GET YOUR FOREIGN ACADEMIC DEGREES AND CERTIFICATIONS EVALUATED BEFORE IMMIGRATING TO THE USA - TALENT ACQUISITION, THE IMMIGRATION SERIES
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- Sep 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 10
*** Please note - immigration laws, paperwork, and processes may change on a regular basis. Dr. Moran Sciamama-Saghiv is not an immigration official, nor an attorney or an immigration attorney If you require help with your immigration process and/or status, please contact an immigration attorney***
If you are in the human resources, talent acquisition professional fields, or seeking a job in the USA, The Immigration Series should be of great value for you.
Did you know? - About 47 million people living in the United States are immigrants, which is 14% of the United States population. Every year about 25–35 million people apply for a visa to the United States, and about 2–7.5 million people are actually approved to enter the United States.
The need to have your academic degrees and/or certificates evaluated as equivalent to those commonly awarded in the United States is significant. Two reasons at least exist to have this done: 1) American institutions and employers may be required by law to have your academic degrees and/or certificates evaluated to hire you for employment or sponsor a visa 2) Often, Americans may not understand the educational systems outside of the United States, the name or essence of the degree and/or certificate presented.
In both cases described above, the lack evaluated degrees and/or certificates will most likely end in your candidacy for the job being rejected or not even considered to begin with. Often, you won’t even know the reason why you are not considered for the position, or not chosen as a finalist for the job. In the case of a visa application, it could be the difference between the visa application being approved vs denied.
Several levels of evaluations of academic degrees and/or certificates exist. The more detailed the evaluation, the more it is going to cost on the one hand, yet the better it will serve you, on the other hand. Thus, it is the old as wine tradeoff of cost vs quality/return on investment. It is my personal advice to first be sure of what is the absolute minimum required for your purposes and needs.
Knowing the minimum is a start, yet not the best aspiration. If your budget can allow it, go for the full evaluation of your degrees and/or certifications. In such cases, the evaluation should include a full evaluation of each course in your transcripts, not only the degree or certificate. In some cases, the United States does not use the exact terms and titles for the degree as used in the country you come from.
The evaluating body/institution may not designate your degree and/or certificate correctly. Do not be shy, stand your ground and politely make sure to have them issue a correction or initial evaluation of your degrees and/or certifications with the field of studies that best serves your goals in the United States (within reason and common sense).
The U.S. Department of State states on their website the following:
“For certain Federal positions (e.g. Civil Service, Expanded Professional Associates Program) applicants may need to submit proof of education (such as copies of transcript(s) and diploma(s)) as a part of the application. Proof of education requirements will vary from one program/position to another, and it is important that the applicant reads carefully which document(s) is/are required in the application package (e.g. High School diploma or GED certificate, or Bachelor’s degree, or Master’s degree). Submitted document(s) need to be legible copies of U.S. college/university transcript(s) that include degree(s) (if any) awarded and course work completed, and if requested, a copy of the diploma.
Foreign education transcripts will not be accepted. Foreign education (that is education acquired outside of any State of the U.S., the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any territory or possession of the U.S.) must be evaluated by a credential evaluation service in order to be given credit towards qualification. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and U.S. Department of Education provide guidelines on how the U.S. Government evaluates an applicant’s foreign education. Family members will find this information on OPM’s website (see Foreign Education section) and on the U.S. Department of Education, International Affairs Office’s website .
Applicants can request an evaluation from a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services:
National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is an association of 19 credential evaluation services with admission standards and an enforced code of good practice
Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services with a board of advisors and an enforced code of ethics
Credential evaluations are not free, and applicants are responsible for the cost of the selected service. The cost and the time-frame to perform the service will vary according to the complexity of the case and the amount of documentation provided. The entire credentialing process may take weeks to months. Prior to submitting any documents to a credential evaluation service, applicants may also need to obtain English translations of any non-English documents.
They should inquire with the selected member organization, which may offer translation services or may provide guidance on how to proceed. Applicants should also be aware that the length of validity of the requested report may vary from one member organization to another. Applicants to federal positions then submit copies of their foreign education credential evaluations in lieu of transcripts in their application package.
Disclaimer
Listings of private entities on this page are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department State or the U.S. government of the entity, its views or the products or services it provides. The order in which names appear has no significance, and the links may be removed at any time at the discretion of the Department.”
Please note: no changes to content of the cited content were made yet changes to formatting were made.
This approach to foreign degrees and certificates is not unique to the U.S. Department of State, and is widely practiced at the state level, and private employers. It is furthermore important to make sure of the following:
Have 2–3 original copies of your degrees and/or certificates. This is important since many American institutions and employers will demand that one set of originals be kept with them for the entire duration of your employment with them.
Have 2–3 original copies of your NACES and/or AICE evaluations of your degrees and/or certifications. This is important since many American institutions and employers will demand that one set of originals be kept with them for the entire duration of your employment with them.
Have 2–3 original copies of your transcripts. This is important since many American institutions and employers will demand that one set of originals be kept with them for the entire duration of your employment with them.
Please note: your transcripts detail every course taken for credit that count towards a degree and/or certificate, as opposed to the degree itself, also referred to in the United States as a “diploma”; You know, the document framed and hung on the wall to show-off…!
If you are not sure if you need your degrees and/or certificates evaluated, you can take one or more of the following actions:
Ask the employer you are applying with.
Ask an immigration attorney.
Ask both the employer you are applying with and an immigration attorney.
Consult NACES.
Consult AICE.
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