Medical schools occasionally go out of their way to recruit students with diverse ethnic or minority backgrounds. While some people like to blame this on equal opportunity employment issues, the real fact is that the United States is an ethnically diverse country. Sometimes, these students have a unique ability to understand and relate to the cultural customs and traditions valued by people of the same ethnic background.

While a significant number of medical students are minority students, many other physicians come to this country to practice after obtaining a foreign degree in their native country.  Often, however, doctors refrain from immigrating because they are concerned that their degree might not be accepted in the U.S.

In reality, however, nearly every medical degree obtained in a different country is given the U.S. equivalency of a diploma from a medical college. There are a few exceptions. For example, although degrees in homeopathic medicine may be recognized in other countries, these foreign education credentials are not accepted in this country. LIkewise, acupuncture degrees can rarely be shown through educational evaluations to be equivalent to a U.S degree.

If you are a physician who is considering immigrating to the United States, contact Career Consulting International for a credentials evaluation. Don’t immigrate and start your education all over again! Find out if your degree will qualify you to take medical boards and practice as a physician in the United States.

Usually, most people in the United States think of immigrant visas as “green cards,” documents that allow people from foreign countries to remain in the United States and work. Another very different type of visa, however, is granted to workers who desire to work in the U.S. for a time, but have expressed no desire to actually immigrate. Approximately 85,000 of these visas, known as H1-B visas, were issued to foreign citizens in 2008.

Professionals who hold these visas work in specialty occupations and have the U.S. equivalency of at least a bachelor degree in at least one specified discipline, such as science, the arts, theology, health or education. Several other specialty fields are included in this classification. For a complete list, consult the USCIS website.

In order to demonstrate that their foreign degrees or diplomas are equal to a U.S. degree, most workers are required to obtain an equivalency evaluation from a foreign credentials evaluation agency, such as Career Consulting International. This is particularly true for individuals from countries such as India, Pakistan, and some European Countries who hold 3-year degrees. These credential evaluations are also used for other purposes such as education and immigration, in the event that a person desires to apply for permanent resident status.

Generally, people who hold H1-B visas are allowed to remain in this country for three years after obtaining the visa. These visas can be renewed one time, and allow a person to remain in the U.S. as a temporary worker for up to six years total. Individuals interested in staying longer or becoming permanent residents should consider applying for I-140 status instead.

If you are considering attending university in the United States, or have been thinking about emigrating to the United States, you may require a foreign credentials evaluation. This will help to ensure that your foreign degree or diploma is recognized as a valid educational document.  If you are able to get these documents before leaving your home country, this can save you a great deal of time and trouble.

Important documents to keep on hand for submission to a foreign credentials evaluation agency such as Career Consulting International include copies of your passport, driver’s license, and marriage certificate. Transcripts or mark sheets, as well as degrees or diplomas, from your native country are also important.

Women who are submitting their foreign credentials for evaluation often wish to include their married name on the educational evaluation. In order to do this, they should submit a copy of their U.S. state-issued driver’s license, their passport with their married name, or their marriage certificate. This will greatly facilitate the credential evaluation process.

The process of locating foreign evaluation services can be difficult. One of the best ways to find a reputable service is to check with an immigration attorney or official translating service. These agencies often work with companies on a regular basis and know which companies will offer the most timely and accurate immigration evaluations.

Recently, Career Consulting International was very pleased to receive feedback from a new customer: “Thank you so much for helping me obtain my educational evaluation in such a short period of time. I will be referring you to my friends as well.” We were pleased to be able to help this person with an evaluation report that offered the U.S. equivalency for their foreign degree.

We enjoy helping people, and we all enjoy reading the letters and comments from students and individuals who desire to obtain immigrant visas. Knowing that we have been able to help people achieve their goals and dreams is rewarding to all of us. So please, don’t hesitate to share your story.

If you or someone you know has been helped by TheDegreePeople through a foreign credential evaluation, write and let us know. We are always working to improve our process as well, so any suggestions for making the process easier for future customers are welcome as well.

Please stop by the guest blog and offer your input. Is there anything else that we can do to make the evaluation of your academic credentials any easier? Stop by and help us help you even more effectively!

Many people have heard that it is possible to get college credit for life experience, but few actually know how this works. In many countries, a college degree is not always required to enter certain career fields. This week, Career Consulting International received a message from someone we had been working with on a work experience evaluation.

This individual had sat for an accounting examination in a foreign country more than 30 years earlier. After working as an accountant for many years, this person decided to work in the United States, and had done so for many years. Having received no formal foreign degree, this person required proof of having sufficient education to begin employment in a new position.

He consulted this particular foreign credential evaluation agency because we had been able to help a family member of his in the past. After reviewing his documents, we were glad to be able to help. This is how his education and experience worked:

Work experience is usually given a U.S. equivalency of one year of higher education for every three years worked. Thus, after working for 24 years, he had achieved the educational equivalency of a Master Degree in Accounting. This together with his accounting certificate from his country of origin, was enough to be able to issue a degree equivalency and advance his employment prospects with the new firm.

And our credential evaluation service was glad to know we had been able to help.