One recurring education issue facing H-1B beneficiaries is when they have the required degree but in a field that is not an exact match for the H-1B job. H-1B eligibility requirements state that the beneficiary must hold a minimum of a US bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in a field related to the H-1B job. However, over the better part of the past decade, USCIS has been issuing RFEs for beneficiaries with a degree specialization that is not an exact match for the H-1B job.
This is a perennial issue because employers routinely hire employees with degrees in related fields because of the skill and knowledge overlap in addition to work experience in the field of the H-1B job. Then, USCIS will not approve their visas because the degree specialization is not an exact match.
There are many different educational pathways, and it is the responsibility of the petitioner to clearly show USCIS that the beneficiary has the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree in the exact field of the H-1B job in terms of US academic value. Here’s how:
Include a detailed credential evaluation written uniquely to fill in any gaps between the education the H-1B beneficiary has and the education they need to get the visa approved. This may include a detailed evaluation of the course content of the bachelor’s degree program, professional training, and progressive work experience in the field of the H-1B job. Three years of progressive work experience in which the H-1B beneficiary took on progressively more complex work or responsibility throughout the course of employment can be converted into one year of college credit in the field. This conversion must be written by a professor with the authority to grant college credit for work experience.
At CCI TheDegreePeople.com, our international education experts write each credential evaluation uniquely, taking the job, the visa, the education and the work experience into account along with USCIS approval trends. We work with professors with the authority to grant college credit for work experience to account for the proper degree specialization equivalency.
If you, or if your employee or client received and education H-1B RFE, let our experts help get it overturned! Visit www.ccifree.com for a free review of your case. We will respond in 4 hours or less.
Sheila Danzig
Sheila Danzig is the director of CCI TheDegreePeople.com. Sheila specializes in overturning RFEs and Denials for work visas.