Give ALL the Evidence before the USCIS Has to Ask
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H1B visa
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.
Degree Not Specialized Enough for the USCIS? We Can Help!
How can this be done? A detailed evaluation of your academic credentials from a credential evaluation agency authorized to make the necessary conversions can help you bridge these gaps in your petition in two ways:
1) A close evaluation of the academic content of your education. This involves looking at the exact classes you took and the academic content of your coursework. Even if your degree doesn’t reflect a specialization, the actual content of what you learned while in college or university will.
2) Converting work experience into college credit hours. A credential evaluation agency with the authority to convert years of work experience into years of college credit can clearly show your specialized skills that uniquely qualify you for your H1B job.
These are two ways that a detailed credential evaluation can make a huge difference in getting your visa petition approved. For a free consultation on your academic situation for your H1B petition, visit us online at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/ or call us anytime at 1.800.771.4723.
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Is Your Job H1B Qualified?
For a job to qualify as an H1B job, it must be a specialty occupation. That means the position must required a US bachelor’s degree or higher in a specialized field to properly carry out the duties of this job. The job also much include applied theoretical and practical use of specialized skills and knowledge. You and your employer must be able to show that similar jobs in similar companies require these same minimum requirements to show that the job is actually a specialty occupation. If similar jobs in similar companies don’t also require a bachelor’s degree or higher, you need to be able to show why this specific job in this specific company is uniquely complex as to fit the H1B requirements.
On the same note, you must also make sure that YOU fit the requirements of your specialty occupation. That means you are either licensed in your field of specialty in the state your job is located in, you have a US bachelor’s degree or higher, or you have enough progressively responsible work experience to be considered equivalent to the needed degree. If your licensing or degree come from US institutions, great! If your degree is from abroad, or you have the necessary work experience but not the degree to prove it, that’s also great, it just requires one more step: having your credentials evaluated for US degree equivalence.
We have international education experts at CCI on call every hour of the day, every day of the year with authorization to convert classroom contact hours and work experience into the US college credit hours you need to clearly show your qualifications and the value of your specialized skills. If you have a degree but it is not in a specialized field, a credential evaluation can give a detailed analysis of your coursework and academic content to clearly show the USCIS that you do have the specialized knowledge necessary to properly carry out the duties of your H1B job.
For a free consultation on your H1B credential evaluation, visit us at http://www.ccifree.com/?CodeBLG/ or call 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/ .]]
Good for You, Your Family, and Your Boss: H1B Status
Under H1B visa status, you can bring your family with you to stay for the duration of your visa status. This is often up to six years because the 3-year H1B visa is often extended. You can bring your spouse and your children up to the age of 21 with you under H4 visa status. Currently, H4 spouses cannot work in the United States, but statutes surrounding this are changing. Your children will be able to attend school in the US during your H1B stay as well.
Having an H1B job is a great way to get your foot in the door for a green card. Your employer can sponsor your green card petition and you will have developed a history of responsible US residency during your H1B stay. Of course, the H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa so naturalization is just an option. An H1B job is a great way to test out the US for you and your family before making a plunge into pursuit of citizenship.
Once you have H1B status, you are no longer subject to the annual cap. That means if you want to extend your visa beyond the first three years, you can do so without going through the lottery. You can also change jobs – as long as your new job is also an H1B position – and transfer your visa without being subject to the cap as well.
Getting this visa is the first step to retaining the benefits of having it. If you are petitioning for H1B visa status, you need to make sure you have ALL of the necessary documents ready to submit on April first. That means having your foreign degree evaluated for US equivalency. You need to order a credential evaluation from an agency authorized to convert classroom hours and work experience into college credit hours because educational structures and standards vary from country to country. A detailed evaluation that makes these conversions can clearly show the academic content of your degree.
For a free consultation on your credential evaluation, call or text us anytime at 1.800.771.4723 or visit us online at cciFree.com.]]>
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3 Details to Remember When Filing Your H1B Petition
Three things to remember when filing your H1B petition that will make a huge difference:
- Keep a Blue Pen Nearby. You need to sign everything in blue ink so the USCIS work evaluating your petition knows which signatures are originals and which signatures are yours from the time you filled out your petition. They’re going to request a host of original documents. Make it easy on overworked eyes to tell which signatures are originals and which ones are yours.
- Double-Check for Inconsistencies before Filing. This cannot be stressed enough. USCIS workers cannot assume what you meant if some of your answers contradict each other or don’t match up with the resumes, transcripts, and other documentation accompanying your application. Don’t mail in a petition without meticulously going over your answers.
- Include a Credential Evaluation. If your degree is from somewhere besides the United States and you submit your petition without having your degree evaluated by an authorized credential evaluation agency, the USCIS has no way of knowing the value or your education. Since you need a bachelor’s degree or higher for an H1B visa, it is essential for you to be able to clearly show what your degree means in terms of US academic standards.
USCIS workers cannot make assumptions about anything on your petition. Competition is too fierce to skimp on important details. Never be too hurried to double check your work, include all necessary documentation, and take that extra step to make your petition clear to the reader.
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