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.

If you received a foreign degree and decided to enter the U.S. for education, employment, or immigration, you will probably need a foreign education evaluation to determine the U.S. equivalency of your degree. Although finding a foreign credential evaluation agency isn’t too difficult, finding a good one can be extremely tough, and knowing exactly what type of educational evaluation you need is important too. Just how easy is it to choose between the different types of evaluations?

In reality, a good agency will be able to tell you upon examining your application whether or not you’ve made the right choice. While certain types of evaluations may be acceptable for work, you may need a more specific type of evaluation, such as a course-by-course evaluation, for university admission. The difference can be even more critical if you are planning to apply for an immigration visa such as an H1-B or I-140 visa.

Most applicants have some idea of what type of evaluation they need. Most reputable agencies, however, know exactly which type of evaluation will work for a specific purpose. For example, some people are unaware that educational degrees cannot be combined when filing for an I-140. Occasionally, clients become frustrated and seek other alternatives when a good agency refuses to provide them with an educational evaluation that will not help them.

In a few instances, clients seek foreign credential evaluations, only to demand the kind of evaluation they believe will be best for them. They don’t understand the details of immigration visa requirements, and are sure that their opinion regarding their educational equivalency is correct. Rather than trust the experts, they would prefer to make their own decisions - even if they waste hundreds of dollars of their own money doing so.

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.