There are many misconceptions about the H1b Visa. People tend to confuse these legitimate workers with the undocumented workers (often referred to as illegals). They are very different.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 17, 2009 )
It is a requirement for the US Citizen and Immigration Service that every foreign national to obtain a visa to legally work in the US borders. The H1B Visa is the most sought after official visa by people from all over the world wishing to temporarily relocate to live and work in the US – both professionals and students. This visa usually has a 6-year validity period and allows people to be employed by different employers.

This ‘dream come true visa’ as seen by many seeking after it, was introduced by the United States Government to help the International Students as well as International Professionals, from all niches in the globe, secure an opportunity to live and at the same time work within the US borders.

The greatest advantage of bearing this visa is that it bears dual intent meaning that you can still have it, apply and wait for a Green Card for permanent residency.

To secure this visa, you have to find a H1B Sponsorship Job. After evaluation of foreign educational credentials by a foreign credential evaluation firm such as www.TheDegreePeople.com, your prospective employer files your H1B visa application with the Immigration Bureau. This means that individuals cannot apply for this visa, it remains at the discretion of the Sponsoring Company or Employer. In other words you must have a sponsor and only the sponsor applies.

To qualify for this visa, you have to have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree equivalency (from your country) or 12 years professional experience in your field. Another alternative is a hybrid of the two which entail a mix of higher education such as diploma equivalency mixing education and work experience. For example if you can combine two years of university level education with 6 years professional experience in the field to show an equivalency to a US bachelor’s degree. This can only be done by a credential evaluation agency with a professor with the proper credentials. Sheila Danzig, Executive Director of Career Consulting International a foreign credential evaluation agency stated, “It is very important to know that your education or education and work experience combination match the job offer. We often see people whose education does not match the job description and that simply won’t be approved by the Immigration Service.”

The ‘specialty occupations’ that make people qualify for the visa include: Accounting, Advertising, Banking, Business, Computing, Engineering (all types), Finance, HealthCare/Medical, IT, Lawyers, Legal, Management and Hospitality, Marketing, Networking, PR, Recruiting, Teaching and Telecoms among others.

Various reasons encourage Sponsoring companies or Employers to hire foreign national and seek H1B visas for them. These reasons include:
• These workers help in boosting the US economy in diverse ways while bettering their future.
• Help fill gaping holes in employment where there are shortages of highly skilled professionals in the field. Even now, during a recession, certain jobs need workers who of higher skill than are in our workforce.
• They possess global competitive advantage by bringing cultural diversity into the workplaces.
• They have strong work ethics as well as a great enthusiasm to work.

For students who qualify for these visas, transcript evaluation has to be performed so as to ensure that they are qualified students seeking further education (Diplomas, Bachelors or Masters) as they seek a livelihood while working at the same time.

Getting a Green Card can be very difficult these days but the green card lottery offers hope for many. Learn how to get one here.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 16, 2009 ) A Green Card is an official card issued by the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) granting foreign nationals permanent residency in the US. Form I-551 as it is officially referred to, allows the holder to live, work and study in the US. This makes it superior to H1B visa or any other visa available.

Basically, there are four sure ways to obtaining Green Card. They include:
• Green Card Employment & Sponsorship.
This way of securing a Green Card has very many advantages embedded in it. They include:
• Your sponsor or employer in most cases is responsible for all application costs. The Employer or the company is then liable to pay for your relocation costs as well.
• You do not have to undergo education evaluation since a college degree is not a requirement for qualifying for a green card.
• For an employer or sponsor to file your Green Card supplication, you mustn’t be currently in the US borders.
• You get a job waiting for you and a Green card simultaneously.

• Winning a Green card in the Lottery
There usually is an annual green card lottery which is referred to as the DV (Diversity Visa) Lottery.  It avails 50,000 permanent visas to random people across the globe. The program gets its mandate from Section 203(c) of 1990’s US Immigration Act. It is an easy process to apply and is rarely subject to any credential evaluation.
• Green Card through a US Citizen Family Member
For eligibility in this criterion, you must have immediate family currently in possession of a green card or is a US Citizen. For this (securing a Green Card on the basis of a relative being a US citizen), you have to undergo a rigorous, multi-faceted process. Your relative (sponsor) abroad has to undergo evaluation services e.g. Prove your relationship, prove support for you at 125% above poverty line et cetera.
• Green Card Via Marriage
By Marrying a US Citizen, you earn your citizenship. When the process is filed abroad (outside US) it takes a shorter duration of time usually within 6-8 months, to acquire the Green Card. While filed within the US, the individual applying, may work and live in the US immediately after filing but the process will take 12-18 months to actually secure the Green Card.
This process is not subject to any documentation by the credential evaluators.

Winning a Green Card rarely requires a credential evaluation. “We had one case of a Lottery Winner that needed an evaluations,” said Sheila Danzig, Executive Director of Career Consulting International, www.TheDegreePeople.com. “It was an unusual case and he had to show equivalence to a US High School diploma.”

There is no legal requirement to hire an immigration lawyer so why not do it yourself and save their fees? Or is it true that a man who represents himself has a fool for a lawyer? Learn the truth here.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 15, 2009 ) Very few U.S. citizens (let alone aliens) understand how the U.S Immigration system works since it has very many laws and regulations from the various government agencies and their application in practice is taxing, as well as it is highly fact-intensive and vary from one person’s need to another. This deems it necessary to employ credential evaluation services from a foreign credential evaluation agency such as www.TheDegreePeople.com Contrary to what many believe to be ‘form filling and that’s it’, The U.S Immigration laws are complex and change from often.

Abe Lincoln is famous for his quotes among other things. He once came up with an adage stating that a man who represents himself in a legal proceeding, has a fool for a lawyer. People who file their own application make very costly mistakes which not only are cost intensive but, time consuming as well as have high chances in jeopardizing their chances of remaining in the U.S. legally.

Immigration Attorneys while building up your case may be able to assess your academic credentials in a bid to use education as a basis for your deserved stay in U.S. legally. The USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service), the USDS (United States Department of States), as well as the Unites States Department of Labor, openly do not assume responsibility for educating possible prospective immigrants. Such agencies believe that their obligation is enforcing that they laid out regulations are adhered to the nitty gritty detail. Just to show how serious they are they claim to check applications thoroughly to the extent of confirming “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.” This means that for eligibility the people have to get professional foreign credential evaluation to know whether they may be able to qualify for the various visas which are offered.

As simple as immigration issues may see they more often than not become mired in agency interpretations and regulations, and become problematic in the long-run. Immigration lawyers can demystify the situation and provide you with options to help you effectively and efficiently file a custom made document to suit each and every need that you may have. Owing to the wealth of experience these Attorneys have, they will be able to predict problems that may arise in the proceeding and have a way worked out to pull their clients off the hook since they serve as excellent credential evaluators. This is because they have to know any relevant information about their clients to help them win back legal status.
As costly as it may be to employ immigration attorneys, they are a sure way to deal with your case in a more timely manner since they have interpretation of the substantive law at their finger-tips hence guaranteeing positive results – a legal status in the U.S.

Students with foreign degrees interested in higher education need evaluations to determine the U.S. equivalency of course work and grades. Colleges require these evaluations to transfer credits and establish a grade point average.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 11, 2009 ) June 11, 2009, Washington DC

If you earned your Bachelor Degree outside the U.S., you will almost certainly need a foreign credential evaluation of your degree if you want to attend graduate school in the United States. This academic credential evaluation will help to demonstrate that your education qualifies you to enter a U.S. Master’s Degree program.

Students who are planning to use their foreign credential evaluations for educational purposes almost always need a course by course evaluation. In most instances, the college or university will want to examine the course work to assure that the student has had the necessary undergraduate classes to succeed in a graduate degree program.
The course by course evaluation will also show the number of credit hours to which each course is equal. This can be a very important factor in establishing that a student does indeed have a major in the required academic field. A typical U.S. Bachelor’s Degree has an average of 120 credits, so academic degrees with fewer credits than this are usually not recognized as equivalent.

The evaluator completing a course by course evaluation also assigns a U.S. grade to each graded course. This can sometimes be a complex process, because different countries have different grading systems. Certain countries, including Brazil, Canada, and the nations which formerly comprised the U.S.S.R., may even use more than one grading scale.
Therefore, if you are planning to order a course by course evaluation, it is sometimes handy to include a grading scale from your university. This is especially true if your school’s grading school differs from the standard national scale.

Evaluators also calculate an overall grade point average for the student’s degree. A grade point average may not seem very relevant to students who completed their education outside the U.S. Those students who are familiar with U.S. grade point averages, however, are aware that most colleges and universities require a certain grade point average in order to be accepted into an educational program or earn one’s degree.
If you have special requirements for a course by course evaluation, notify the evaluator with your request before you order the evaluation. He or she may or may not be able to accommodate your needs, and it’s better to find out before you order. Most of the time, Sheila Danzig the Executive Director at Career Consulting International will make every effort to help you if she can. If you need a specialized foreign credential evaluation, visit www.thedegreepeople.com, and discuss your needs with their team of experts.

Some foreign degrees are equivalent to U.S. education, while others are not recognized as accredited education in the United States. Pre-evaluation services, such as those offered by CCI, can help people to determine whether their education is accredited

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 10, 2009 ) June 10, 2009 Fort Lauderdale, FL

If you earned your degree in a foreign country, you know what your degree meant in that nation. When you decide to work or go to school in the United States, you hope that your degree is at least as valuable as it was in your home country. Unless you have your academic credentials evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation service, though, you can’t know for sure whether your foreign degree is equivalent to a U.S. degree.
Some countries have different requirements for high school graduation than the U.S. does. In addition, these countries often have differing levels of high school diplomas. Some people may receive vocational diplomas, which would not entitle them to enter college in their home country. In this case, a person may or may not have the U.S. equivalence of a high school diploma. Generally, however, if the high school diploma issued permits an individual to attend university in his or her home country, this is recognized as equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma.

In contrast, some countries may have requirements for high school graduation that exceed those of U.S. high school graduation. In these nations, students may be required to take a thirteenth year of secondary school, or take ‘A’ level exams. This extra year of secondary school often qualifies as one year of undergraduate education.

Often, in these situations, a student is required to complete only three more years of education in order to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree. Demonstrating a U.S. Bachelor Degree equivalency for these students is a relatively straightforward process.

In some countries, such as India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, however, a student attends elementary and secondary school for a total of twelve years. Bachelor Degrees from these countries may consist of a two- or three-year degree program. A two-year degree is usually evaluated as the educational equivalent of a U.S. Associate Degree.

Sometimes, the three-year degree can be shown, through an extensive research process, to be equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor Degree. Credential evaluation services such as Career Consulting International (CCI), which specializes in evaluating three-year degrees, have extensive research files and databases that allow them to demonstrate this equivalency.

Sheila Danzig, Executive Director at CCI are also aware that many people want to get an idea of what their degree is worth in terms of educational credentials before spending the money on a full educational evaluation. Therefore, they offer pre-evaluation services for a small fee. This service allows an individual to know whether his or her degree is recognized as accredited education, as well as to what level of U.S. education his or her degree is equal. For more information about pre-evaluations, visit www.applypay2.com or call 1-800-771-4723.

If your employer has requested that you obtain a foreign credentials evaluations, ask for a summarization of his or her requirements. This will help you determine what type of evaluation to order so that you can show whether your foreign degree is the U.S

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 09, 2009 ) June 9, 2009 Sunrise, FL

Were you surprised when you went to apply for a job and the organization to which you applied told you that you would need to have your academic credentials evaluated before you could be considered for hire?

If you didn’t know that you needed a foreign credentials evaluation in order to apply for a job in the United States, you aren’t alone. While not all employers require foreign degree evaluations, many larger companies do, especially when the available position is one that requires a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. Why? Because the wide variety of higher education programs offered in the United States and abroad make it difficult for most employers and universities to look at a degree and determine the U.S. equivalency of the education it represents.

One problem that many companies have encountered in the past is unaccredited education. This may be because a college degree program is not recognized as accredited in the institution’s country. Occasionally, someone will attempt to pass a fake degree off as a real degree. For this reason, employers don’t want to take chances with their organization’s reputation.

Another reason that your prospective employer may request an academic credentials evaluation is that your degree may be a different number of years or require a different number of credit hours than a U.S. degree. Most employers are aware that a difference exists between U.S. degrees and foreign degrees, and so prefer to have foreign credentials evaluated by experts skilled in the interpretation of these degrees.

In certain situations, the organization may require educational qualifications in a certain specialty area or field of academic study. For example, a certain number of credits in accounting may be required to demonstrate that a person has sufficient education to meet the requirements of the job for which he or she is applying.

Sometimes, an employer may request that you have your degree evaluated by a specific credential evaluation service. This may be an agency with whom the employer has worked in the past. Generally, however, any credential evaluation service whose evaluations are accepted by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or for government employment, can offer an accurate evaluation of your educational credentials.

This is because most credential evaluation services, such as Career Consulting International (CCI), have extensive expertise in the evaluation of foreign academic credentials. This expertise involves years of training, extensive research databases, and files of information about university degree programs and educational organizations worldwide.
For more information about degree evaluations, or to determine the U.S. equivalency of your degree, visit www.thedegreepeople.com or call 1-800-771-4723. Don’t risk being employed in a job below your education credentials; make sure you get full credit for your hard-earned education today!

Academic credential evaluations for immigration visas such as I-140 or H1B visas often differ greatly from educational evaluations used for employment or education. Learn more about the types of foreign credential evaluations and decide which one will help

(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 08, 2009 ) June 8, 2009, Fort Lauderdale, FL

If you’ve earned a degree or high school diploma in another country, you will probably need an academic credentials evaluation to show that your degree is equivalent to a U.S. Degree. Most foreign credential evaluation agencies offer a variety of different types of educational evaluations. If you’re having difficulty deciding what type of evaluation you need, this information may help you to make a better choice.

Will you be using your evaluation for immigration, for education, for employment, or for a combination of these purposes? Employment requirements are often much different from immigration requirements, so knowing how you’re planning to use the evaluation will be very important to the person evaluating your education credentials. Make certain to tell the agency how you’re planning to use the evaluation; a good consulting service will be able to tell you exactly what type of evaluation you will need and what documents you will need to provide.

Most employers only require a document evaluation, which simply states that your degree is equivalent to a U.S. degree in the same field. If you need to show that you have specific course work in a certain area, though, or if your employer requires you to show that you earned a certain grade in these courses, you will need a course-by-course evaluation.

If you’re using the evaluation for immigration purposes, tell the agency for which type of immigration visa you’re applying. Different visas have different requirements. For example, H1B visas allow workers to combine educational degrees. This combination, however, must equal four years of postsecondary education. If a person’s degree is only three years in duration, he or she must show three years of work experience to qualify for the H1B visa.

In contrast, however, an individual applying for an I-140 Visa, or permanent residency visa (sometimes known as a “green card”), must show what is called a “single source degree.” This means that a person must demonstrate his or her Bachelor Degree to be the U.S. equivalency of a four-year degree, without combining this Bachelor Degree with any other education. Some credential evaluation services offer evaluations of three-year degrees. However, they may or may not have extensive expertise in showing this equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor Degree.

Certain agencies, such as Career Consulting International (sometimes referred to as The Degree People, or CCI), specialize in showing three-year degrees equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor Degree. Executive Director Sheila Danzig often works extensively with people who have previously had requests for evidence (RFEs) or denials from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For more information about three-year degree equivalencies, visit www.thedegreepeople.com or call 1-800-771-4723.