Help! Graphic Designer (TN) Denied!

So I just got home from the peace arch border in BC/WA, and basically I was denied for my TN Visa. The CBP Officer basically said I had all the experience and the skills sets, but they did not recognize my school as an accredited school/post secondary education.

He said that I had to have a minimum of 2 years education, although that is not stated anywhere and compressed courses did not count. I went to VFS(Vancouver Film School) on scholarship where many good designers have come from, compared to what he believed to be an accredited school like UBC or SFU. Its basically an intense one year course equal to four years at other schools.

I guess my question is if 2 years education is really necessary, and if not, should I go back down to re apply?

Hey Alpha,

I was in the exact same boat - denied at the border due to lack of schooling years. I tried to enter at Sumas but to no avail.
You can try different border crossings, but their system may recognize you doing do & ban you for years.

I had all the proper paperwork from the US lawyers, but the guard didn't care. I ended up return the funds the US company sent me & told them I couldn't make it down.

The bummer thing is that a buddy of mine (with less schooling & experience) got through the same border crossing 1 week earlier - I was so pissed I broke the windshield with my hand in their parking lot.

Good luck,
W.

Yea, I was pretty choked to learn that the only reason I was denied was because of school. IMO design/arts is subjective and you would get a better education from a specialty school rather than the university.

My lawyer did recommend to try a credential evaluation company, morningeval, i tried to type in the URL, but says I cant because of my post count. So just use that and add the dot com. You have to tell them what you need the credential for so that they will craft their evaluation to say what the immigration officer needs to see.

I just submitted my application and will try again next week. Will let you guys know if it works.

Mike

It sure seems to be true that different boarder crossings look at the same persons credentials very differently. At one they will let you pass with no issues while another refuses. Definitely check another crossing before pouring a pile of $ into this problem.
Allyssa

You need a two year post-secondary diploma or certificate. Academic evaluations won't work.

You can qualify for an H-1B with an evaluation of the degree combined with work experience, compared to a U.S. Bachelor's degree. The evaluation would typically consider a one-two year Canadian diploma/cert to two years towards a U.S. Bachelor's, and then you need to show 6 years of full time experience as a graphic designer to substitute for the "missing" two years. (3:1 ratio)

You need a two year post-secondary diploma or certificate. Academic evaluations won't work.

You can qualify for an H-1B with an evaluation of the degree combined with work experience, compared to a U.S. Bachelor's degree. The evaluation would typically consider a one-two year Canadian diploma/cert to two years towards a U.S. Bachelor's, and then you need to show 6 years of full time experience as a graphic designer to substitute for the "missing" two years. (3:1 ratio)

Right but I took a 3 year course, and finished in one year. The amount of credits I have is equivalent to a 3 year course. It just wasn't from an 'accredited' school. So if I get an accredited school to evaluate and validate my courses and grades, would this still work?

Also last thing, I am now contracting for this company and flying down for a meeting tomorrow, will I have any problems at immigration by just saying that I am there for a meeting?

Then the evaluation would probably be: 3 years towards a U.S. Bachelor's, and you would then only need to provide them with 3 years of work experience, and the conclusion would be that based on your degree program/coursework and experience, you have earned the equivalent of a U.S. BA/BS.

For the meeting, I would get a fax from the company which you can show CBP and which confirms the date and time of the meeting.