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.

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.

If you are a Canadian or Mexican citizen, you may apply for a work visa in the United States under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). These visas are called TN visas, and are issued to people with professional qualifications who want to seek temporary work in the U.S. Citizens of Canada are granted TN-1 Visas, while Mexican citizens may qualify for TN-2 visas.

To obtain a TN visa, professionals must demonstrate that they have foreign degrees that are the U.S. equivalencies of a Bachelor Degree for most fields. In certain areas, such as computer science, an Associate Degree plus two years of work experience equivalency may be substituted for a four-year degree. The equivalency must be determined through the completion of a foreign education credentials evaluation completed by a foreign education credentials evaluation agency accepted or approved by the USCIS.

In addition to a foreign credentials evaluation that demonstrates adequate professional qualifications, however, the applicant has to provide strong documentation that he or she intends to remain in the United States only temporarily. That is because the USCIS presumes that any person who is a citizen of a foreign country who is entering the United States is doing so with the intent to remain there permanently. Although a person may express a possible future intent to immigrate, it must not be during the length of the TN visa.

People can offer many different types of evidence that they do not intend to immigrate permanently to the United States. Some examples of supporting evidence include the ownership of property in one’s country of citizenship or the presence of other family members who are not accompanying the professional to the United States. In addition, the request for a visa of less than 1 year’s duration is usually considered sufficient to indicate temporary, rather than permanent, employment in the U.S.

Interested professionals may apply for TN visas in a variety of professional occupations. Scientists, such as biologists or zoologists, as well as healthcare workers, including Registered Nurses or Physicians, are eligible to apply for TN visas. Individuals who hold foreign degrees in healthcare fields, however, must also possess documentation that they possess government-issued licenses to practice.

Furthermore, four types of workers – nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and medical technologists- must maintain a health care worker certification. This certification must demonstrate that the person’s education and licensure are comparable to the U.S. equivalencies required for that profession, and that the individual submitting the application speaks English to a competent level as determined by a standardized test.

If you are a Canadian or Mexican citizen seeking a TN visa, seek an experienced attorney who handles non-immigrant visa applications regularly. Get a foreign credentials education evaluation from a responsible, experienced agency. Last, make it clear to the immigration official that you understand that this is a temporary, rather than a permanent, work assignment.

Most people would argue that the might of the United States Armed Forces carries a worldwide impact, No government on the face of the planet, in fact, has ever tackled the entire might of the U.S. Military and emerged victorious. But Sheila Danzig, Executive Director of Career Consulting International (CCI), www.TheDegreePeople.com, doesn’t care.

In fact, Ms. Danzig has posed a challenge to every foreign-educated member of the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, and all active reservists within those branches. And the foreign education credential evaluators at CCI are daring service personnel to take Ms. Danzig at her word.

“I’m prepared to offer foreign degree evaluations free to 50 active military people each month.” When asked what she would do for the 51^st person, Ms. Danzig responds, “There won’t be 51. I don’t expect 50 military people who were educated outside the U.S. to come forward and take advantage of this offer every month.” She quickly adds, however, “The 51^st will be the first evaluation performed on the first day of the next month.”

Individuals who have attended high schools or universities outside the United States require foreign credential evaluations in order to demonstrate evidence of the U.S. equivalency of their foreign degrees or diplomas. People generally need these evaluations for further study at US universities, employment or for immigration purposes. These evaluation reports, however, can be costly, ranging from $70 to hundreds of dollars. This hasn’t deterred Sheila Danzig, however from offering them at no charge to our military.

“Our military goes unnoticed as they work to defend all of us,” Ms. Danzig states. CCI consultants agree. U.S. Military personnel, both domestic and abroad, offer their duty to their country unreservedly. Offering the services of that foreign education credential evaluation agency free of charge is one way Ms. Danzig can demonstrate her support, as well as those of her foreign credential evaluation agency.

CCI has agreed to continually update Armed Services personnel regarding how many soldiers respond to this challenge each month. When asked whether she’s met her match in issuing this challenge to the entire United States Military, Sheila Danzig just laughs. “I’m from Brooklyn,” she says. “I am up for the task!”

For more information about foreign credential evaluation agencies, visit www.thedegreepeople.com/ The agency  specializes in difficult cases such as those that have received RFE’s or Denials from USCIS.  However they are happy to do simple evaluations as well.

For a free consultation and to learn whether your foreign diploma is the educational equivalency of a degree at a US accredited college or university: