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5 Helpful Tips for Finding a Reliable Credential Evaluator

  • Easy to reach
  • If an agency fails to answer or return your calls, texts, and emails, look elsewhere. Reliable agencies are not only reliable in their expertise, but also in you being able to work with them. If you can’t even rely on an agency to answer your call, you can’t rely on them to write a credible evaluation. Look elsewhere. A reliable agency will be easy to reach in any medium you choose – call, text, or email – any time of the day or night. This is because a good agency understands the time crunch you are under, and that the line of work you are both in is inconvenient in its nature. You work odd hours for your clients and employees in the H1b petition process, and if an agency is reliable, they will too.
    1. Affordable
    This is NOT one of those instances where the more you pay the more you get. A higher price is NOT indicative of a higher quality credential evaluation. Reliable credential evaluation agencies are low-cost because they understand the realities of their clients, and they don’t have to make the most financial mileage out of each customer. Look for an affordable, low-cost agency to work with.
    1. Comfortable to talk to
    Go with your gut. If you don’t feel comfortable in your communication with them, look elsewhere. When you feel comfortable on the phone with an agency, that means they are confident and knowledgeable in what they do. They answer your questions in ways that make you feel safe and satisfied. They are able to meet you where you are and work together with you. Look for an agency that you can have a good, helpful conversation with.
    1. Available
    A reliable agency will make it easy for you to work with them. That means they will have a variety of rush delivery options depending on your needs. They will always be there to answer your questions and address your concerns. If an agency does not offer options or guarantee their follow-through, look elsewhere. A reliable agency will be able to meet the needs of you and your client or employee because they understand the extent of what needs to be done to successfully file an H1b petition.
    1. Great references and testimonials from past clients
    You should be able to easily find references and testimonials from people who have worked with the evaluation agency in the past. Ask if they can provide you with contact information from past clients, and if they cannot do so swiftly, look elsewhere. NEVER order an evaluation from ANY agency without first reading testimonials from past clients. No matter how good an agency looks on their website, on paper, or from what they have to say about themselves, the only way you can be sure they will be reliable for your and your client or employee is by checking into whether or not they have been consistently reliable in practice. Reliable credential evaluation agencies have international education professors and experts on call to write detailed evaluations any time. Find an agency with the authority to convert years of work experience and college classroom contact hours into college credit. These experts and professors are authorized to take a close and thorough look at your client or employee’s education and work experience to get an accurate measure of the value of their specialized skills and knowledge. Sheila Danzig is the director of Career Consulting International at www.TheDegreePeople.com, a foreign credential evaluation agency. They specialize in difficult cases and RFEs, Denials, NOIDs, 3-year degrees, etc. and offer a free review of all H1B, E2, and I140 education at http://www.ccifree.com/.]]>

    Case Study: A 3-Year Degree with an RFE: Approved

    U.S. equivalency of a Master’s Degree. The USCIS issued an RFE, stating that the client’s Bachelor’s Degree was not the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor’s Degree, and that therefore his Master’s Degree also could not be equivalent. The client applied to us for a foreign education credentials evaluation, and we issued an evaluation report, together with adequate evidence, to demonstrate clearly that his Bachelor Degree was indeed the U.S. equivalency to a Bachelor Degree, and that therefore his Master’s Degree was equal to a U.S.Master Degree. He submitted the educational evaluation together with the evidence, and received approval for his labor certificate only a few weeks later]]>

    Case Study: 3-Year Indian Degree receives I-140 Approval

    3-year degree university in India, after completing a year of higher secondary school, which is equivalent to one year of postsecondary education. After completing this degree program, he went on to attend a 2-year Master Degree Program in that country. Recently, we received notice that his I-140 had received approval, just a month after we had completed his educational evaluation. We were able successfully to demonstrate that a 3-Year Indian Degree is the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor Degree, and that the client indeed had the U.S. equivalency of a Master’s Degree. The USCIS issued strict requirements governing the acceptance of a 3-year degree as equivalent to a Bachelor Degree in the United States. Many foreign education credentials evaluation agencies have had limited success with I-140 approval in these cases. We have received a number of clients from these agencies who have had RFEs or even denials because of these requirements. Thanks to the hard work and continuing research of our academic expert, Professor John Kersey, and the Career Consulting International‘s Executive Director, Ms. Sheila Danzig, we have been fortunate to experience a high level of success with these equivalencies. Our academic experts are committed to ongoing research and continuing education that make it possible for our clients to gain approval – even after an RFE or denial.]]>

    Case Study: 3-Year Degree

    I-140immigration visa, and received an RFE from the USCIS. After consulting several foreign credential evaluation agencies, he found none who were willing to submit an evaluation report showing his 3-year degree to be the U.S. equivalency of a Bachelor Degree. Then he turned to Career Consulting International. We were able to offer him an educational evaluation demonstrating his 3-year Bachelor Degree to be equal to a U.S. Bachelor Degree as the labor certificate demanded. We did this by offering an evaluation report, an expert opinion letter, and 250 pages of documentation supporting the position that the two degrees were equivalent. He was happy to share with us later that we had successfully answered the RFEand his I-140 had been approved. While we could not offer him a 100 percent guarantee that his foreign degree would be accepted, we could show him that we have had considerable success in demonstrating the equivalency of these two degrees.]]>

    Case Study: EB2 Denial Successfully appealed.

    educational evaluation for a work visa indicating that his foreign academic credentials were equivalent to a four-year degree. The USCIS issued a denial, indicating that the evaluation report had combined two degrees to issue the U.S.equivalency of a single four-year degree. Career Consulting International was able to offer an expert opinion that, combined with a large quantity of research, persuasively demonstrated that the client’s foreign credentials were equal to a four-year degree. Furthermore, this was done without attempting to combine the client’s foreign degrees to achieve this equivalency. The USCIS found the evaluation persuasive, and reversed the denial on appeal.]]>

    Case Study: 4-Year Degree Completed in Three Years

    USCIS denied his immigration visa on the basis that he had actually completed a 3-year degree rather than a four-year Bachelor Degree. Using extensive research material, CCI was able to issue a foreign academic credentials evaluation indicating that the client had indeed graduated from a four-year Bachelor Degree program. On appeal, the USCIS reviewed the information and concluded that the client did indeed have the U.S. equivalency of a four-year Bachelor Degree. His immigration visa was approved.]]>

    Foreign Credentials Evaluations: What Diplomas Make the Grade?

    http://www.unesco.org/iau/onlinedatabases/list.html . If your university is listed here, your degree will probably be recognized as accredited education by the U.S. Department of Education. This is the educational authority recognized as well by USCIS. Some universities, such as some accredited institutions within the United Kingdom, can be located at other websites as well. Sometimes, a private educational institution or university operating within a particular country will be recognized as accredited education as well. These foreign academic credentials may be issued by a private university or by that country’s department or ministry of education. For example, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is an educational institution established by that country’s statutes and passing those examinations can yield the U.S. equivalency of a degree as well. Determining whether some foreign diplomas, such as certain postgraduate diplomas offered in some countries, are accredited can be a difficult process. For this reason, many foreign academic credentials evaluation agencies, including Career Consulting International, offers pre-evaluation reports. These can be used to offer students an idea of whether their education can indeed be evaluated as the international equivalency of an accredited degree. Not all diplomas do meet U.S. requirements for accredited education, and extenuating circumstances apply. For this reason, the USCIS generally requires persons who have obtained their degrees outside the U.S. to have an educational evaluation performed before an employment-based visa is issued. Do your homework, and get your degree evaluated so you will know whether your diploma will make the grade!]]>

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