What is the process for getting an evaluation or expert opinion letter from AAE Evaluations?

The AAE Evaluations process works as follows: (1) Free case review — contact our team and describe your situation; we assess which documents your petition needs and confirm whether your case is strong enough to support. (2) Order and document submission — pay online and submit your supporting documents such as transcripts, CV, and employment letters. (3) Expert matching and review — for expert opinion letters, we match your case to a credentialed expert in your field and conduct an in-depth review of your background. (4) Drafting and internal review — we draft the evaluation or letter and run it through our internal quality review process. (5) Delivery — you receive your completed documents. (6) Revisions — we accept revision requests within the period noted in your service agreement.

What is AAE Evaluations' policy on technology and data use?

AAE Evaluations takes client data seriously. Regarding data security: documents you submit are handled with confidentiality, our site uses HTTPS encryption for all data in transit, and our payment processors are PCI-compliant. Regarding technology tools: we may use industry-standard tools for project management, document review, communication, and quality control. Where any technology tool is used to assist in drafting or reviewing documents, all output is reviewed and finalized by human professionals — our account coordinators, editors, and expert evaluators. Regarding privacy: we do not share your personal information or case details with third parties except where necessary to complete your evaluation. For full detail, see our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions at aaeevaluations.com.

FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who does AAE Evaluations work with?

AAE Evaluations works with two groups: immigration attorneys handling employment-based cases, and individual self-petitioners preparing their own EB-1A or EB-2 NIW filings. For attorneys, we function as a documentation partner — you provide the case theory, we deliver documents built to support it. For self-petitioners, we guide you through which documents your petition needs and produce them in a format your attorney or USCIS can immediately use.

Q: What is an expert opinion letter, and why does my petition need one?

An expert opinion letter is a formal, independently written assessment authored by a credentialed authority in your field — typically a senior professor, researcher, or recognized industry expert. The letter analyzes your qualifications, your role, or both, in relation to the specific evidentiary standard your visa category requires. USCIS adjudicators review applications across dozens of disciplines every day but are not specialists in your field. An expert opinion letter closes that gap by providing a credentialed, field-specific interpretation of your accomplishments and why they meet the statutory or regulatory threshold for your visa. Expert opinion letters are a standard supporting document for EB-1A, EB-1C, EB-2 NIW, H-1B, L-1A, L-1B, and O-1 petitions, and are one of the most effective tools for responding to a Request for Evidence (RFE).

Q: How is an AAE Evaluations expert opinion letter different from a generic letter?

Every letter AAE Evaluations produces is written specifically for your case. We do not use templates, fill-in-the-blank documents, or recycled language. Before writing begins, our team reviews your full background — credentials, publications, employment history, job duties, and the specific evidentiary criteria your visa category requires. The resulting letter addresses your exact qualifications, references your actual achievements, and is structured to respond to the specific standard USCIS applies for your petition type. USCIS adjudicators see high volumes of expert opinion letters. Generic, vague letters are routinely discounted. A letter that demonstrates genuine field-specific analysis, written by an expert whose credentials are directly relevant to your discipline, carries significantly more weight.

Q: Who writes the expert opinion letters at AAE Evaluations?

AAE Evaluations' expert opinion letters are written or signed by credentialed professionals whose academic or industry background directly aligns with the petitioner's field. Experts in our network include senior faculty at U.S. universities, published researchers, and recognized industry specialists. Every expert is vetted before being brought into a case. We match experts to cases based on field alignment — an evaluator for a biomedical engineering case is not the same as the evaluator for a software architecture case. We do not use generalist evaluators for specialized fields.

Q: What is a credential evaluation, and when do I need one?

A credential evaluation is a formal assessment comparing your foreign education or professional experience to U.S. academic standards. The result is a written report confirming the U.S. degree equivalent of your foreign qualification. You typically need a credential evaluation when applying for an employment-based visa (H-1B, EB-2, EB-3, L-1) and your degree was earned outside the U.S., when responding to a USCIS RFE that questions your educational qualifications, when applying to U.S. graduate programs that require degree equivalency verification, or when meeting professional licensing requirements in regulated fields. AAE Evaluations offers general education evaluations, course-by-course evaluations with GPA conversion, work experience evaluations, and position-by-position evaluations.

Quick answers on credential evaluations, expert opinion letters, business plans, turnaround times, guarantees, and how we work with attorneys and self-petitioners.

Have a question that isn’t answered here? Contact our team — we typically respond within one business day.

General Questions About AAE Evaluations

What services does AAE Evaluations offer?

AAE Evaluations provides the full range of immigration documentation that your petition requires — all from one team:

Credential Evaluations — Education evaluations that establish the U.S. equivalency of your foreign degree for USCIS, employers, and universities. We also offer course-by-course evaluations with GPA and credit equivalency, work experience evaluations for applicants who lack a traditional U.S.-equivalent degree, and position-by-position evaluations for professionals establishing their job-level equivalency.
Expert Opinion Letters — Custom, USCIS-compliant letters for EB-1A and EB-1B, EB-1C, EB-2 NIW, H-1B specialty occupation, L-1A and L-1B, and O-1.
Recommendation Letters — Peer support letters for EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, and O-1 petitions.
Immigration Business Plans — Investor and entrepreneur plans for EB-2 NIW, EB-1A, EB-1C, L-1, O-1, EB-5, and EB-2.

The primary advantage of working with AAE Evaluations is that all of these documents are produced, reviewed, and coordinated by one team. Your attorney files a complete, consistent petition — with no version conflicts between vendors.

Who does AAE Evaluations work with?

We work with two groups: immigration attorneys handling employment-based cases, and individual self-petitioners preparing their own EB-1A or EB-2 NIW filings. For attorneys, we function as a documentation partner — you tell us the case theory, we deliver documents built to support it. For self-petitioners, we guide you through which documents your petition needs and produce them in a format your attorney (or USCIS) can immediately use. If you’re not sure which category fits your situation, request a free case review and we’ll walk you through it.

Is AAE Evaluations accredited or recognized by any official body?

AAE Evaluations has been providing USCIS-compliant credential evaluations and expert opinion letters since 2018, and has processed more than 1,500 cases across 43 nationalities. Our evaluations are accepted by USCIS, universities, and employers nationwide. For credential evaluations specifically, our reports follow the evaluation standards recognized in U.S. immigration proceedings and align with widely accepted academic equivalency frameworks used by U.S. institutions. We’re happy to discuss our evaluation methodology with your attorney if they have specific case requirements. Contact us for more detail.

Expert Opinion Letters

What is an expert opinion letter, and why does my petition need one?

An expert opinion letter is a formal, independently written assessment authored by a credentialed authority in your field — typically a senior professor, researcher, or recognized industry expert. The letter analyzes your qualifications, your role, or both, in relation to the specific evidentiary standard your visa category requires. USCIS adjudicators review applications across dozens of disciplines every day. They are experienced immigration officers — but they are not specialists in your field. An expert opinion letter closes that gap. It gives the adjudicator a credentialed, field-specific interpretation of what you have accomplished and why it meets the statutory or regulatory threshold for your visa. Expert opinion letters are a standard supporting document for EB-1A extraordinary ability, EB-1C multinational executive, EB-2 NIW national interest waivers, H-1B specialty occupation, L-1A and L-1B intracompany transfers, and O-1 extraordinary ability petitions. They are also one of the most effective tools for responding to a Request for Evidence (RFE).

How is an AAE Evaluations expert opinion letter different from a generic letter?

Every letter we produce is written specifically for your case. We do not use templates, fill-in-the-blank documents, or recycled language. Before writing begins, our team reviews your full background — credentials, publications, employment history, job duties, and the specific evidentiary criteria your visa category requires. The resulting letter addresses your exact qualifications, references your actual achievements, and is structured to respond to the specific standard USCIS applies for your petition type. This matters because USCIS adjudicators see high volumes of expert opinion letters. Generic, vague letters are routinely discounted. A letter that demonstrates genuine field-specific analysis, written by an expert whose credentials are directly relevant to your discipline, carries significantly more weight.

Who writes the expert opinion letters?

Our expert opinion letters are written or signed by credentialed professionals whose academic or industry background directly aligns with the petitioner’s field. Experts in our network include senior faculty at U.S. universities, published researchers, and recognized industry specialists. Every expert is vetted before being brought into a case. We match experts to cases based on field alignment — an evaluator for a biomedical engineering case is not the same as the evaluator for a software architecture case. We do not use generalist evaluators for specialized fields.

What if AAE Evaluations or the expert cannot support my case?

Our ethical obligation is to provide accurate, well-supported evaluations. We will not write a letter that the expert cannot genuinely stand behind — doing so would be detrimental to your petition and inconsistent with our standards. If we review your case and determine we cannot support it with confidence, we will tell you clearly and explain why. If your case is rejected after submission, your payment will be returned minus the applicable processing fee (see our pricing page for details). To avoid this entirely, request a free case review before ordering. We’ll assess your background, identify any gaps, and tell you honestly whether your case is strong before you spend anything.

Can you help if I’ve already received an RFE or NOID?

Yes — RFE response letters are among the most common requests we receive. An RFE is not a denial; it’s a specific request for additional evidence. The most effective response addresses each USCIS concern directly, with precision. When you share your RFE with us, our team reads the specific questions USCIS raised and structures the expert letter to answer them. We do not write a general letter and hope it covers the issues — we map our letter to the RFE line by line. Start by contacting our team with the RFE notice. We’ll assess your situation and tell you what documentation we recommend.

Credential Evaluations

What is a credential evaluation, and when do I need one?

A credential evaluation is a formal assessment comparing your foreign education or professional experience to U.S. academic standards. The result is a written report confirming the U.S. degree equivalent of your foreign qualification. You typically need a credential evaluation when:

Applying for an employment-based visa (H-1B, EB-2, EB-3, L-1) and your degree was earned outside the U.S.
Responding to a USCIS RFE that questions your educational qualifications
Applying to U.S. graduate programs that require degree equivalency verification
Meeting professional licensing requirements in regulated fields

We offer general education evaluations, course-by-course evaluations with GPA conversion, work experience evaluations for applicants who built their equivalent qualification through experience rather than a formal degree, and position-by-position evaluations for job-level equivalency.

What is the difference between a credential evaluation and an expert opinion letter?

These two documents serve different evidentiary purposes and are not interchangeable. A credential evaluation establishes what your foreign degree is equivalent to in U.S. terms — for example, that your three-year Indian B.Tech is equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. An expert opinion letter goes further: it provides a field expert’s independent analysis of why your qualifications — including your degree, work experience, and accomplishments — meet the specific requirements of a particular visa category or job role. For many petitions, both documents are appropriate and work together. The credential evaluation provides the factual equivalency baseline; the expert opinion letter contextualizes it within the visa standard. If you’re unsure which your case requires, request a free case review.

What is a work experience evaluation, and when does it apply?

A work experience evaluation is used when a petitioner has built their qualifications through professional experience rather than (or in addition to) a formal degree. Under U.S. immigration law and USCIS policy, professional experience can be counted toward degree equivalency in certain visa categories — most commonly H-1B specialty occupation petitions. The rule of thumb often cited is that three years of progressively responsible experience in the field can be treated as equivalent to one year of college education, up to the bachelor’s level. Our work experience evaluations document and assess this equivalency in a format USCIS recognizes. If you’re unsure whether this applies to your case, contact us for a free review.

Turnaround Times & Process

How long does it take to receive my evaluation or expert opinion letter?

Turnaround times vary by service type, current case volume, and whether you select standard or rush processing. Our pricing page shows current timelines for each service at the time of ordering — we recommend checking there for the most accurate estimates. As a general guideline:

Credential evaluations are typically faster, as they are document-based assessments.
Expert opinion letters require more time — expert matching, background review, drafting, and quality review all take place before delivery.
Rush processing is available for many services and reduces turnaround significantly.

If you’re working against an attorney’s filing deadline, let us know when you place your order and we’ll confirm whether your timeline is achievable.

What is the process from start to finish?

Here’s how working with AAE Evaluations typically works:

Free case review — You contact our team and describe your situation. We assess which documents your petition needs and confirm whether your case is strong enough to support.
Order and document submission — You pay online and submit your supporting documents (transcripts, CV, employment letters, etc.).
Expert matching and review — For expert opinion letters, we match your case to a credentialed expert in your field and conduct an in-depth review of your background.
Drafting and internal review — We draft the evaluation or letter and run it through our internal quality review process.
Delivery — You receive your completed documents. For expert opinion letters, this includes the signed letter in the format your attorney requires.
Revisions — We accept revision requests within the period noted in your service agreement (see our guarantee policy below).

Guarantees & Quality

What guarantees does AAE Evaluations offer?

We guarantee the quality of our work. We do not guarantee USCIS approval — and any provider that claims otherwise is making a promise they cannot legally or ethically keep. Our quality guarantee works as follows:

Within the revision window specified in your service agreement, you or your attorney may request modifications at no additional charge for the following: factual errors on our part, wording changes, omissions of key details about your case, or other corrections that improve the accuracy of the evaluation.
If we or the expert cannot agree with a suggested change — because we believe the original assessment is accurate — we will explain our reasoning. Our ethical obligation is to the integrity of the evaluation, not to telling you what you want to hear.
Subsequent changes that alter the fundamental parameters of your evaluation may be subject to additional fees.

For third-party services and external tools we use in our process, those services carry their own terms. Any payments or guarantees specific to third-party providers are governed by their own agreements.

What if I disagree with the evaluation’s conclusions?

We welcome substantive discussion. If you believe the evaluation contains a factual error or has missed important information about your background, bring it to us — we take those concerns seriously and will review the matter with the expert. What we will not do is change a conclusion we believe to be accurate simply because you disagree with it. An expert opinion letter that does not reflect the expert’s genuine assessment is not a credible document, and submitting one creates risk for your petition. If your case is rejected outright because it falls below our standards, your payment is refunded minus the applicable processing fee. To avoid that scenario, start with a free case review before you order.

Pricing & Payment

How much do AAE Evaluations’ services cost?

Our full, transparent pricing is available on our pricing page. Fees vary by service type, visa category, and turnaround speed. Rush processing is available at an additional cost for most services. We do not hide fees or add charges after the fact. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay — unless a revision request falls outside the scope of the original order, in which case we’ll communicate any additional cost before proceeding. You can pay securely through our online payment portal.

Is your payment platform secure?

Yes. All payments are processed through PCI-compliant payment platforms. PCI compliance (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) means that your card data is handled according to rigorous security requirements — we never store your payment card information ourselves. Our site uses HTTPS encryption (look for the padlock icon in your browser’s address bar), which means that any data you submit while browsing or uploading documents is encrypted in transit.

Working with Immigration Attorneys

Do you work directly with immigration attorneys?

Yes — and many of our clients are law firms or solo immigration attorneys who use us as their documentation partner on employment-based cases. We coordinate directly on case strategy when needed. Attorneys tell us the petition theory; we produce documents built to support it. We can communicate directly with your attorney’s office on document logistics, revision requests, and case timelines. If you’re an attorney looking to establish an ongoing referral relationship, reach out directly and we’ll walk you through how we typically work with counsel.

Can you help with the business plan side of the petition as well?

Yes. We produce immigration business plans for EB-2 NIW, EB-1A, EB-1C, EB-5, EB-2, L-1, and O-1 visa petitions. Having one team handle the expert opinion letter and the business plan together ensures the two documents tell a consistent story — which matters in NIW petitions in particular, where the proposed endeavor described in the business plan must align with the national interest argument in the expert letter.

Legal Advice & Scope of Services

Does AAE Evaluations offer legal advice?

No — and we are transparent about that. We are an evaluation and documentation firm, not an immigration law firm. We do not provide legal advice, legal strategy, or attorney-client representation. What we do provide is accurate, USCIS-compliant supporting documentation. If you need legal advice on your immigration case, you need a licensed immigration attorney. We regularly work alongside immigration attorneys and can coordinate with yours on document production. If you don’t yet have an attorney, contact us and we can point you in the right direction.

What is your policy on technology and data use?

We take client data seriously. Here’s how we handle it:

Data security — Documents you submit to us are handled with confidentiality. Our site uses HTTPS encryption for all data in transit, and our payment processors are PCI-compliant.
Technology tools — We may use industry-standard tools for project management, document review, communication, and quality control. Where any technology tool is used to assist in drafting or reviewing documents, all output is reviewed and finalized by human professionals — our account coordinators, editors, and expert evaluators.
Privacy — We do not share your personal information or case details with third parties except where necessary to complete your evaluation (such as engaging the expert assigned to your case). For full detail, see our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

Still Have Questions?

The fastest way to get an answer specific to your case is to contact our team directly. We respond within one business day, and a free case review costs you nothing. If you’re ready to move forward, view our pricing or pay online. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice, nor is it intended to do so. For legal advice on your immigration matter, please consult a licensed immigration attorney.