Last week, one of our clients wrote to us, requesting urgent assistance in evaluating his foreign academic credentials. Though he had held his job for some time, recent economical problems were resulting in cutbacks at his place of employment. He required an evaluation of his foreign degree in order to remain employed.

This person’s problem is not at all unusual in these recent months. People are returning to work after spouses have been laid off, or are working to keep jobs they already hold. Current or prospective employers are requesting or requiring evaluation reports that demonstrate that these persons hold degrees that are the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor or Master Degree.

If you’re worried about keeping your job, or are seeking a work or immigration visa to the United States, learn more about what type of education evaluation you need. Be aware, though, that some degrees are easier to evaluate than others. People who received their foreign education credentials from countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union or the Eastern Bloc often find it easier to demonstrate that their academic credentials are equal to a US degree because of the enormous number of lecture and classroom hours required (sometimes more than 5,000 to 10,000.)

Although people who attended school in India or many European countries also have a great number of lecture and classroom hours, these degrees are completed in three years. The USCIS often requires greater documentation that these 3-year degrees are the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor Degree, and so these evaluation reports can be more expensive.

What kind of evaluation do you need? That depends on many factors. Let The Degree People review your credentials, and help you select the type of report that will best help you. Take advantage of the extensive experience and expertise of top evaluators Sheila Danzig and Professor John Kersey. Don’t lose your job or get your employment visa denied tomorrow because you didn’t know what you needed today!

Two days ago, I had the pleasure of receiving a short note of thanks from a client whose educational evaluation we had completed. He expressed his approval of our evaluation report, stating:

“Thanks a lot for sending my evaluation report. I am grateful for the timely response to my request and cooperation that will help me find a reasonable job. Next week my son will be sending his foreign academic credentials for evaluation, which he requires for educatoin and employment.

Again I appreciate you and your colleagues’ efforts. Thank you and warm regards for a Merry Christmas and New Year.”

It’s always good to hear that a client has been successful or received the promotion or immigration visa for which they were applying, but we all appreciated hearing the kind and encouraging words from this client. We were pleased to be able to help him establish solid U.S. equivalencies for his extensive education.

Establishing equivalencies for foreign degrees isn’t always an easy or an exact process, because of the differing number of years of education required between countries, as well as the different majors awarded by the universities of these nations. We continue to do our best, though, to help each client gain the educational recognition and credentials they deserve.

If you have a foreign degree or diploma, you will probably have to get a foreign credential evaluation just to get a job or enter a university. And if you are interested in immigration visas such as I-140 visas or H1-Bs, you definitely will have to have your foreign academic credentials evaluated.

So how do you know where to go or whom to trust? One of the many places to look for a good foreign credentials evaluation agency is an immigration forum, or an immigration attorney. Once you’ve found an agency that looks promising, how do you know what to look for?

Career Consulting International offers clients a number of helpful services, including a lowest-price guarantee, free consultation by telephone 24 hours a day, and a promise to answer evaluation questions at any point in time after the evaluation has been issued.

Our company specializes in denials and RFEs. Many clients come to our agency after having had difficult experiences with other evaluation agencies. They have valid foreign credentials that are unusual or unfamiliar to these agencies. As a result, the evaluations do not meet the standards specified by USCIS.

If you have questions about whether your education credentials meet the standards specified by your labor certificate, don’t hesitate to contact CCI. Our expert advisors are here and ready to help you. Let us give you the experienced advice you need - and deserve - today!

You’ve earned a foreign degree at the Bachelor or graduate level, and want to apply for an immigration visa to the United States. To apply for an employment-based visa, you must prove that your education is the U.S. equivalency required for the labor certificate. How do you know if your degree will hold up to examination?

First, check the UNESCO database at  http://www.unesco.org/iau/onlinedatabases/list.html . If your university is listed here, your degree will probably be recognized as accredited education by the U.S. Department of Education. This is the educational authority recognized as well by USCIS. Some universities, such as some accredited institutions within the United Kingdom, can be located at other websites as well.

Sometimes, a private educational institution or university operating within a particular country will be recognized as accredited education as well. These foreign academic credentials may be issued by a private university or by that country’s department or ministry of education. For example, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is an educational institution established by that country’s statutes and passing those examinations can yield the U.S. equivalency of a degree as well.

Determining whether some foreign diplomas, such as certain postgraduate diplomas offered in some countries, are accredited can be a difficult process. For this reason, many foreign academic credentials evaluation agencies, including Career Consulting International, offers pre-evaluation reports. These can be used to offer students an idea of whether their education can indeed be evaluated as the international equivalency of an accredited degree.

Not all diplomas do meet U.S. requirements for accredited education, and extenuating circumstances apply. For this reason, the USCIS generally requires persons who have obtained their degrees outside the U.S. to have an educational evaluation performed before an employment-based visa is issued. Do your homework, and get your degree evaluated so you will know whether your diploma will make the grade!

Work and immigration visa requirements for the United States can be very complicated, and many people often find themselves being denied simply because they don’t clearly understand the USCIS requirements for these documents. Read this short survey to test your knowledge about American visas and the necessary paperwork for H1-B visas.

First, for those who are unfamiliar with the H1-B classification, it is a work visa designed for short-term employment of people who are being employed in a specialty occupation. This includes persons with advanced degrees or job classifications that are in high demand. Remember, however, that the USCIS requires a foreign academic credentials evaluation to ensure that persons applying for H1-B are eligible based on the U.S. equivalency of their foreign degree or diploma.

What job occupations are considered specialty occupations?  Persons whose foreign credentials demonstrate professional credentials in medicine, science, engineering, architecture, theology, or the arts may qualify for H1-B visas.

How does a person from another country get an H1-B visa?  First, an American employer has to petition the USCIS to permit the employment of a foreign citizen. Then, the employer must show, through a foreign credentials evaluations, that the candidate’s education is the U.S. equivalency of the desired credentials.

What employment rules affect H1-B visa holders?  First, people with these work visas must be continually employed in the capacity for which they were hired. This does not include medical leave or maternity leave. In addition, people with these visas must obtain educational evaluations each time their visa is renewed. Finally, they must follow special procedures in order to change employers.

If you are a person with a foreign degree who wishes to work in the U.S., the first step in the visa application is to obtain an evaluation report for your foreign degree or diploma. You must clearly demonstrate that your credentials are equivalent to a U.S. degree. Therefore, before you discuss employment with a potential employer, get your foreign credentials evaluated.

When the economy is good, employers actively recruit professionals from outside the U.S. to fill job vacancies. But what happens when these same companies begin to cut back or downsize? How are persons holding H1-B visas or TN Visas affected by hiring freezes and layoffs?

First, companies are less likely to actively recruit people with foreign degrees from outside the United States, unless they are lack a supply of qualified professionals to fill these positions. The reason for this isn’t descrimination, but conservation. Why spend money hiring persons with foreign credentials if qualified U.S. citizens are clamoring for the same jobs?

Furthermore, hiring people from abroad to fill job vacancies indicates a lack of interest in the welfare of U.S. citizens and the local economy. If American companies are hiring foreign workers, why would American citizens want to buy the products made by these companies?

Sometimes, the right person for the job may not be an American citizen. Many qualified professionals, such as physicians, scientists, or technology experts have been recruited from other countries to perform jobs critical to the operation of American businesses. Increasing economic problems, however, may mean that the foreign academic credentials of these individuals are more carefully scrutinized.

Recently, Career Consulting International was asked by a Navy service member to assist with an educational evaluation of his foreign education credentials. His goal is to enter the Navy’s medical service.  This is the fourth evaluation report CCI has completed for military personnel in October.

So far this month, we have equaled the number of foreign degree evaluations we completed for armed services members last month - which was our highest total ever. The word is starting to get out, and I am confident that one day soon, the U.S. Armed Forces will be able to meet Ms. Danzig’s challenge. (If you know anyone who can help them meet that challenge, get the word out!)

To remind you once more, most people who have obtained high school or college educations in other countries usually need their foreign diplomas evaluated to show the U.S. equivalency of their education. These evaluations can be used to help people with employment or educational goals, or even to apply for immigration visas to the United States.

In the armed services, college education can assist with a promotion, while a high school diploma is required for entry. Because these military people have chosen, of their own free will, to help by serving our country, we at CCI try to do our part in helping them by offering free document evaluations to help them get the credit they deserve. So keep spreading the word!

So far, it looks like October is going to be another quiet month for foreign academic credentials evalations for October. As promised, I am updating you on The Degree People’s latest attempt to thank U.S. Military personnel for their service.

As of early last week, we had received no requests from Armed Forces members for educational evaluations. We have had the pleasure of being able to respond twice this week. Our evaluation reports have helped service members receive promotions and even enlist as a result of CCI’s commitment to help these people with free evaluations to determine U.S. equivalencies of their foreign degrees.

Remember, Ms. Danzig has offered to help 50 persons from the armed services each month receive free document evaluations. So far, only two people have stepped forward to respond to October’s offer. If you know anyone who might be able to benefit from this offer, please tell them so that we can help them get a degree evaluation.

If you or someone you know is an active member of the U.S. military, and completed your high school or college education in another country, a foreign credentials evaluation could be of tremendous help. Career advancement and promotional opportunities may be available - don’t hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity today!

Recently, we had the pleasure of receiving information from a client that his foreign academic credentials evaluation had been accepted by his employer. He proudly informed us that he was wearing his new title.

It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to attend school for four or six years and be successful in one’s home country, only to immigrate to another country and lose that immediate acceptance of one’s foreign degree. Yet, that is exactly what happens for many people who arrive here as a result of immigration visas. They cannot get a job using their skills and knowledge until after their foreign credentials have been evaluated.

Career Consulting International is very glad to be able to help hardworking, educated people who have foreign degrees obtain an accurate evaluation report of the U.S. equivalency of their degrees. Everyone deserves an equal opportunity for success in their careers!

In these hard economic times, a raise or a promotion never hurts. We were glad to know that we had been able to help this person prove that he did have the equivalent of a Master Degree, so that he was able to have the academic and job recognition he deserved.

If you are considering having foreign education credentials evaluated for U.S. equivalency, you may wonder how many credits you are likely to get for each subject. Is there any consistent way to determine this? Do evaluation agencies simply assign a random number of credits to a course?

Although the process may at first seem impossible to figure out or understand, Career Consulting International uses a strictly defined formula to determine how many credits each class is worth. If the number of semester credit hours received by the foreign degree student is listed on the transcript, this number is often used. Many universities in other countries, however, require students to have fewer or greater numbers of contact hours to gain a semester hour of credit, so this must also be factored in.

Some countries, such as those that were once part of the former Soviet Union, require an extremely high number of hours for their courses. Some classes require more than 300 contact hours! In this case, the international equivalency is determined by converting these contact hours to credit hours.

The process of foreign academic credentials evaluations isn’t arbitary, but it can be time-consuming and complicated. Evaluation agencies such as Career Consulting International, however, are committed to offering their applicants the best service possible, and are usually willing to explain how the degree equivalency was reached. If you have questions about your evaluation report, discuss them with the person who completed the evaluation; it is their goal and service to help you.