Occupational skills - i-944

[LBee1592 17]

Hi everyone!!

 

I am still struggling with this i-944 form and I was wondering if anyone knew what they strictly mean by "Occupation skills". In other words, does it refer to specific skills that you need to do a specific job such as "electrician" , "plumber", "hairstyling". Or does it refer to more general skills that can be found in different jobs such as " operating a cash register" , " restocking shelves", "inventory", "customer service"... 

 

I don't know if my question will make sense to you guys but it seems pretty important. 

 

And if anyone has already sent their application with the form i-944, what did you write for your occupational skills?

 

 

[emrie 10]

I believe it refers to something more specialized that might fall outside of regular high school/college education. Which is why they ask for certification and licensure. So certification as a plumber or other specialized trade, or cosmetology training would count. But customer service skills wouldn't.

 

My husband has degrees in mechanical engineering, but he also has licensure in Canada as a professional engineer, so he included his license for that.

Edited March 5, 2020 by emrie

[LBee1592 17]

Oh ok!! Thank you very much! 

 

 

I was also wondering, the instructions mention : " Foreign education should include an evaluation of equivalency to education or degrees acquired at accredited colleges, universities, or educational institutions in the United States. For a list of organizations that provide equivalency evaluation, see the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).."

 

I have my french baccalaureate (acquired at the end of high school) as well as a year and a half completed at a french university. I have them translated already but I was wondering if having them evaluated for equivalency is worth it or not. I only have one year fully completed and no degree so I don't exactly think that it is important enough. And I heard that getting an evaluation is pretty pricey so I don't know if it's really worth it.

 

[emrie 10]

We took a risk and decided not to get a credit evaluation, because his transcripts are in English (from Canada) and he's at an American university now, so clearly the credits were legit and made sense to the school. I'm really hoping they don't ask for it since it seems so expensive for something that should be obvious. That was one place with the I-944 being brand new that we took the risk of an RFE.

Edited March 5, 2020 by emrie

[LBee1592 17]

2 minutes ago, emrie said:

We took a risk and decided not to get a credit evaluation, because his transcripts are in English (from Canada) and he's at an American university now, so clearly the credits transferred. I'm really hoping they don't ask for it since it seems so expensive for something that should be obvious. That was one place with the I-944 being brand new that we took the risk of an RFE.

Oh ok! I guess being from Canada is a plus because I'm sure that things arent so different. I don't know if I should risk it so I think that I am going to look into that to find out what the cheapest costs are. 

I agree, it is expensive considering what it is. 

[irishoxford 38]

I'm in a similar position.  I did my B.A. in England, but my Master's and Doctorate were done in the U.S.  Obviously the transcripts were checked at each level.  

J
 

[Adlitam1 18]

On 3/5/2020 at 2:05 PM, emrie said:

We took a risk and decided not to get a credit evaluation, because his transcripts are in English (from Canada) and he's at an American university now, so clearly the credits were legit and made sense to the school. I'm really hoping they don't ask for it since it seems so expensive for something that should be obvious. That was one place with the I-944 being brand new that we took the risk of an RFE.

Hi! Have you recieved any notifications regarding the I-944 yet from the USCIS? I'm filing it now and I'm so frustrated about the parts where they ask you about education, skills and language skills. Feels so unnecessary paying almost 200 USD for an evaluation of my bachelor's degree... I just want to skip it honestly 😢

[emrie 10]

We haven't received any specific notifications for the I-944, since it's a supporting document for the I-485. We got a notice of receipt for that, but it doesn't give any indication how are case will go or what they think of our documentation, just that it was received. Sorry!

[YvetteS 178]

On 3/24/2020 at 8:20 AM, Matildathulin said:

Hi! Have you recieved any notifications regarding the I-944 yet from the USCIS? I'm filing it now and I'm so frustrated about the parts where they ask you about education, skills and language skills. Feels so unnecessary paying almost 200 USD for an evaluation of my bachelor's degree... I just want to skip it honestly 😢

It totally sucks. I got my Australian university degree evaluated for a similar price. I have never studied in the US, so I couldn't really take the risk and not get mine evaluated.

 

This is the company I used... https://www.myiee.org/

 

They are a NACES member. TBH getting this done is one of the cheaper things in the process considering filing fee, health insurance etc.. for me, I needed to get it for my own piece of mind. Good luck to you

[Adlitam1 18]

15 minutes ago, YvetteS said:

It totally sucks. I got my Australian university degree evaluated for a similar price. I have never studied in the US, so I couldn't really take the risk and not get mine evaluated.

 

This is the company I used... https://www.myiee.org/

 

They are a NACES member. TBH getting this done is one of the cheaper things in the process considering filing fee, health insurance etc.. for me, I needed to get it for my own piece of mind. Good luck to you

Thanks! I sent my documents in to WES (I think they’re like one of the biggest companies), and because of COVID they’re no longer processing cases that were sent in after 10th of March.... so I can’t submit my education with the I-944 :/ WES told me that they think that USCIS are gonna be understanding, but I have my doubts.

[YvetteS 178]

10 minutes ago, Matildathulin said:

Thanks! I sent my documents in to WES (I think they’re like one of the biggest companies), and because of COVID they’re no longer processing cases that were sent in after 10th of March.... so I can’t submit my education with the I-944 😕 WES told me that they think that USCIS are gonna be understanding, but I have my doubts.

I doubt USCIS will be understanding... just not in their nature really. 

 

Can you get it evaluated with the company I linked you to? I know they are still fully operational.

[Adlitam1 18]

6 minutes ago, YvetteS said:

I doubt USCIS will be understanding... just not in their nature really. 

 

Can you get it evaluated with the company I linked you to? I know they are still fully operational.

How long did it take for you to get the evaluation? I might do that but I already payed WES 170  and I mean the form states that I should provide proof “if available”.

 

I’m so stressed because my I-94 expires on May 13th and after that I have to file I-130 and pay another 500. I just hope they will RFE me worst case

[YvetteS 178]

2 minutes ago, Matildathulin said:

How long did it take for you to get the evaluation? I might do that but I already payed WES 170  and I mean the form states that I should provide proof “if available”.

 

I’m so stressed because my I-94 expires on May 13th and after that I have to file I-130 and pay another 500. I just hope they will RFE me worst case

It took about 2.5 weeks to get the evaluation in the mail from IEE.

 

You would have to see if WES  can give you a refund if you want to go with another company.

 

Alternatively, get some sort of documentation from WES stating that you applied for an evaluation (with the date that you applied) and also a statement from them saying that they are unable to provide an evaluation at this time due to COVID-19. If they can't get you a letter, you should screenshot their webpage with any notices regarding COVID-19 and processing times. Also,  I would personally write my own letter to USCIS explaining the circumstances and that you have applied and paid the evaluation fees but due to COVID-19 the company cannot issue it to you in a timely manner. Also include a copy of the receipt showing you have paid. This will IMO improve your chances of getting an RFE and not giving USCIS any grounds do deny your application. 

 

I think you will be OK if you do the above. It is just what I would personally do in your circumstances. Let me know how you go

[Adlitam1 18]

5 minutes ago, YvetteS said:

It took about 2.5 weeks to get the evaluation in the mail from IEE.

 

You would have to see if WES  can give you a refund if you want to go with another company.

 

Alternatively, get some sort of documentation from WES stating that you applied for an evaluation (with the date that you applied) and also a statement from them saying that they are unable to provide an evaluation at this time due to COVID-19. If they can't get you a letter, you should screenshot their webpage with any notices regarding COVID-19 and processing times. Also,  I would personally write my own letter to USCIS explaining the circumstances and that you have applied and paid the evaluation fees but due to COVID-19 the company cannot issue it to you in a timely manner. Also include a copy of the receipt showing you have paid. This will IMO improve your chances of getting an RFE and not giving USCIS any grounds do deny your application. 

 

I think you will be OK if you do the above. It is just what I would personally do in your circumstances. Let me know how you go

Oh my gosh! Thank you for the help, I appreciate it a lot!!  

 

I’m thinking about using the website you recommended and that I’ll hold off to send my AOS package for another three weeks. Did they require you to send in original documents of degree certificate and grades or did your home university have to send them in for you? 
 

thanks again! Your replies has been very helpful.

[YvetteS 178]

22 minutes ago, Matildathulin said:

Oh my gosh! Thank you for the help, I appreciate it a lot!!  

 

I’m thinking about using the website you recommended and that I’ll hold off to send my AOS package for another three weeks. Did they require you to send in original documents of degree certificate and grades or did your home university have to send them in for you? 
 

thanks again! Your replies has been very helpful.

You're very welcome  

 

If you email IEE directly or speak with them on their online chat they are quite helpful in giving advice. 

 

Because my home university participates in something called 'eQuals' I did not have to send them my original documents. eQuals is basically an online program which allows your home university to send official transcripts to an evaluation company using online means (eliminating the need to mail a hard original of your transcripts to an evaluation company). 

 

If your home university does not use eQuals or if it is going to take a long time to have your original documents mailed to IEE, I believe they are also issuing provisional evaluations based on scanned copies of your original documents. You can read more about provisional copies here should this be relevant to you: https://myiee.org/news/2020/03/17/important-updates-regarding-covid-19/ 

 

Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.