Credential Evaluation Services That Get Your Immigration Case Right

Quick Answer: AAE Evaluations provides USCIS-compliant credential evaluation services for immigration, employment, and academic purposes — including course-by-course evaluations, work experience assessments, expert opinion letters for EB-1, EB-2 NIW, H-1B, O-1, and L-1 visas, certified translations, recommendation letters, and immigration business plans. Most evaluations are completed in 2–5 business days, with rush turnaround available.

Key Takeaways:

• AAE covers every credential document type your immigration petition will need — evaluations, expert letters, translations, and business plans in one place.
• Expert opinion letters are available for EB-1, EB-2 NIW, H-1B, O-1, and L-1 visa categories, each written specifically for the USCIS legal standard that applies.
• Ordering your credential evaluation and expert opinion letter together creates a stronger, more consistent petition package.
• Certified translations are USCIS-accepted and handled alongside your evaluation — no third-party coordination needed.
• Rush processing is available when deadlines are tight — call (+1) 813-816-3969 to confirm turnaround.

Getting your credentials recognized in the United States shouldn’t be a guessing game. Whether you’re filing an H-1B petition, pursuing an EB-2 NIW green card, or applying to a U.S. university with a foreign degree, the documentation you submit defines how adjudicators and admissions officers see your qualifications. One wrong evaluation type or an underprepared expert opinion letter can trigger an RFE — or worse, a denial.

AAE Evaluations was built specifically for this. Our credential evaluation services cover every document type that immigration petitioners, international professionals, and students need to make their case — clearly, compliantly, and without the months-long wait other agencies impose. Here’s exactly what we offer.

Credential Evaluation Services

Your foreign degree or diploma doesn’t automatically translate to an American context. Licensing boards, universities, and USCIS adjudicators all need a third-party evaluation to understand what your credential actually represents. That’s what a credential evaluation provides — a written assessment that maps your foreign academic background to its U.S. equivalent.

AAE Evaluations offers three types of credential evaluations, each suited to different situations.

Education Evaluation for USCIS

The standard education evaluation for USCIS is a document-by-document assessment: it confirms your degree level (bachelor’s, master’s, or equivalent) and establishes equivalency without analyzing individual courses. This is what most immigration cases require — it’s the most widely accepted format for I-140 petitions, visa applications, and employer-sponsored immigration.

If your petition requires only a degree equivalency statement, this is the right evaluation. It’s also the evaluation type required in most H-1B education evaluation cases, where USCIS needs to confirm that the beneficiary holds the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree in a specialty occupation field.

Course-by-Course Evaluation

The course-by-course evaluation goes deeper. It analyzes every course listed on your transcript, assigns U.S. credit equivalencies, converts your GPA to a 4.0 scale, and produces a detailed academic profile. This level of detail is required for graduate school admissions, professional licensing boards (medical, engineering, accounting), and some employment-based immigration categories where the specific coursework matters.

Don’t choose this evaluation just because it sounds more thorough — if your immigration petition only requires a degree equivalency, a course-by-course evaluation isn’t what the adjudicator is looking for. When you’re not sure which type fits your situation, contact AAE Evaluations before ordering.

Work Experience Evaluation

Not everyone has the academic credentials that exactly match U.S. degree requirements. The work experience evaluation documents professional experience that — combined with academic credentials or on its own — establishes qualification for a role or visa category.

This is especially common in H-1B cases where the petitioner holds a three-year degree and relies on professional experience to meet the bachelor’s degree equivalency standard. According to USCIS policy guidance, three years of progressive work experience in a specialty field can substitute for one year of university education, making the work experience evaluation a critical document in many petition packages.

Ready to determine which evaluation type fits your case? View pricing and turnaround times or call (+1) 813-816-3969 — we’ll point you to the right evaluation before you order.

Expert Opinion Letters

An expert opinion letter is different from a credential evaluation in one fundamental way: it doesn’t just describe your qualifications — it analyzes them against the specific legal criteria your visa category requires. And in 2026, with USCIS scrutiny increasing across nearly every employment-based category, a well-prepared expert opinion letter is often the difference between an approval and an RFE.

AAE Evaluations provides expert opinion letters for the following visa types.

EB-1 Expert Opinion Letters

EB-1 expert opinion letters address the extraordinary ability and outstanding researcher standards — the legal threshold that EB-1A and EB-1B petitions must clear. These aren’t generic endorsements. An EB-1A expert opinion letter maps the petitioner’s specific achievements — awards, publications, peer review activity, critical roles — against the regulatory criteria at 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(h), and builds the Kazarian two-step argument that USCIS adjudicators follow.

An EB-1C expert opinion letter takes a different approach, focusing on the managerial or executive capacity that multinational transferees must demonstrate. Both are written by experts with genuine field credentials — not generalists producing standard templates.

EB-2 NIW Expert Opinion Letters

The EB-2 NIW petition requires satisfying the three-prong Dhanasar framework: substantial merit and national importance, well-positioned to advance the proposed endeavor, and beneficial to waive the job offer requirement. An EB-2 NIW expert opinion letter from AAE addresses all three prongs in the language USCIS adjudicators expect — with field-specific depth and evidence-mapping that demonstrates both the individual’s qualifications and the national significance of their work.

H-1B Expert Opinion Letters

H-1B RFEs on specialty occupation are at an all-time high. An H-1B expert opinion letter documents why the position qualifies as a specialty occupation under 8 U.S.C. § 1184(i) and why the beneficiary’s specific credentials meet that requirement. If you’ve received an RFE, this letter — prepared specifically around the adjudicator’s concerns — is typically the most effective response document available.

O-1 and L-1 Expert Opinion Letters

The O-1 expert opinion letter establishes extraordinary ability or extraordinary achievement in the beneficiary’s field, with specific examples drawn from the record that map to O-1 regulatory criteria. The L-1 expert opinion letter focuses on the specialized knowledge or executive/managerial capacity required for L-1B and L-1A approvals.

Recommendation Letters

Beyond expert opinion letters, many petitions benefit from corroborating recommendation letters from independent professionals in the petitioner’s field. AAE Evaluations provides recommendation letters for EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, and O-1 visa petitions — written by credentialed experts who carry genuine authority in their fields.

Bundling your credential evaluation and expert opinion letter with AAE means both documents use consistent language and evidence framing — which matters when a USCIS adjudicator reads them side by side. Get a free consultation to discuss your full petition package.

Position-by-Position Evaluation

The position-by-position evaluation documents professional roles held by the petitioner — analyzing job titles, responsibilities, and required qualifications against U.S. occupational standards. This is distinct from a work experience evaluation and is often used to support employer-sponsored petitions where the petitioner’s career trajectory needs to be clearly mapped for an adjudicator.

Certified Translation Services

Foreign-language documents submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a certified English translation — one that attests to accuracy and the translator’s competence. AAE’s certified translation services cover academic transcripts, diplomas, birth certificates, marriage records, and all other immigration-related documents. Translations are delivered in USCIS-accepted format alongside your evaluation when ordered together — no separate vendor coordination required.

This matters more than it sounds. Translation inconsistencies between a credential evaluation and the underlying document can trigger RFEs. Keeping translation and evaluation under one roof eliminates that risk.

Immigration Business Plans

For investor and executive visa categories, a professionally prepared business plan is a petition requirement — not just a formality. AAE Evaluations produces EB-2 NIW business plans, E-2 Treaty Investor business plans, L-1 new office business plans, EB-5 business plans, EB-1C business plans, and O-1 visa business plans — each structured around the evidentiary requirements for that specific visa category.

A well-written immigration business plan doesn’t just satisfy the checklist. It tells a coherent story about the petitioner’s proposed activity in the United States, making the adjudicator’s job easier — and approval more likely.

Why the Right Service Combination Matters

Here’s something most immigration service providers don’t tell you clearly: the document types you need depend on your visa category — and ordering the wrong combination wastes time and money.

Visa Category	Credential Evaluation	Expert Opinion Letter	Business Plan	Recommendation Letters
H-1B	Required	Strongly recommended
EB-2 NIW	Required	Required	Recommended	Recommended
EB-1A	Required	Required		Required
EB-1C	Required	Required	Required
O-1	Required	Required	(if self-employed)	Required
L-1	Required	Required	(L-1 new office)
F-1 / University	Course-by-course

When you’re not sure what combination applies to your case, contact AAE Evaluations — we’ll walk you through exactly what your petition needs before you commit to an order.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a document-by-document and a course-by-course evaluation?

A document-by-document evaluation confirms your degree level and establishes U.S. equivalency — it’s what USCIS requires for most immigration petitions. A course-by-course evaluation goes further, analyzing individual coursework, credit hours, and GPA. University admissions offices and professional licensing boards typically require the course-by-course format; immigration petitions usually do not.

Do I need both a credential evaluation and an expert opinion letter?

In most employment-based immigration cases, yes. Your credential evaluation confirms that your foreign degree is equivalent to a U.S. degree. Your expert opinion letter then analyzes whether your qualifications satisfy the specific visa criteria — specialty occupation for H-1B, extraordinary ability for EB-1A, or the Dhanasar prongs for EB-2 NIW. They serve different evidentiary purposes and USCIS expects both in a complete petition package.

How quickly can AAE Evaluations complete my evaluation?

Standard processing is 2–5 business days for most credential evaluations. Rush processing is available for urgent deadlines. View current turnaround times on the pricing page or call (+1) 813-816-3969 to confirm availability before placing your order.

Can AAE help if I’ve already received an RFE?

Yes. RFE responses are one of our most common engagements. An H-1B expert opinion letter written specifically around the adjudicator’s concerns in your RFE is typically the strongest response document available. The same applies to EB-2 NIW and EB-1 RFEs — contact us immediately when you receive an RFE, since response windows are short.

Are AAE’s evaluations accepted by USCIS?

Yes. AAE Evaluations produces USCIS-compliant reports in formats that meet USCIS evidentiary standards. Check our reviews and ProvenExpert profile for direct feedback from clients whose petitions were approved using AAE documentation.

What documents do I need to send for a credential evaluation?

Typically: certified copies of your diplomas and transcripts, along with any official English translations if documents are in a foreign language. For work experience evaluations, you’ll also need employment verification letters, position descriptions, and other professional documentation. Contact AAE Evaluations for a document checklist specific to your situation.

Get the Right Documents for Your Petition — Without the Guesswork

You now have a clear picture of every service AAE Evaluations offers and when each one applies. The most expensive mistake in immigration is submitting the wrong documentation — or the right documentation prepared at the wrong depth. An RFE costs you time, legal fees, and often months of uncertainty.

AAE Evaluations exists to remove that risk. Whether you need a single credential evaluation or a full petition package — evaluation, expert opinion letter, recommendation letters, certified translations, and a business plan — we coordinate everything as a single engagement so nothing falls through the cracks.

Start your evaluation or consultation — or call us directly at (+1) 813-816-3969. Most evaluations are completed in 2–5 business days.

Already know what you need? View pricing and order online — or pay securely online once you’ve confirmed the right service for your case.

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