraduate degree. A common example is the “Licence” used by many Latin-American countries. Although the degree is designated a “Licence” by the univesrity, it is the degree equivalency of a Bachelor Degree in the United States.

Many European countries complete the Bachelor Degree in three years, because students attend elementary and secondary school for a total of 13 years. These Bachelor Degrees are almost always considered equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor Degree for education and employment purposes. Occasionally, the USCIS requires additional documentation that these European degrees are equal, so persons wanting to immigrate and find jobs based on these degrees may need an expert opinion letter to support their academic evaluations.

If one system of education existed throughout the world, foreign credential evaluations wouldn’t be necessary. Europe has worked to accomplish just this with the Bologna Accord, but only about 15 countries participate in this degree-granting system. Until all educational systems adopt a single degree-granting system, students and employees will need education evaluations to have their foreign education properly evaluated.

Every month, Career Consulting International offers free foreign credential evaluations to the first 50 members of the US Armed Forces who apply. So far this year, though, the US military has yet to meet this monthly challenge.

Many people seek careers in the military, hoping for opportunities to advance their careers and earn a good living. Many of these people are immigrants, or the sons and daughters of immigrants. They have earned foreign degrees or high school diplomas in the countries of their birth, before emigrating to the U.S.

Most of the time, employers or educators want to confirm that these academic credentials are the U.S. equivalent of the degree or diploma these individuals earned in their previous country. To determine this, foreign credential evaluation agencies such as Career Consulting International complete educational evaluations to establish equivalency.

Sometimes these foreign education evaluations can be very expensive. The cost ranges from $70 to over $1,000. Most of the time, however, employment education evaluations can be completed with a simple document evaluation.

CCI’s Executive Director, Sheila Danzig, and her staff, have great respect for those who choose to serve their country by enlisting or applying to join the U.S. Military. To help make this possible, Ms. Danzig offers free foreign credential evaluations to the first 50 military persons who apply each month.

These evaluations are accepted by all major branches of the U.S. Military, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Each month, we receive a variety of requests from recruiters and soldiers across the country enlisting our assistance, and we are proud to be able to help.

So far this month, we have had requests from three military servicepersons for educational evaluations. We have room for 47 more, so call today to find out how to reserve your slot and get your free foreign credential evaluation!

We just received word from an attorney with whom we work that another of our clients’ I140 visas had been approved as a result of the foreign credentials evaluation through CCI. We were very glad to hear that this client’s evaluation had been accepted after the RFE had been issued.

The client holds a three-year degree from India, as well as  a Master Degree. The requirement was a minimum Bachelor Degree, but combining degrees is not permitted for I-140 visas. To help this person, Director Sheila Danzig and consultant Professor John Kersey worked to show that the client’s 3-year degree was the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor Degree.

The process is complicated, and involves an extensive amount of research sometimes, so it can be expensive, often nearly $1200. This often involves extensive consultations with attorneys, research, and access to our evidence archives so that attorneys can reference little-known information in their briefs.

Of course, not every 3-year degree can be shown as the educational equivalency of a US Bachelor Degree. So we encourage all clients, especially those who have received RFEs or denials, to submit their information for a pre-evaluation so that we can offer them an accurate estimate of whether we will be able to help. Our success rates with these complicated cases is very high, and there is a lot of work involved sometimes. So there is a lot of cheering and celebration when we receive word from another of our clients that they have been approved!

When Career Consulting International began doing foreign credential evaluations for the Chartered Accountancy certification from India, experts Sheila Danzig and John Kersey had their research cut out for them. Few evaluators were even attempting this equivalency, and success rates were quite low.

Thanks to their hard work, however, Ms. Danzig and Professor Kersey have joined forces to offer clients who have passed the CA exams the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor, or even a Master Degree, in Accounting. In fact, CCI’s success rate with this certification is 100 percent for immigration purposes.

In fact, foreign degree evaluations that show the Chartered Accountancy Fellowship equal to a Master’s Degree are not easy, and few evaluators even believe this is possible. We have been very fortunate to work with excellent attorneys and clients who work closely with the evaluators to provide the necessary information to accomplish this goal.

Thanks to our clients, who work so hard to help us help them. Thanks to the excellent attorneys who, through their outstanding teamwork and collaboration, help their clients so effectively. Showing educational equivalencies for foreign degrees and certifications isn’t always easy, but helping our clients succeed is more than worth the effort involved!