Education issues is a perennial RFE trigger for H-1B beneficiaries. If the beneficiary’s education is ANYTHING EXCEPT a bachelor’s degree or higher in the exact field of the H-1B job from an accredited US college or university, outright approval is unlikely without including a credential evaluation. This evaluation must be written uniquely for the situation and fill in any gaps between the education the beneficiary has and the exact degree USCIS will approve, taking USCIS approval trends into account.
The key to getting the RIGHT credential evaluation is finding the RIGHT credential evaluation agency to write it. The problem is, the credential evaluation industry is not regulated, and not all agencies are equipped to get the job done for this finicky visa.
Always ask for past client references. Always check reviews. Even in a time crunch, do your due diligence because the wrong credential evaluation will not save you time when the RFE arrives.
When looking for the right credential evaluation agency, here are the big red flags that you need to keep looking:
- Communication issues. They must respond promptly on all platforms – social media, email, text or call. If they can’t respond promptly that shows they are not set up for quality service.
- They charge too much. The right agency should charge reasonable fees, including reasonable rush delivery fees. In the credential evaluation field, you don’t necessarily get what you pay for. High costs – especially for rush deliveries – shows that the agency is out of touch with the world of visa approval which is rife with high fees and fast-approaching deadlines.
- They don’t ask enough questions. To write an effective credential evaluation, the evaluator must know the job, the visa, the education, and past progressive work experience. If they don’t ask enough questions to generate the right evaluation it means they are not writing their evaluations to uniquely meet the needs of their clients. Look elsewhere.
The RIGHT credential evaluation agency responds promptly on any communication channel, charges reasonable fees, and asks the questions necessary to get a full grasp of your case and all of the factors that make up the beneficiary’s unique educational pathway. The RIGHT credential evaluation agency is a member of professional organizations that lend to regulating the industry, such as NACE, ICAE, NAFSA, or the American Evaluation Association. These organizations enforce standards in an otherwise unregulated industry.
At CCI TheDegreePeople.com, our international education experts write each evaluation uniquely to address the job, the education and work experience, the visa, and USCIS approval trends. We work with professors authorized to grant college credit for work experience to ensure academic equivalency to the right degree in the right major. Our consultations are always free and our evaluation fees are always reasonable. We are active members of six different credential evaluation professional organizations.
For a free review of your case visit www.ccifree.com. 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.