Foreign Academic Credentials: Are they Equal to U.S. Degrees?
degree equivalency
TheDegreePeople.com: What Canadians and Mexicans Need to Know About the TN Visa
TN visa has opened up the US border making it easy for certain non-US nationals to access US soil to do jobs or businesses. Although it is more difficult for Mexicans to get the visas than it is for Canadians it can be a worthwhile process. (EMAILWIRE.COM, February 15, 2010 ) Fort Lauderdale, FL The TN visa being well over a decade old – as it was created by virtue of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – still remains unclear to many people of which it was tailored for. What exactly is the TN visa? This category of visa was introduced as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Some people refer to it as a specific H1B visa as it is tailor made for certain nationals. With the TN status, Canadian and Mexican nationals are allowed within US borders temporarily for vocational and/or business purposes. The number of workers granted TN status is not subject to any control or regulation by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services but applicants are expected to meet a number of qualifications. For eligibility, you should currently be a citizen of Mexico or Canada. Permanent residents or landed immigrants awaiting these two nations’ citizenship do not qualify. Applicants should be willing to enter US borders on a temporary basis and for the duration necessary unless a petition for extension is made by the hiring company or by the applicant him or herself under instruction from the company. Prior to applying for a job in the US, the Canadian or Mexican needs to ensure that minimum qualifications for the profession are met. Ms. Sheila Danzig, director of a foreign degree evaluation agency, TheDegreePeople.com, strongly advocates that such individuals need a degree equivalence evaluation from reliable [foreign] credential evaluators,” she adds. These are just but a few of the requirements for eligibility for a TN Visa. For a more comprehensive list and access to credential evaluation services, visit Career Consulting International, www.TheDegreePeople.com or call 1-800-771-4723. TheDegreePeople.com is a foreign credential evaluaiton agency with recognition by the U.S. Department of Education as an education resource. While already in the US the Canadian and Mexican citizens may extend their visas for up to three years at a single petition. There is also no cumulative limit on time on the TN status. The only thing that should remain constant is your assurance that you are planning to be in the US only temporarily. Processing time for this visa varies because Canadians are exempt from having to attain the TN visa at their US consulate. It takes a longer time for Mexicans since they are not endowed this exemption and have to go through the US consulate office in Mexico to get the visa. The good thing about the TN visa is that you don’t have to incur any charges to process it (just like for the H1B) – your employer or sponsoring company is responsible for paying all filing, legal and any other fee required for your papers to be processed. The TN Visa has been responsible for increased trade and business partnerships.]]>
The Truth About the H1b Visa
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 aswww.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.]]>