An H-1B petition can look complete and still stall on a single page: a credential evaluation that says "equivalent to a US bachelor's degree" without showing how it got there. USCIS does not evaluate foreign degrees. The employer submits a foreign degree evaluation from a credentials evaluation service, plus the diploma and transcript with certified English translations, and the officer decides whether the evidence adds up.
The evaluation is only as good as the documents underneath it. Here is what the regulations require, how the three-for-one rule works, and how to prepare translations that satisfy both the evaluator and USCIS.
What does USCIS require to prove a foreign degree is equivalent?
Holding "a foreign degree determined to be equivalent to a United States baccalaureate or higher degree required by the specialty occupation" is one of four ways an H-1B worker qualifies under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(C). The others are a US degree, an unrestricted state license for the occupation, or a combination of education, specialized training and progressively responsible experience equivalent to the degree, with recognition of expertise.
Since January 17, 2025, the regulation also spells out what "related" means. A specialty occupation requires a degree "in a directly related specific specialty," and directly related means "there is a logical connection between the required degree, or its equivalent, and the duties of the position." For translations, that puts weight on a line most people skim: the field of study and specialization printed on the diploma.
For the combination route, 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(D) lists five ways to show equivalence:
- An evaluation from an official at an accredited college or university with authority to grant credit for training and/or experience.
- Results of recognized college-level equivalency exams, such as CLEP or PONSI.
- An evaluation of education by a reliable credentials evaluation service that specializes in foreign educational credentials.
- Certification or registration from a nationally recognized professional association in the specialty.
- A determination by USCIS itself, based on education, training and/or experience plus recognition of expertise.
Read item 3 closely: an evaluation service evaluates education. When work experience must make up a gap, the evidence comes through item 1 (a qualifying university official) or item 5 (USCIS's own determination). Some evaluators say so openly. ECE, for example, states: "we do not assess work experience as part of our services."
How does the three-for-one rule work for H-1B?
The rule is one sentence in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(D): "three years of specialized training and/or work experience must be demonstrated for each year of college-level training the alien lacks." A three-year degree plus three years of qualifying experience can therefore stand in for a four-year US bachelor's. For equivalence to a master's degree, the beneficiary needs a bachelor's degree followed by at least five years of experience in the specialty.
The experience must clear three conditions:
- it included the theoretical and practical application of specialized knowledge required by the occupation;
- it was gained working with peers, supervisors or subordinates who hold a degree or its equivalent in the specialty;
- the beneficiary has recognition of expertise, shown by at least one of: recognition by two recognized authorities in the specialty, membership in a recognized association, published material by or about the beneficiary, a foreign license to practice the occupation, or achievements a recognized authority calls significant contributions to the field.
The regulation also sets the form of the evidence: letters from employers or recognized authorities must describe the beneficiary's recognition and ability "in factual terms" and set out the writer's own expertise. That is why three-for-one cases multiply translations:
- employment verification letters from each foreign employer, with dates, title, duties and hours;
- proof that supervisors or colleagues held degrees in the specialty;
- foreign professional licenses or registrations;
- published articles or press coverage;
- the diploma and transcript for whatever college study was completed.
Every one of these in a foreign language needs a full, certified translation. Our guide to employment letters and pay stubs covers what those letters must contain.
Does an H-1B degree evaluation work for a green card?
Not automatically. Under 8 CFR 204.5(k)(2), an advanced degree for EB-2 is a US or foreign equivalent degree above the bachelor's, and "a United States baccalaureate degree or a foreign equivalent degree followed by at least five years of progressive experience in the specialty" counts as a master's equivalent.
For EB-3 professionals, 8 CFR 204.5(l)(3)(ii)(C) requires "a United States baccalaureate degree or a foreign equivalent degree," proved by an official college or university record showing the date the degree was awarded and the area of concentration. The H-1B rule that lets experience fill a degree gap has no counterpart in that definition, so an H-1B case built on three-for-one does not carry over. Where the labor certification accepts an equivalent combination, the USCIS Policy Manual notes, the worker may still qualify as an EB-3 skilled worker instead.
Either way, the officer decides. In its chapter on education credentials, the Policy Manual says an evaluation "is solely advisory in nature; the final determination continues to rest with the officer," citing Matter of Sea, Inc., 19 I&N Dec. 817 (Comm. 1988). Officers may credit an evaluation that makes "a credible, logical, and well-documented case," while opinions that are "merely conclusory" carry little weight.
Which credential evaluator should you use: NACES or AICE?
No US government agency licenses credential evaluators. NACES says it was founded as a trade association in 1987 "in the absence of a US government agency that monitors such services." Two associations matter in practice:
| Association | What it is | Members include |
|---|---|---|
| NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) | Trade association with membership standards; its members, not NACES, do the evaluations | World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), Josef Silny and Associates, SpanTran: The Evaluation Company, Foundation for International Services, International Education Research Foundation, Educational Perspectives, Globe Language Services |
| AICE (Association of International Credential Evaluators) | Association of evaluation services with endorsed members | Foreign Credentials Service of America, Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Scholaro, SDR Educational Consultants, Evaluation Service, Inc. |
Membership changes. The NACES list dated June 2026 has 18 members, and A2Z Evaluations (left December 2024), Evaluation Service, Inc. (left December 2022) and International Academic Credential Evaluators (left December 2025) now appear as former members. Check the live lists before you order.
For H-1B and other immigration filings, a document-by-document evaluation is usually enough; WES describes that report as suitable for "submission to U.S. immigration authorities." A course-by-course evaluation adds US credit and grade equivalents and a GPA, and is the standard for universities and most licensing boards. If the same report will later support a state license, see our guide to professional licensing with foreign credentials.
Can I translate my own documents for a credential evaluation?
It depends on the evaluator, and two of the best-known ones disagree:
- WES requires translations that are "exact and word-for-word," completed by a professional translator, and does not accept "translations completed by applicants." It also warns that "unofficial documents or student copies might not correspond exactly to the official versions" and recommends asking your institution for two sets of documents, one for WES and one for the translator.
- ECE says you "may prepare the translations yourself, as long as they are complete, literal, word-for-word, and in the same format as the original document."
Here is the catch. The diploma and transcript copies in the petition go to USCIS, and 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires a full English translation "which the translator has certified as complete and accurate," plus the translator's certification of competence. A self-translation that ECE accepted is not that. One professional certified translation, used for both, saves paying twice. Our USCIS certified translation requirements guide explains the certification.
Country documents evaluators expect
| Country | Documents | Translation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Russia | Diplom plus prilozhenie k diplomu (diploma supplement) | The supplement is the transcript: every discipline, its hours and grade. Translate every page, including hour totals. |
| Ukraine | Dyplom plus dodatok do dyplomu | European-format supplements often show ECTS credits and national grades side by side; keep both. |
| China | Graduation certificate (biye zhengshu) and degree certificate (xuewei zhengshu), issued separately | Translate both; they prove different things. |
| Germany | Urkunde, Zeugnis, Transcript of Records, Diploma Supplement | The 1.0 to 5.0 scale runs in reverse to US grades. Never convert it. |
| Mexico | Título profesional, certificado de estudios, cédula profesional | The cédula is the professional license and can support licensure evidence. |
| Brazil | Diploma, histórico escolar | The histórico carries course hours (carga horária), which drive credit calculations. |
What a translation for credential evaluation must show
- Every course title exactly as written. The evaluator decides the US equivalent. See our academic transcript translation guide.
- Every hour, credit and grade in the original scale, with the scale reproduced if the document states it.
- The degree title translated literally, with the original in brackets, for example "Specialist [Spetsialist]," not "Master's degree."
- Field of study and specialization (spetsialnost), because the degree must be directly related to the job.
- Dates of study and award, stamps, seals, signatures and registration numbers, including those on the reverse.
- Names spelled as in the passport, consistently across diploma, transcript and petition forms.
Why evaluations and petitions get questioned
A converted grade scale. A translator who turns a Russian "5 (excellent)" into "A" has done the evaluator's job badly and created an inconsistency the officer may spot.
Upgraded degree titles. Rendering a bakalavr as "Bachelor of Science (Honors)," or a three-year degree as a "four-year program," invites a Request for Evidence and damages credibility.
Experience counted in an education-only report. Without a qualifying university official or a USCIS determination behind it, the conversion does not fit 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(D).
Specialty mismatch. A degree in "Economics of Enterprise" behind a software engineering role needs a logical connection to the duties, and only a full course list can show one.
Checklist before you order an evaluation
Questions people ask
Does USCIS require a NACES member for an H-1B degree evaluation?
No regulation names NACES. 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(iii)(D)(3) refers only to "a reliable credentials evaluation service which specializes in evaluating foreign educational credentials," and NACES or AICE membership is a common way to show reliability.
Can a credential evaluation company count my work experience under the three-for-one rule?
Not on its own authority. Under the regulation, an evaluation service evaluates education; experience-based equivalency comes from a university official with authority to grant credit for experience, or from USCIS itself. Ask any company offering an experience evaluation who signs it.
Is a three-year bachelor's degree enough for an H-1B?
It can be, when the evaluation combines it with further education or with qualifying experience under the three-for-one rule. For an EB-3 professional green card the definition requires a foreign equivalent degree with no experience substitute, so plan the strategy with your attorney before the green card stage.
Do I need a certified translation if the evaluator accepts my own translation?
For the evaluator, perhaps not, since ECE accepts complete, word-for-word self-translations. For USCIS, yes: every foreign-language document in the petition needs a translator's certification of completeness, accuracy and competence under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3). One professional translation used for both avoids paying twice.
Should grades be converted to US grades in the translation?
No. The translation reproduces the original grades and scale exactly, and conversion is the evaluator's work. A translation that converts grades can be rejected or contradict the evaluation.
Is the evaluation binding on the USCIS officer?
No. The Policy Manual calls evaluations "solely advisory" and leaves the final decision to the officer. A detailed evaluation that matches the translated documents carries far more weight than a one-line conclusion.
How much does it cost to translate a diploma and transcript?
Official Translations charges $29.95 per page for a certified translation. A diploma is usually delivered within 24 hours, and a multi-page transcript or diploma supplement typically takes one to three business days, delivered as a signed PDF by email.