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I am planning to move from Pakistan to USA and I have completed and achieved a BsCS(hons.) in Pakistan.

I have worked in software industry as a PHP developer in Pakistan for 1 and half year.

How will most employers in the US view this degree? Will it be treated similarly to a degree from a US University with regards to employment requirements? Is there anything I can do to convince a prospective employer to treat my degree as a credible degree?

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  • I have worked with plenty of Devs in the US who have degrees from other countries or even no degree at all.
    – HLGEM
    Commented Oct 23, 2015 at 17:04
  • Many employers will accept a degree from Pakistian. Will they accept your degree or should you get a degree here is not a question we can answer. But I think a good question exists here in how to sell your degree from a foriegn university for a job in the US and I think it will help you.
    – IDrinkandIKnowThings
    Commented Oct 23, 2015 at 17:18
  • Does OP have any experience with International baccalaureate degrees?
    – Bluebird
    Commented Oct 24, 2015 at 4:41
  • It would help to know what field your degree is in and what area you're applying for. Some professions have requirements for degrees in order to get certifications (civil engineers, doctors, etc.). Many do not. The correct answer would be very much dependent on your field.
    – Wesley Long
    Commented Oct 24, 2015 at 18:29
  • @WesleyLong see my question now
    – Umair Ayub
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 7:21

2 Answers 2

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The first thing you have to do is get your degree notarized by the HEC (Higher Education Commission) in Pakistan. This ensures your degree is genuine and from an institution that's accredited.

Next, you need to validate the HEC stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Once you have done this, if required - you may want to translate the documents to English; however this is rarely required as most certificates in Pakistan are already in English.

Once you land the US, you need to visit the Pakistan consulate and have them validate the stamp of the MOFA in Pakistan; this ensures that the stamps are genuine.

If you have done the above, then your degree is sufficient to apply and validate as far as a job is concerned; as in jobs generally experience trumps degrees (unless its a junior/starter position).

If you need to validate the degree to get your equivalency (this may or may not be required); you need to visit any number of NACES certified members which will provide your equivalency for the US.

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  • This is really helpful thanks ... Would you recommend taking DMC(detailed marks sheet) to US? Or just the degree?
    – Umair Ayub
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 14:07
  • The DMC may be required for equivalency; but if needed the NACES members will let you know. Normally equivalency is done for the purposes of transfer of certification (for example, a doctor, nurse or similar) or the continuation of studies (for example, post graduate in the US based on an undergraduate degree). For the purposes of job eligibility, a DMC is not necessary. If you plan on getting your equivalency done - then I suggest you bring it along.
    – Burhan Khalid
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 15:29
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    @Umair I'd suggest getting multiple copies of all official documents before you leave. You might not need them; but getting them after you've flown to the USA is going to be much harder than while you're still in Pakistan.
    – Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 17:42
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It depends. If you are applying for a larger organization or one with an active Human Resources department you are going to need to be prepared with a statement from a credential evaluation service. The USA doesn't have a central body to recognize international credentials (source) but you are going to be expected to have a statement from one of the many independent credential verification services that verifies your credentials.

NACES is the credential verification service I've been most exposed to but given that there are a variety of these you would likely be able to find one more suited to your background. If you would like to look at others you can Google "credential evaluation services in usa".

If you are applying to work for a smaller firm/business (such a small development firm) it is more than likely that they won't have these processes in place. Purely having your degree and statement of results on hand should satisfy what they're looking for but having your credentials verified by a third party certainly wouldn't hurt!

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