H1B visa workers are needed because of the shortage of U.S. workers with the qualifications for specialty jobs. Foreign degree evaluations by agencies such as Career Consulting International ensure that these workers have the needed academic credentials.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 29, 2009 )
Why are major US corporations hiring foreign workers and sponsoring their entry into the country with H1B visas? How can American companies justify hiring professionals from other countries and importing them into the country to take American jobs? The answer, as seen by industry giants such as Microsoft Corporation, is startling – and painful – in its simplicity.
U.S. workers just don’t make the grade. This is the argument that the major business organizations still hiring H1B workers for fiscal year 2010 are making. They claim that no US professionals can be found who have the necessary skills to perform the work required.

In recent years, United States universities have seen fewer American students enrolling in computer, mathematics and science degree programs. These programs, however, continue to be popular with students from other countries.

Unfortunately, many of these students are returning to their home countries to take high-paying positions in technology-related businesses and industries. This problem is even more evident at the graduate degree level. Many students receive foreign degrees from undergraduate programs in their home countries, and then enter the United States to take advantage of the educational excellence offered by top-ranking graduate degree programs. Then they return home.

April 29, Sunrise Florida
Business organizations such as Microsoft Corporation hire workers with foreign degrees to work in the United States with temporary work visas known as H1B visas. To be eligible for an H1B visa, the worker must show the USCIS that his or her foreign degree is the U.S. equivalency of a bachelor degree or higher.

This isn’t always as easy as it might seem. Many graduates from colleges in India, for example, attend three-year undergraduate programs to obtain their Bachelor Degree. Usually, these workers also have to show three years of work experience to receive the educational equivalency of a four-year bachelor degree.

Evaluating foreign education to determine whether these academic credentials are the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor degree is often a complicated process. It requires experts who are familiar with the vast array of degree programs and education systems worldwide. Most foreign credential evaluation services, including Career Consulting International (CCI), also specialize in a particular area of academic credentials evaluations.

While almost any agency can help with a simple evaluation, however, Career Consulting International specializes in complex evaluations involving three-year degrees and other difficult cases. CCI even offers free pre-evaluations to workers who have received an RFE or denial at www.ccifree.com.

Workers applying for temporary or permanent visas in the United States sometimes receive RFEs or denials. Career Consulting International offers free pre-evaluation services to these clients, their attorneys and their employers.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 21, 2009 ) Fort Lauderdale, FL – You’ve gathered all your materials together – degree, mark sheets or transcripts, identification, and paid the fee for your foreign credential evaluation. When you receive it, you submit it to USCIS – and wait, hoping that you’ll get an approval notice in the mail soon. Instead, when you open the mail, you find a Request for Information (RFE). Or worse, still, you find yourself with a Denial in hand. What do you do next?

If you’ve gotten a denial or RFE, this may be a result of a problem with your sponsor’s paperwork or ability to pay your salary. In this case, an attorney may be able to help correct the paperwork or demonstrate the corporation’s ability to pay.
Alternatively, you may have received an RFE or denial because of your academic credentials evaluation. Possibly the USCIS wanted more evidence that your Bachelor Degree was equal to a U.S. Bachelor Degree, or they could not determine that the university you attended was accredited in your home country. In this case, you may need a more extensive foreign credentials evaluation, or an expert opinion letter to help get your case approved.

Career Consulting International (CCI), a credential evaluation service owned and operated by Sheila Danzig, has developed a special website, www.ccifree.com, for people with foreign degrees who have received an RFE or denial. While that was great info about our clients getting RFE’s / Denials, it is best not even to bring that up as it can be confusing.

The vast majority of the education RFE’s and Denials are for the I140 visa and the #1 reason for the denial is for combining education. Certain Employment based Visa’s like EB-2 do not allow for combining at all. EB-3 allows for it, but only if it is so stated on the labor certificate.

At www.ccifree.com, people who have received these notices from the USCIS can submit a brief form, including their academic credentials and their notice without charge. An expert evaluator will then examine the education credentials and the notice to determine what information USCIS might require to approve the case. A company representative will then contact the client and explain what assistance CCI can offer. In some cases there is nothing that can be done. In most cases it is an uphill battle because they have already received an RFE or Denial. “It is best when we do the evaluation in the first place,” said Danzig. “But we have good success even after a denial in many cases. We have one eye on the USCIS requirements and one eye on the education documents. We know when you can combine and when you can’t. We have extensive reference material for many of the unusual degrees such as the 3 year bachelor’s degree, Chartered Accountancy (CA), AIME, AIMETE, ICAI, ICWAI, and others. Because degrees from other countries can be very different from ours reference materials and original research are often needed to explain the equivalencies.”

In addition attorneys and employers who are not certain whether their clients have the necessary education credentials, or who would like advice about what kind of evaluation their clients may need are also encouraged to visit www.ccifree.com. CCI offers free pre-evaluations to attorneys and employers assisting clients with first-time visa applications or with RFEs or denials.

Many people don’t hear about this service until it’s almost too late, so they submit their academic credentials with very tight deadlines. In this case, clients are encouraged to call after submitting the request, so that evaluators can be made aware that their deadline for answering the USCIS is very near. Otherwise, CCI’s goal is a 2 business day turnaround time for these pre-evaluations, though most are completed within 24 hours.

Many people with foreign degrees or diplomas require academic credentials evaluations to show that their education is equivalent to a U.S. diploma or degree. Review the difference between a document evaluation and a course-by-course evaluation here. (EMAILWIRE.COM, April 15, 2009 ) Academic Credentials Evaluations: Which one should you Choose?

Most people who complete their education outside the United States need academic credentials evaluations to show that their degrees or diplomas are equivalent to accredited U.S. education. Many countries have different requirements, even for high school graduation. Therefore, this is often the only way universities and employers can be sure that a person’s diploma meets U.S. requirements.

Most credential evaluation services offer several different types of credentials evaluations. The two kinds of evaluations needed by most people are document evaluations and course-by-course evaluations. But how can people tell which kind of evaluation they should order?
Document evaluations are generally used by employers to confirm that an individual’s foreign degree or diploma is actually the equivalent of an accredited U.S. degree. For example, many countries only require 10 or 11 years of high school instead of the 12 required by a U.S. high school. Therefore, if a job requires graduation from high school, a person with a foreign high school diploma must show that his or her education is equivalent to U.S high school graduation.

High school diplomas almost always require only document evaluations if they are being used for employment. Similarly, most of the time a four-year college degree from another country usually requires only a document evaluation.

If the job position requires special skills or education, though, the employer may require a course-by-course evaluation to prove that the person’s academic credentials meet the skills and knowledge levels required for the job. Likewise, if a person is planning to apply to a United States college or university, the university will in nearly all cases require a course-by-course academic credentials evaluation.
Credential evaluation services can be costly. Some credential evaluation agencies charge as much as $100 for a document evaluation. Many people who are searching for jobs don’t have extra money to spend. Occasionally, a concerned employer might pay for or even reimburse the cost of these evaluations, so it never hurts to ask.
Career Consulting International, a foreign credential evaluation service owned and managed by Professor Sheila Danzig (see www.thedegreepeople.com), always guarantees that its clients will receive the lowest price for a credentials evaluation. Furthermore, she recognizes that many people often start by requesting document evaluations, unaware that they may need a more complicated evaluation.

Instead of charging twice, CCI’s policy is to upgrade a person’s evaluation if needed. The cost of the upgrade is only the difference in price between the original document evaluation and the course-by-course evaluation plus copies and postage.

If you have questions, call a credential evaluation service to ask before ordering. If you do order, check to make sure that the agency will upgrade the evaluation if necessary. Don’t pay more than you need to for your evaluation, but don’t find yourself paying twice for an evaluation because the agency charged for a second evaluation when you upgraded.

While the H1b Cap is well behind last years pace. H1B visa new, renewal and transfer applications will still being accepted for Fiscal Year 2010. A good evaluation can help with even the most complex academic credential evaluations.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 13, 2009 ) Academic Credentials Evaluations for H1B Visa Transfers

The most recent report issued by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicates that only 42,000 H1B Visa petitions have been received as of April 9, 2009. On that date, immigration authorities released statements that petitions would continue to be accepted until the cap of 65,000 petitions had been received by their office.
Additionally, USCIS officials will continue to allow persons currently holding H1B visas to apply for renewals and transfers to other sponsoring companies during this time. Unlike citizens or permanent residents, workers who reside in the United States on H1B visas must apply for government approval of their request to transfer their work visa to another approved job position.

Depending on the time frame and the job requirements, workers may have to have their educational credentials re-evaluated before the USCIS will consider the petition to transfer or renew their visa. Sometimes these credential evaluations may be very straightforward and easy to process. Others are very complex and require expert opinions or proof of work experience.

If you currently hold an H1B visa and are planning to transfer jobs, consult an immigration attorney to determine whether your academic credentials need to be re-evaluated before you apply for the transfer. If you do require a credentials evaluation, the cost and complexity of the evaluation will depend on several factors.

Are you applying for an identical position with another company? If your education is identical to the requirements listed on your H1B Visa, you will probably have little difficulty. For example, if your employer requires a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science, and you hold a four-year Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science, you will probably only need a short credentials evaluation called a document evaluation.

If, however, you have a three-year degree, or if your degree certificate does not specify a major in computer science, you may have to show proof of work experience to equal the needed educational credentials. Credential evaluation services such as Career Consulting International (CCI), owned and managed by Executive Director Sheila Danzig, specialize in complex evaluations involving three-year degrees and work experience evaluations.
If you need your academic credentials re-evaluated for visa application or transfer, visit CCI at www.thedegreepeople.com. Even if you receive a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Denial from the USCIS, their team of experts and professional evaluators is willing to examine your documents without charge to see if they can help. For more information, call their toll-free assistance line at 1-800-771-4723 today.

Choosing a good attorney and a reputable credential evaluation service may be the difference between acceptance and denial of your H1B visa application. Rely on experts you know you can trust. CCI’s credential evaluations have an approval rate of greater than 90 percent. Can you really afford not to choose them?

For Two Years the H1b Visa Cap filled on April 1, the day it opened with triple the applications as spots open. This year the cap remains unfilled.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 10, 2009 ) H1B Visas, Foreign Credential Evaluations Still Available: April 10, 2009

The USCIS has just released a statement that the H1B Visa caps for Fiscal Year 2010 have not yet been filled. This means that anyone with the needed foreign academic credentials who has their paperwork submitted before the cap is filled may still receive an H1B visa this year!

Each year, the USCIS offers 65,000 H1B Visas to foreign professionals holding at least a Bachelor’s Degree. In addition, the agency reserves 20,000 H1B Visas for professionals whose academic credentials are at least equal to a U.S. Master’s Degree. In recent years, these visas have been quickly issued to workers eager to work in the United States. Most are sponsored by large companies.

Not surprisingly, the visa cap has been slower to fill this year because of the U.S. economic recession. Businesses have been slower to hire workers with foreign degrees because of the country’s high unemployment rates.
Despite this, however, certain positions require academic credentials that U.S. workers just don’t have. If professionals from other countries aren’t hired to meet these demands, the jobs are not filled. H1B visas don’t take jobs away from American citizens. Instead, they are used to help companies fill needed positions when no workers from this country are available to be hired.

Executive Director Sheila Danzig of Career Consulting International (CCI), a prominent foreign credential evaluation service, reports that this year’s visa season has been somewhat slower than anticipated. “We are still receiving plenty of applications for foreign degree evaluations, but large companies are not processing as many H1B visas as they have in previous years. To some extent this maybe a result of the government cracking down on fraud in the system.”

As a result, the professionals at CCI are still ready to respond to urgent requests for foreign credential evaluations. To get more information about whether your academic credentials meet U.S. requirements, visit
www.thedegreepeople.com, or call the toll-free number for customer support at 1-800-771-4723. Employers can also get more information about whether a prospective employee’s educational credentials will meet the USCIS requirements for an H1B visa.

To date, the USCIS has not released figures concerning the number of visas that are still available. The recent press release stated only that if enough petitions are received to fill meet the caps, that agency will release an advisory that the cap was met as of the date the maximum number of petitions are received.

Don’t make the mistake of delaying, however, or hoping that the USCIS caps will wait for your credentials evaluation to be completed. Get it done as quickly as possible so that the cap isn’t filled before your petition is submitted. No one who applies after the cap date will be approved, and no one knows when the cap date will occur. Don’t take a chance – start the academic credentials evaluation process as soon as possible. Today isn’t too late, but tomorrow may be!

Raising the H1b Cap will not take jobs from Americans, it will boost the economy according to two US Heritage Foundation Scholars.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 09, 2009 ) Raising the H1b Cap Will Boost the Economy.

Career Consulting International (CCI), a foreign credential evaluation agency, supports two US Heritage Foundation Scholars, Jena Baker McNeill and Diem Nguyenare, who are asking the Obama administration and Congress to increase the cap of H-1B work visas, stating that such a move would help stimulate economic growth and generate tax revenue.

“Raising the cap would not steal American jobs, as is being believed in a section in the US,” stated Sheila Danzig, Executive Director of CCI, www.TheDegreePeople.com.

Such a measure would, in fact, stimulate economic growth and generate the much needed tax revenue claim Baker McNeill and Nguven.

Career Consulting International www.thedegreepeople.com work with firms and H1b applicants to show how their academic credentials and foreign education are equivalent to US education and degrees.

This degree evaluation is required as part of their USCIS filing.

“Raising H-1B caps will provide businesses the professionals and skills they need to develop their business when ready,” wrote Baker McNeill and Nguyen.

Baker McNeill is a Policy Analyst for Homeland Security and Nguyen is a Research Assistant in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Centre for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

“Raise the cap back to 195,000 visas per year. Make the cap flexible. As the US economy fluctuates through its business cycles, the demand for H-1B visas will rise and fall. Congress should establish a quota that, if met, automatically increases for the next year. In addition, unused visas should be recaptured for the next fiscal year,” the two told Congress.

They claim that expanding the H-1B visa back to 195,000 would provide 2 billion dollars of tax revenue each year, a beneficial step in the direction of reducing fiscal deficit.

They also noted that H-1B workers are some of the brightest in the world and this will insure that they work in the US for American businesses which will only help the economy.