Academic credential evaluations for immigration visas such as I-140 or H1B visas often differ greatly from educational evaluations used for employment or education. Learn more about the types of foreign credential evaluations and decide which one will help (EMAILWIRE.COM, June 08, 2009 ) June 8, 2009, Fort Lauderdale, FL If you’ve earned a degree or high school diploma in another country, you will probably need an academic credentials evaluation to show that your degree is equivalent to a U.S. Degree. Most foreign credential evaluation agencies offer a variety of different types of educational evaluations. If you’re having difficulty deciding what type of evaluation you need, this information may help you to make a better choice. Will you be using your evaluation for immigration, for education, for employment, or for a combination of these purposes? Employment requirements are often much different from immigration requirements, so knowing how you’re planning to use the evaluation will be very important to the person evaluating your education credentials. Make certain to tell the agency how you’re planning to use the evaluation; a good consulting service will be able to tell you exactly what type of evaluation you will need and what documents you will need to provide. Most employers only require a document evaluation, which simply states that your degree is equivalent to a U.S. degree in the same field. If you need to show that you have specific course work in a certain area, though, or if your employer requires you to show that you earned a certain grade in these courses, you will need a course-by-course evaluation. If you’re using the evaluation for immigration purposes, tell the agency for which type of immigration visa you’re applying. Different visas have different requirements. For example, H1B visas allow workers to combine educational degrees. This combination, however, must equal four years of postsecondary education. If a person’s degree is only three years in duration, he or she must show three years of work experience to qualify for the H1B visa. In contrast, however, an individual applying for an I-140 Visa, or permanent residency visa (sometimes known as a “green card”), must show what is called a “single source degree.” This means that a person must demonstrate his or her Bachelor Degree to be the U.S. equivalency of a four-year degree, without combining this Bachelor Degree with any other education. Some credential evaluation services offer evaluations of three-year degrees. However, they may or may not have extensive expertise in showing this equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor Degree. Certain agencies, such as Career Consulting International (sometimes referred to as The Degree People, or CCI), specialize in showing three-year degrees equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor Degree. Executive Director Sheila Danzig often works extensively with people who have previously had requests for evidence (RFEs) or denials from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For more information about three-year degree equivalencies, visitwww.thedegreepeople.com or call 1-800-771-4723.]]>
