The Devastating Loophole in a Promising H-1B Bill
The Devastating Loophole in a Promising H-1B Bill Read More »
Immigration
Don't Panic, April First is Tomorrow
But before you send in your petition, you want to ask yourself, “Have I successfully proven that I’m qualified for my H-1B job?”
To qualify for your H-1B job, and thus your visa, you need to clearly show that you possess the body of specialized knowledge required to perform your job. That means you have a US bachelor’s degree or higher, or its equivalent, in your field of employ. If your degree is from a different country, or if your degree is generalized or in a field different from your job, your job of proving your qualification to the USCIS is not done.
You will need a to submit a detailed evaluation of your credentials along with your transcript from a credential evaluation agency authorized to make the necessary conversions to bridge the gaps in your degree. You only get one shot at this.
You have one day. We can help you.
At CCI, we have international education experts with the authority to convert classroom contact hours and work experience into college credit hours to fill in any gaps in your resume and clearly show that you are qualified by US educational standards to work your H-1B job. They are on call around the clock and we have rush delivery options that will get your evaluation into your hands in 12 hours. All we need are emailed copies of your education documents, work documentation, and your resume.
Now it not the time to hesitate. Call us anytime at 1.800.771.4723 or visit us online at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/.
3 H-1B Details to Remember This Week
Several details often get overlooked. The best outcome in these cases is the petitioner will receive an RFE response requesting more information. Worst case scenario, your petition gets rejected outright. Even with an RFE, the USCIS views that particular response as a much-needed red flag to get through the massive pile of petitions they have to go through each year. There are only 65,000 visas available annually and last year the USCIS found themselves rummaging through nearly 200,000 petitions.
They’re looking for an excuse to reject yours. Don’t give them one.
Three details to remember before you pop your petition in the mail:
- Use a blue pen. You’re going to be submitting original documents and copies of original documents. You’ll have signatures – both of your own and others – from the past and present, sometimes even on the same document. The USCIS worker needs to be able to clearly tell the difference between original signatures and recent signatures. Use a blue pen for new signatures. Make everyone’s life easier.
- Double and triple-check for consistency. Is your name spelled the same on every document? If you have a nickname or your name is hard to spell, it’s particularly important that you double and triple-check for this. It’s alarming how many RFE’s are issued simply to check what the petitioner’s name actually is. On the same note, you want to make sure that all of the other information on all of the forms you’ve submitted is consistent.
- If you need a credential evaluation, get one! If your degree is from a country that is not the United States, you need a credential evaluation and you need to submit it along with the rest of your petition. The only way to show the person evaluating your petition the value of your foreign degree is with a detailed evaluation from an authorized credential evaluation agency. This is because academic standards and structures vary from country to country, much like currency. The value is not always clear, but someone who understands exchange rates can get you what you need.
At CCI we have international education experts on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We have rush delivery services available to get your credential evaluation into your hands when you need it. Call or text us anytime at 1.800.771.4723, send us an email, or visit us online at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/ for a consultation. We can figure out what you need to complete your H-1B petition and get it to you in time to file on April First.
How Do I Know if I Need a Credential Evaluation?
You want to get your petition submitted on April First because the closer your are to the top of the stack the better. You can bet they get pickier towards the bottom as the number of available visas dwindles. You also want to make sure you get all of the evidence, documents, forms, and other information you need to clearly prove your case submitted the FIRST time, in order, and easy to read.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to submit your petition without an evaluation of your academic credentials when you need one. What this means is you are submitting transcripts without explaining what they mean in terms of US academic standards or H-1B requirements.
Do you need a credential evaluation? Here are three questions to ask yourself:
- Is my degree from a country other than the United States?
- Is my degree in a field different from my job?
- Is my degree generalized?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, the answer is YES, you need a credential evaluation.
Remember, these are people who will be evaluating your petition and deciding whether or not to grant you a visa. You want to make their decision easy by making their job easy. You can do this by clearly spelling out the value of what is in front of them. That means clearly showing the US academic equivalent of your foreign degree, proving that you do have the specialized knowledge of your field of employ even if you majored in something else, and that you do have specialized education and training in your field even if your degree is generalized on paper. Give them what they need when they need it and you will be pleased with the outcome.
Call us at 1.800.771.4723 anytime or visit us at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/ and we will take a look at your transcripts, resume, and work experience for free and discern what needs to overcome any obstacles standing in the way between you and your visa.
How Do I Know if I Need a Credential Evaluation? Read More »
Get Your H1B Petition Perfect the First Time
You need to clearly show the USCIS agent reviewing your petition that you have the specialized skills necessary to qualify for your H1B job.
How can you do this?
An authorized credential evaluation agency can help you bridge the gap between your job and your degree in two ways:
1) Close examination of your coursework.
At CCI, we have international education experts on hand all the time to take a detailed look at the content of your education. That means looking at the classes you took and what you learned from them. Even if your degree doesn’t reflect it on its face, a close examination of your coursework will clearly show that you do in fact have specialized knowledge pertaining to your field of employ.
2) Converting Work Experience into College Credit
An authorized credential evaluation agency has the ability to convert your work experience in the field of your H1B job into college credit hours. Evaluation of work experience and the skills and understanding gained by it can clearly show the USCIS that you are qualified for your H1B job.
You may be asking yourself, “Can’t I just do this on my own?”
No. You can’t.
We’re talking US immigration here. Unless you are an authorized credential evaluation agency or an international education expert, you cannot evaluate your own credentials in a meaningful and credible way.
At CCI, we will go over your case with you and identify exactly what you need to do to bridge any gaps in your petition that may stand in the way of you getting your visa approved. Call us anytime at 1.800.771.4723 or visit us online at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/.
Degree in the Wrong Field? No Problem!
But it’s just an RFE. Doesn’t that mean I get a second chance?
Technically yes, but actually no. Attorneys tell me that the USCIS views RFE’s as much needed red flags. They can use these to make their job of weeding out applicants easier. You need to get this right the first time.
That means getting your credentials evaluated. A detailed evaluation will examine your coursework to show what you specialized in even if your degree is general. This can also show that even if your degree is not in your exact field of employ, many of the classes you took are. An authorized credential evaluator can also convert years of work experience in your field of employ into college credit hours to bridge these gaps.
If this is the situation you face, we can help you. For a free consultation, visit us online at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/ or call us anytime at 1.800.771.4723.
How to Find the Right Credential Evaluator
You can’t get around this RFE by simply not having your credentials evaluated. If your education was in a different country, you will need an evaluation. If your degree was in a general field, you may also need an evaluation to take a deeper look into the specific content of your education. Remember, to qualify for an H1B visa, you must have specialized training that will be applied in your specialized H1B position. A credential evaluation is a must. The only way to avoid getting an RFE on your credential evaluator id by finding a reliable agency from the very beginning.
But how do you know if you’ve found a reliable credential evaluation agency?
First and foremost, you should feel comfortable talking with them. They should be friendly, helpful, and answer all of your questions directly and to your satisfaction. You should be able to reach them whenever you call, text, or email, and they should have a team of professors and experts in international education on hand at all times to write your evaluation. They also need to have the authority to convert classroom contact hours and work experience into college credit hours because educational structures and standards vary across the world. Remember, your evaluation is how you can show the true value of your education.
If you are wondering if you qualify for H1B status, visit us online for a free consultation at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/ .]]