American universities are among the best in the world. Some of the best and brightest young students worldwide apply to universities such as Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Duke, and Yale. They come to the United States, looking for an advanced education in science or mathematics or other professions. They get it, and then they are unable to get permanent resident visas. So they take their skills and education back home, where countries such as China, India, or economically developing countries welcome them with open arms.

Why are these immigrant visas being denied? Tighter regulations imposed by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) are causing many people to have permanent visas denied after the completion of their college educations. Others are finding such tight restrictions placed on the immigration of their spouses that they choose instead to immigrate to another country or return to their homeland to offer their skills to that national government instead.

What does this mean for the future of the United States with regard to technology and economics? As the country’s best universities educate the best and brightest students, those foreign students who are currently residing in America are being offered little or no incentive to remain. Unfortunately, the end result is that the United States “exports” some of the best products of its university education.

The skills of those who leave are offered, and logically so, to the countries that welcome them. As a result, however, American technology, science, and computer engineering fields have begun to lag somewhat. People no longer turn to the United States as the first authority on technology. The final outcome of this vicious cycle, however, is only beginning to be felt: As the students leave, the future professors of America’s most prestigious universities also leave.

One way to fight this current of change is to find ways to help students obtain foreign credential evaluations that will help them to remain in the United States. The H1-B visa and the I-140 are two means of accomplishing this, but the requirements can be very stringent. Sometimes, graduating students are encouraged to remain, but their spouses still living overseas are denied immigration visas because their foreign degree evaluations do not demonstrate the required academic credentials.

Some of these spouses or significant others have degrees that can be, through a foreign degree evaluation, be demonstrated as the U.S. equivalency to a Bachelor’s Degree or even a higher degree. In these situations, however, the applicant must be knowledgeable about the immigrations process, or find a good attorney in the United States who is willing to represent them and help them to accomplish this crucial step.

While many agencies are available to help, few are knowledgeable about the finer points of translating international credentials into their US equivalencies. For this reason, many deserving immigrants who have foreign diplomas are denied visas. Only a few continue to work hard for their clients and ensure that they remain updated on the latest immigration visa laws and foreign degree requirements. One foreign credential evaluation agency that continues to put its clients first is Career Consulting International.

Hopefully, at some point in the near future, the problem can be solved through processes such as increasing the number of immigration visas granted each year. Alternatively, perhaps special leniency should be given for visa requirements for spouses or significant others who have not yet entered the United States. For now, though, the only solution that is easily visible is to swim against the tide of emigration – one visa application and one foreign credential evaluation at a time.

Many students with foreign diplomas apply for visas to study graduate degrees in the United States. They obtain foreign credential evaluation from agencies such as Career Consulting International, and enroll in the university or college with students visas. Most students who attend American institutions with these temporary visas are listed in the Student Exchange and Visitor Program database.

In cases concerning these students, U.S. colleges and universities are required to report whether students remain enrolled in school. Furthermore, their academic credentials – especially their grade point averages (GPAs) are closely monitored through this database. Schools who fail to disclose this data violate the regulations established by the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS.

But what about students who attempt to enroll in college degree programs without obtaining the proper visa? First, universities are not required to decide whether a student has entered the United States with a documented visa status. Furthermore, school officials are not required to report to the Department of Homeland Security if they become aware that one of their students does not have a documented immigration visa.

In fact, the student has primary responsibility for maintaining good standing with the U.S. government. If the individual remains in the United States and attempts to enter school without the proper legal status, he or she faces the risk of being removed from the country. Usually, individuals who are removed from the country under such circumstances are barred from ever returning to the U.S. again.

This permanent threat against re-entry into the United States emphasizes the importance for foreign students of adhering to proper procedures for obtaining an immigrant visa before beginning a college degree program in the U.S. While this can be a complicated process, the alternative is certainly worse. Furthermore, many foreign credential evaluation agencies and immigration attorneys are available to help make the transition less painful.

Tne of the most important steps a student can take in beginning the immigration visa process is to contact a reputable foreign credential evaluation agency, such as Career Consulting International. Such agencies are able to provide evaluation reports documenting a student’s current level of education, as well as the U.S. equivalency for the foreign degree or diploma held by the student. This will frequently allow the student to avoid repeating a number of classes.

Many people do not realize that the majority of American colleges and universities consider even high school diplomas issued in other countries as foreign academic credentials that need to be evaluated. Although a large percentage of foreign countries have standards for secondary education that meet or exceed those of the U.S., some countries do not. Furthermore, some countries offer different levels of high school diplomas, and only students holding certain kinds of diplomas will allow them entry into university.

If you are considering attending university in the United States, take the proper steps to have your international credentials evaluated. Follow the requirements and obtain an immigrant visa and maintain a documented status within the country. If you choose not to do this, you might just be fortunate enough to graduate from college and achieve your career goals. But then again, you might not. Is it really worth the risk?

Last year, in June 2007, the American Immigration Law Association (AILA) held their annual conference in Orlando, Florida. During this conference, the audience was warned that all 3-year degrees have a high risk of being denied. The MATTER OF SHAH  is now being used to question degrees worldwide, rather than primarily for degrees from Indian universities. These degrees are, in fact, being denied much more frequently, and evaluators have been warned that, in all probability, this trend will only continue.

What can we do to help students with 3-year degrees resolve this dilemma?

1. Recently, Ron Wada advised: “This is one situation where the service centers’ case by case policy can work in your favor, because that cuts both ways. They still leave the door open to say, “If you can show us that your three year degree is equivalent to a US 4 year bachelor degree then we will approve your case. But the burden of proof is on you. Alright, so one can visualize that it is possible to do this … ”  Furthermore, concerning the evaluation process itself, Wada stated, “I would like to say one thing here, for the future, the way I see the future of credential evaluations, we have to get smarter. We cannot assume that what we’ve used in the past, the cookie cutter, on the cheap, credential evaluation is going to fly. If you have a case that solidly meets the requirements you don’t even need a credential evaluation and it is not useful in that situation. When you need it is when you’ve got facts that aren’t clearly approvable and you need a credential evaluation to back that up. You are going to need a credential evaluation that does something for you, that gives analysis, that provides back up documentation. It cannot be the simple evaluation you’re used to getting.”

At both the 2006 and 2007 AILA conferences with USCIS, this issue was discussed.

USCIS offered this response to a question that arose during the April 19, 2006 AILA liaison’s visit with I-140 product line manager supervisors:

“We are aware that some countries (i.e., many European countries) have educational systems that have the equivalent of 13 years education prior to university, and that education plus a three-year university degree is the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in the U.S. However, many other countries’ educational systems have only 12 years of education prior to university, and then only three years of university coursework. With respect to such degree, we need evidence that the beneficiary has the equivalent of the required degree…A simple credential evaluation stating that the degree is equivalent may not be sufficient. It should be supported by a detailed explanation of how that conclusion was made and the transcripts of the beneficiary’s schooling to support the explanation and to document where the evaluator found the coursework equating a four-year degree.”

Furthermore, during this session, the USCIS admitted that a Bachelor Degree awarded to a student who graduates from a 12+3 educational system, such as the one found in India, may be considered to be the U.S. equivalency of a four-year bachelor degree if the recipient can document that the coursework involved is equivalent to that found in a four-year degree program. We offer, in this expert opinion, a detailed explanation that utilizes comprehensive evidence concluding that, based on a comparison of coursework, the Indian 3-year degree is the US equivalency of a 4-year bachelor degree program.

Again, as stated in the April 2007 NSC Liaison Spring Meeting:

“2. We understand that NSC reviews a beneficiary’s educational qualifications on a case by case basis, and considers credential evaluations to be purely advisory in nature. The “case by case” policy makes it difficult for petitioners to understand what documentation is needed to support their case. One member reports receiving multiple RFEs requesting documentation of the “length and complexity” of the academic program; but this type of request in an RFE still does not provide the guidance needed to prepare a response. For the situations listed in Question 1 where documentation beyond the official academic record is needed to establish either bachelor’s degree or master’s degree equivalency, it would be helpful if NSC could provide some basic guidance concerning the minimum content of the supplementary documentation that would be needed to establish foreign degree equivalency with U.S. degrees. For example, for EB2 cases involving beneficiaries with an Indian 3 year bachelor’s degree followed by a 2 year master’s degree, we understand that NSC has approved I-140s where the petitioner has submitted either:

1. Examples of comparable U.S. master’s degree programs requiring only one year to complete (indicating that a total of 5 years of undergraduate and graduate level education is sufficient); or
2. Credential evaluations that provide a detailed comparison of credit hours completed by the beneficiary for the 3 year bachelor’s degree program with credit hours required by comparable U.S. bachelor’s programs.

Please confirm whether either or both of these types of documentation can establish equivalency in situations where NSC requires supplementary evidence of degree equivalency.

Answer: In most situations, either of these instances would allow USCIS to determine in facor of educational equivalency. The petition filed must include adequate documentation to establish that the beneficiary is indeed meets the qualification requirements specified in the labor certification. If the requirement of a master’s degree is specified, the petitioner must be able to offer enough documentary evidence that the beneficiary’s education is the functional equivalent of a US master’s degree in the required field.

CCI will review all RFEs and Denials that are based on foreign education credential evaluations wtihout charge. We do this in order to assist clients, as well as their attorneys and employers. Call Toll-Free: 1.800.771.4723 for details.

Sheila Danzig is the executive director of Career Consulting International, a foreign credential evaluation agency that specializes in USCIS education-related RFE’s and Denials. Ms. Danzig is the co-author of an article that offers an in-depth examination of Indian 3-year degrees.