TN Visa diploma equivalency

[anjan42]

I am a canadian and started to hunt for US jobs hoping to get TN visa.
The IT diploma I have is from UK, so I contacted a company for diploma equivalency with my diploma scans and transcripts. Got the following response

We can issue an equivalency of a BS in IT, but unfortunately I would expect that you will have trouble when going to your interview. The officer is unlikely to be familiar with this qualification, and will likely argue that it is not a “degree” from a “university”. The qualification is also not listed on EDGE, and I assume there are no detailed transcripts. We would issue the equivalency on the basis of this being considered at par with a British bachelor’s degree, but the TN officer may ultimately disagree.

The diploma I have is "PGD in IT from British Computer Society"

Wanted to know from people who have crossed borders with diploma in IT jobs. If the border agent will argue on the original then whats the point to make equivalency? Also we make equivalency when degree/diploma is not from North America and we dont expect them to know all diplomas from the world.

Thoughts ?

 

[nelsona]

I would be getting an evaluation comparing it to a US bachelor's degree, from a North American evaluation firm. Those firms know worldwide educational systems, and that is why the US border wants that, so that they don't have to do any thinking -- the evaluation firm does it for them.
But, to clarify, you need a foreign DEGREE; "diplomas" (generally defined as 2-year post secondary) can only be from North America. So, if you have a foreign degree, never use the word diploma in this context.

 

[anjan42]

I would be getting an evaluation comparing it to a US bachelor's degree, from a North American evaluation firm. Those firms know worldwide educational systems, and that is why the US border wants that, so that they don't have to do any thinking -- the evaluation firm does it for them.
But, to clarify, you need a foreign DEGREE; "diplomas" (generally defined as 2-year post secondary) can only be from North America. So, if you have a foreign degree, never use the word diploma in this context.

I have contacted 2 evaluation firms from US and both came back to me saying that they can issue me a equivalency in IT but they mention this foreign diploma is not showing up in AACRAO EDGE database which is used by border agents during interview process of TN. If this doesnt show up they may reject it.
I contacted AACRAO EDGE and they said you can not contact us directly and the evaluation firm has to contact us on why this diploma does not show up or if they want to add it in the database.
I went back to evaluation firms asking them to contact EDGE for this and they said sorry we dont do that.

So I am stuck in the middle..

 

[SusieQQQ]

But, to clarify, you need a foreign DEGREE; "diplomas" (generally defined as 2-year post secondary) can only be from North America. So, if you have a foreign degree, never use the word diploma in this context.

fyi: OP's certificate is not a degree and is not from a university. It is a diploma from a professional institute that claims to be equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree.

 

[anjan42]

fyi: OP's certificate is not a degree and is not from a university. It is a diploma from a professional institute that claims to be equivalent to a UK bachelor's degree.

Intrestingly in this link, chapter 22 it does say
BCS Level 4 Certificate, BCS Diploma, and BCS PGD (U.K).

but I cant open full book because dont have that.

cant post the amazon link due to restrictions on this forum .
Its a guide by AACRAO who maintains the database.

 

[nelsona]

I would agree with Suzie. This is sounding a certificate, issued by a private training firm, which is not valid for TN purposes regardless of its country of origin.

 

[anjan42]

I would agree with Suzie. This is sounding a certificate, issued by a private training firm, which is not valid for TN purposes regardless of its country of origin.

Let me rephrase it.
1- I have this diploma and I came to Canada as an skilled immigrant after having my diploma evaluated by WES which was accepted by CIC ( Immigration and Citizenship Canada) which indicates it is a legit academic qualification.
2 - I have contacted 2 companies, Trustforte and USCES and both are willing to give me a BS in IT per US Standards.
3 - However I have been told by some sources that border agents verify original diploma/degree through a website called EDGE (edge.aacrao.org) which maintains international credentials and it is not showing up there.
4 - I have contacted EDGE regarding this and they have asked the agency to contact EDGE to add it, I asked agency and they told me that they cant do it. AACRAO EDGE has credentials of many international universities but not all and they keep on updating it after sometime.

How should I proceed here if I want to ask AACRAO EDGE to add my credentials?

 

[SusieQQQ]

I don't know the answer to your question (though you talk about EDGE having credentials of many universities, your institute is not a university) but I just wanted to point out that just because one country bureaucracy accepts something for a particular purpose, does not mean another will accept it for their purpose even if similar. (This is certainly something I have seen before, including which bachelor degrees from where are acceptable for entry into masters degrees in which country.)

If i had to guess an answer it would be to ask the institute you got your diploma from to approach them for inclusion, this doesn't really sound like the type of thing private individuals do.

 

[nelsona]

You keep using the word "diploma". a diploma from any other countries outside N America is of no value in TN world. Since you don't use the term "degree", it is clearly not a degree. CBP does NOT look at degrees online, and even if they did. I'm sure 99% of them would not be found. That is not your problem here, it is the lack of a degree..

Perhaps your diploma can be equivalenced to some educational threshold for other purposes, like pursuing a higher degree, or proving that you have a certain skill set to an employer -- that is why those evaluators can give you some idea of the equivavlence -- but it cannot be used for TN.

 

[1AurCitizen]

Let me rephrase it.
1- I have this diploma and I came to Canada as an skilled immigrant after having my diploma evaluated by WES which was accepted by CIC ( Immigration and Citizenship Canada) which indicates it is a legit academic qualification.

Perhaps use the diploma for a job in Canada whose agency (CIC) accepted it to grant you admission as an immigrant. Just a thought..

 

[anjan42]

You keep using the word "diploma". a diploma from any other countries outside N America is of no value in TN world. Since you don't use the term "degree", it is clearly not a degree. CBP does NOT look at degrees online, and even if they did. I'm sure 99% of them would not be found. That is not your problem here, it is the lack of a degree..

Perhaps your diploma can be equivalenced to some educational threshold for other purposes, like pursuing a higher degree, or proving that you have a certain skill set to an employer -- that is why those evaluators can give you some idea of the equivavlence -- but it cannot be used for TN.

I had a verbal discussion with AACRAO team and they told me that they are going to look into my case. it has been put into a queue and God knows how long the queue is because they didn't tell me this.
Do you mean that if someone has a degree from Non-North American country an equivalency can be made for TN visa but if there is a diploma from non-north American country it cant be and is useless for TN Visa?
You are right, CBP does NOT look at degrees online any where but only at EDGE (edge.aacrao.org/). If it doesn't show up over here it doesn't mean they are going to reject it but ask a lot of question and probably it is going to be rejected. This is what I was told by a credential agency providing equivalency services.

You can see how EDGE looks like here (demo - it has Belgium and Kosovo only but real version has all countries)
edge-preview.aacrao.org

After selecting country you can see on the Credential tab a few diplomas are listed.

 

[anjan42]

Perhaps use the diploma for a job in Canada whose agency (CIC) accepted it to grant you admission as an immigrant. Just a thought..

Sorry, I did not get your point entirely.
I am into IT industry, no one asks for degree or diploma here. Job market here is only skills/experience based, have given my diploma for verification before getting hired to third parties and everything came out ok.

 

[nelsona]

For TN, degrees are accepted from any country, as long s non-North American degree is equivalent to US bachelors. Diplomas MUST be from North America, be of at least 2-year duration, and be accompanied with 3 years of experience.

Qualifying for a job is one thing. Qualifying for a US work status is an entirely different matter. You don't seem to meet the latter.