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.

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.

Sometimes, the process of applying for I-140s or other immigration visas can be frustrating for attorneys, clients, and foreign education credential evaluation agencies. This is particularly true with 3-Year Degrees, which are not always accepted by the USCIS as the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor Degree. Despite everyone’s best efforts, people with foreign degrees are often denied these visas, because immigration officials argue that these degrees just aren’t equivalent.

This occurs more frequently with 3-Year Degrees from India or Bangladesh than from European countries. This occurs despite evaluators’ bests efforts to show the extensive numbers of contact hours and course work which the client has completed. In these situations, is it ever worth the client’s time and money to appeal a denial?

The answer may surprise you. In fact, denials are sometimes overturned on appeals. This may be because of additional evidence presented, or because the appeals arbitrators have a different perspective on the results of the educational evaluation. In many cases, however, the appeals process does have a positive outcome.

The downside of appealing denials for immigration visas is that it can be expensive. Many clients have spent considerable money on foreign academic credentials evaluations, as well as attorney fees. It may or may not be worthwhile to appeal a denial. Only the client - and his or her attorney - can really decide this. Hopefully, their decision is also based on advise from a professional consulting firm who is experienced in appealing visa denials based on these evaluations.

Recently, we had the pleasure of working with a client who had received an RFE for his I-140 aplication. He was told he needed a second foreign education credentials evaluation, and was unsure to whom he should turn for the educational evaluation. His attorneys recommended one firm, but told him that they were uncertain whether the evaluation report for this firm would get his visa application approved.

He chose instead to search online for himself, and to followup discussion threads at several immigration visa forums to which he belongs. The agency he chose was Career Consulting International, and into our hands he trusted the future of his visa application. He decided upon our agency based on the testimonials from other individuals whom we have helped.

Our foreign credentials expert, Professor Kersey, was able to offer a sound approach with which our director, Ms. Danzig, concurred. This approach differed significantly from the advice offered by the client’s attorney, but the attorney recognized the value of Professor Kersey and Ms. Danzig’s expert recommendation. The client wrote to tell us that his application was approved two weeks after submitting the evaluation report to USCIS.

We are currently in the process of putting together case studies of clients with RFEs, previous denials, 3-year degrees, and other challenging cases involving foreign degrees and visa applications. We want to be able to demonstrate how we have been able to help clients in difficult circumstances gain approval for their visa applications. If you have a specific problem or question about visa approvals, please post a comment or contact us so that we can help.

We promised to keep you posted on how the U.S. military responded to the challenge issued by Career Consulting International. It must have taken a little while for the word to get out, because we had no responses in August. With that in mind, here is an update on the foreign education evaluations for September.

So far this month, we have been asked to evaluate foreign degrees for two members of the U.S. armed forces. We are hoping to have the privilege of completing an educational evaluation for a third individual this week. Although this does result in a 200 percent increase in our results from last month, we are still far short of our goal.

In early August, Ms. Danzig released a statement to the press offering U.S. equivalency evaluations free of charge to members of the U.S. military. She authorized her company, Career Consulting International, to complete 50 evaluation reports free of charge each month. So far, we are 48 - or perhaps 47 short of meeting her challenge to the American military.

So if you know anyone who received a foreign diploma or degree and is a member of a branch of the United States military, please encourage them to contact CCI for a free evaluation of their educational credentials. Don’t let them miss out on this valuable opportunity because they didn’t hear about it in time. Help us thank them for serving so bravely!

For many of us who attended high school in the United States, it is hard to imagine our diplomas not being recognized. For prospective college students or immigrants from other countries, however, having foreign credentials such as high school diplomas from other countries can be a hardship, and may even delay or jeopardize their immigration visas. For these students, a foreign degree evaluation is required to assess whether their foreign degrees can be demonstrated as a US equivalency to a high school diploma.

For example, some countries distinguish between pre-university diplomas and vocational diplomas. Students with vocational diplomas cannot be shown to have a U.S. equivalency to a high school diploma from an accredited secondary institution in the United States. Because these diplomas are not equal, a foreign credential evaluation cannot offer evidence that a student is eligible to attend university in the U.S. based on their foreign degrees.

Many students, however, do have the international equivalency of a U.S. high school diploma, but have trouble proving this academic equivalency. Foreign credential evaluation agencies can be very helpful if they have a detailed understanding of the level of education experienced by foreign students. Without a complete understanding of these international equivalencies, however, the agency can do more harm than good.

The professionals at CCI work hard to remain up-to-date on the latest information concerning USCIS requirements and international education assessments. We have been able to help a number of prospective university students who otherwise would have been unable to attend college in the United States. Our focus is to help you be the best you can be - just let us help!

The professionals at Career Consulting International are strongly committed to their clients’s successes. We are thrilled to hear when a client has received approval for immigration visas because it means that we have been able to help one more person in a difficult situation.

One of our goals is to communicate these successes to others, so that other people who have foreign degrees will be encouraged to know about these successful visa applications. If you have had a successful application for an H1-B Visa, an I-140, an EB Visa, or a TN Visa through our consultation services, please write us and tell us about your experience. We want to be able to encourage others through spreading the news of your success. We won’t use your name unless you give us permission.

We recently had the pleasure of learning from a person living in Nebraska who successfully applied for an EB-2. This person’s case involved a 3-Year Degree. The individual was unable to produce mark sheets for the transcripts. Despite this, we were able to offer an evaluation report that helped to gain approval.

We care deeply about the outcomes of our clients’ applications, and work hard to ensure every chance of success. Help us to spread the news by sharing your story today!