H1B Education Requirements and Transcripts

[fern1400]

I had 2 questions, but I think I received part of a response to one of them in this forum - here goes:

I am a Canadian Citizen currently on a TN Visa and my company is sponsoring me for a green card via the H1B Visa. The lawyer has asked me to get my degree evaluated for US equivalency. I have a 3 year BA in Economics, and a 1 year Diploma in Accounting. I am working for a bank in New York City in their Finance Division (ties back to my degree), I was also around when they had Grade 13 in Ontario, and obtained the requisite credits to get into University.

Question 1: Do I need to get my degree and diploma evaluated for US Equivalency?

Question 2: Do I require a transcript of my grades for the H1B application?

I've read that for the H1B that you only require the transcript if your "degree is not in the specialty to be undertaken" (i.e. relates to your job).

Thanks in advance,

Nish

[Dremani]

There was actually a debate on another post on this forum earlier regarding the equivalency degree for an H1B.

1. Yes, you would need both the degree, diploma and transcripts evaluated for U.S equivalency to prove just that because it's considered a foreign degree. My hubby needed his 3 year bachelor degree evaluated along with other post secondary education along with sealed transcripts to prove U.S. equivalency.

2. Transcript speaking from my hubby's experience will be more than likely be required.

[MC]

Dremani has it right. Two good places to obtain an evaluation of your 3-Year Bachelor's degree would be:

1) http://www.wes.org/

2) http://www.icascanada.ca/home.php

Many will say their 3-Year Canadian degree is equivalent to a 4-Year American degree after an evaluation but that is not automatic across the board. I had my 3-Year Canadian BSc. (Waterloo is not exactly a Brock either) evaluated into exactly 3 years of American college so results can be inconsistent at best.

Yes, transcripts will be required.

-- Sun Sep 27, 2009 12:05 am --

I just dug out an old email from 2002 from ICAS Canada http://www.icascanada.ca/home.php in writing specifying that indeed 3-Year Canadian Bachelor degree holders with Ontario Grade 13 were accepted directly into U.S. Master's Programs before being phased out.

Thus it appears a 3-Year Canadian Bachelor's degree in conjunction with Ontario Grade 13 is in fact equivalent to a Canadian 4-Year Honours degree and was treated as such.