Foreign high school graduates can meet US college and university admissions if they know the basics of foreign credential evaluations.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 05, 2009 ) Fort Lauderdale, FL – Time and again, people who apply for foreign credential evaluations for Bachelor or Master Degrees do not realize that there is a huge difference between the Advanced and Ordinary Level secondary exams. Actually, in a lot of countries, Advanced Level exams are equivalent to an additional year of college education.

Countries for instance Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ghana, Sri Lanka, France, and several others provide students ordinary level exams that are equal to high school graduation of US. These countries, on the other hand, offer A Level exams as well, which is equal to one year of undergraduate studies. Due to this, they can easily show their three-year Bachelor Degrees to be equivalent to US Bachelor Degree, for the purposes of both education and the H1B visa.

However, other countries counting those in West Africa (including Cameroon, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone) offer ordinary and advanced level exams together. For a lot of these students, though, the completing the A level exams is equal merely to graduation from high school and not an undergraduate year of college.

A number of people do not understand the difference; however, a lot of other people automatically think that these differences will be taken into account by the credential evaluation service devoid of having evidence of the completion of these examinations. But, according to Sheila Danzig, executive director of Career Consulting International, this is not the case. The applicants will not get the credit for this education unless they send the results of these exams.

So if you studied your high school in a foreign country, and you are ready to apply for evaluation of academic credentials, send your high school diploma with your results of ordinary and advanced level exam. This will facilitate you obtain the highest educational equivalency that your academic credentials are worthy of.

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.”

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?

It’s no secret that the <abbr title=”United States”>U.S.</abbr> economy is in a recession, or that that recession has affected financial markets worldwide. This in turn has seriously affected the number of people seeking <strong>foreign degree evaluations</strong>. More and more people are trying to ensure their job security or explore new employment options after cutbacks and mergers have left many without positions.

People with <strong>foreign education credentials</strong>, including foreign degrees from college or high school, are usually required to prove the U.S. equivalency of their degrees to potential employers in the United States. This is also true for people seeking work or employment-based (<strong>EB visas</strong>), as well as for those persons who want to go back to college to earn an advanced degree.

Additionally, the rate at which H1-B visa numbers are filled this year may be affected by the current economic state. Many companies are extremely dependent on the use of temporary foreign workers to meet their labor needs. Because <em>H1-B visas</em> are issued on a first-come, first-serve basis to qualified applicants with sponsors, it is possible that those companies most depended on this source of labor may decide to start filing as soon as possible.

There has been discussion of increasing the cap on the number of H1-B visas issued. Moreover, persons such as Janet Napolitano, whom President Obama has nominated for a cabinet post, are in favor of increasing the number of H1-B visas offered each year. Due to the recession, however, proposals such as these may face a lot of resistance as Americans increasingly protest the presence of <em>foreign workers</em> when <abbr title=”United States”>U.S.</abbr> jobs are in short supply and high demand.

These protestors, though, need to remember that employment-based visas such as the <em>EB visas</em> and H1-B visas are offered to foreign workers who fill American jobs that cannot be filled by <abbr title=”United States”>U.S.</abbr> workers. These people either have specialized education or experience that <abbr title=”United States”>U.S.</abbr> employers require and cannot find in this country. American workers are not in fact being denied jobs because of these <em>non-immigration visas</em>; they lack the qualifications to fill these jobs.

It’s impossible to predict what will happen as President Obama takes office and begins to enact his planned policies. The effect of these policies on EB and H1-B visas remains to be seen. Hopefully, he will introduce policies that increase the availability of <abbr title=”United States”>U.S.</abbr> jobs, while maximizing the availability of temporary employment to American companies. The citizens of this country are waiting anxiously to see what will happen.

Is your company getting ready for the annual H1B visa race? Are you hoping to process enough visas to meet personnel needs? Or are you one of the professionals waiting to see whether the <abbr title=”United States Citizenship and Immigration Services”>USCIS</abbr> will allow you to enter the U.S. on a temporary work visa? How will President-Elect Barack Obama’s advisors impact the cap for these work visas? What kind of visa reforms will take place?

Meet Department of Homeland Security nominee Janet Napolitano. Her confirmation hearing will be overseen by Senator Joseph Lieberman, a sometime friend and sometime foe of the H1B Visa Program and its reform. While both Ms. Napolitano and Mr. Lieberman have strongly pushed for an increase in the number of <em>H1B visas</em> issued each year, Mr. Lieberman is also a strong supporter of visa reform.

Ms. Napolitano’s push for increasing the cap on the number of visas issued each year is based on her argument that the United States lacks skilled workers to fill the technology needs experienced by American companies. Although she couldn’t change the cap (this is controlled by Congress, and is currently set at 85,000), she could push to streamline the process, making the application much easier for persons with foreign degrees.

Another possible outcome of Napolitano’s nomination as Director of Homeland Security is that students who earn <abbr title=”United States”>U.S.</abbr> Degrees would have no difficulty obtaining an H1B visa after passing a background check. In fact, she advocates attaching a green card to these students’ diplomas! She believes that this solution would help to keep technology workers, as well as the resultant innovations in design and technology, within the United States.

In order to successfully promote her program, however, Ms. Napolitano will probably be forced to address the many abuses that have become a part of the H1B program. In reviewing several applications over the last two years, <abbr title=”United States Citizenship and Immigration Services”>USCIS</abbr> officials found that more than one-fifth of these applications violated federal rules and regulations. Further, they noted certain trends with regard to these violations.

First, some <strong>foreign degree evaluations</strong>, which are required for persons seeking <strong>H1B visas</strong>, reference fake diplomas or universities. Some applications contain forged signatures, while some applications were processed for shell companies. In addition, some companies hired workers to perform job duties not listed on the labor certificate.

<a href=”http://www.thedegreepeople.com”>Career Consulting International</a> is a <em>foreign education credential evaluation</em> agency whose experts take care to ensure that their foreign degree evaluations meet <abbr title=”United States Citizenship and Immigration Services”>USCIS</abbr> requirements. By keeping the agency’s standards high, executive director Sheila Danzig ensures the agency’s excellent reputation among immigration attorneys, <abbr title=”United States Citizenship and Immigration Services”>USCIS</abbr> officials, and business corporations. She is currently preparing for another booming H1B season rush.