Immigration does not end when a person enters a country; it is a long process with many steps. One barrier that the credential evaluation industry seeks to address in its work is recognition of prior educational achievements by the immigrant population. The United States government does not offer its own credential evaluation services; rather, it relies on the work of nongovernmental organizations.
Even for citizens of the United States, any study that was taken abroad would need to be evaluated by a credential evaluation agency, in many cases. On the U.S. Department of State website, it states that “foreign transcripts will not be accepted” as an acceptable form of qualification earned to apply for a job with the United States government. Foreign credentials would not be accepted by the United States government for its own citizens.
Breaking Down Immigration Barriers Through Credential Evaluation
Each country has its own education systems, and while patterns can be found, it takes years of training and practical experience for an evaluator at IEE to accurately contextualize each situation. As each country’s history and education system is unique, so too is each student’s educational journey. For higher education institutions, employers, professional boards, and even the United States government, there is often not enough time or resources to fully understand the foreign qualifications that candidates have completed. This can lead to people being denied opportunities, as well as overqualified candidates being placed in inadequate positions. It is an unfortunately common story that immigrants are overqualified for their current roles. To attract more qualified candidates and promote global mobility, we must rely on credential evaluation agencies.
One type of credential evaluation is for immigration. For immigration purposes, credential evaluation agencies seek to add context to the student’s true qualifications. The Department of State’s requirement is to have “an evaluation from a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services:
- National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is an association of 19 credential evaluation services with admission standards and an enforced code of good practice.
- Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services with a board of advisors and an enforced code of ethics.”
How IEE Supports Foreign Students in Credential Evaluation
International Education Evaluations (IEE) has been a member of NACES since 2018. NACES and AICE provide quality control, oversight, and a code of ethics to their member organizations. A requirement of a senior evaluations staff ensures that evaluations completed by its members are given with the highest level of expertise possible.
For foreign students that wish to continue their educational journey in another country, they face that same potential misunderstanding of their credentials. Some colleges and universities do have evaluators employed, and many partner with credential evaluation agencies to assess the students readiness for its programs. These colleges and universities are not held to AICE and NACES standards, but their own opinions and internal resources. This can cause differences in opinions, or a fully qualified student being denied entry into higher education. The value of educated candidates for employment cannot be understated in terms of its help to a person’s development, as well as the support for the country that they reside in. IEE’s credential evaluation service seeks to remove barriers for foreign students and help bolster professional success.
While universities and some government agencies may have adequate staffing and qualifications to address the question of foreign qualifications, many employers that would help the candidates positively contribute to the economy of the country will most likely not have a staff that is prepared to accurately assess the qualifications of applicants from other countries. Recruiters may overlook foreign candidates because of this, leaving valuable experiences and knowledge unused.
IEE’s Contribution to the Healthcare Sector Amid the Nursing Shortage
The medical field is a vital area of employment, and few countries can afford to be short on medical staff. The United States is currently experiencing a nursing shortage that IEE has been taking steps to address. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “[from] 2020 to 2021, the number of registered nurses in the workforce decreased by over 100,000, marking the most substantial decline in the last forty years.” Burnout from COVID-19 and a record low enrollment of students in U.S. nursing programs are a few reasons why the United States is seeing a nursing shortage. According to the Chamber of Commerce’s findings, the nursing shortage is also leading to hospital closures. IEE seeks to close this gap by helping qualified internationally educated nurses gain employment and licensure by boards of nursing in the United States.
As of November 2024, IEE has partnered with 15 state boards of nursing. The IEE nursing evaluation report can help the boards of nursing determine the authenticity of the documents, the level to which a program has readied the candidate for medical practice, and any specializations obtained by the Internationally Educated Nurse. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce states that “qualified international nurses and health aides have become essential to the [healthcare] industry.” Yet, many immigration laws and policies currently in place can bar qualified nurses from contributing to the healthcare system in a meaningful way. At a time when U.S.-educated nurses are burning out, fewer nurses are being trained, hospitals are closing, and the country is grappling with the effects of COVID-19, a credential evaluation agency can help place nurses ready to join the healthcare workforce.
How Credential Evaluation Promotes Global Mobility and Success
Foreign students and immigrants are confronted with barriers to using their legitimately earned qualifications. IEE is dedicated to serving its clients and partners in various fields; credential evaluation agencies are here to help foreign students finally get adequate credit for hard work completed abroad.
Sources:
- https://time.com/6284104/nursing-shortage-crisis-immigration-reform/
- https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/nursing-workforce-data-center-a-national-nursing-crisis
- https://www.state.gov/global-community-liaison-office/family-member-employment/family-member-employment-in-the-d-c-area/evaluation-of-foreign-degrees/
- https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20Health%20Workforce,full%2Dtime%20RNs%20in%202030.
