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.

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!