dismissed EB-3 Case: Software Engineering

'US. Citizenship 
and Immigration 
Services 
PETIT%ON: Imn~igrar~t peiilion for Alien iVolkerr as a Skilled Worker or $'rofessionai purs~ant to 
Section ^IO:".ilb)43) of rhe Imn-tjgrafion and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.V. fj 1 1 S.;(b)(3) 
.- . 
Ihis 3s the decision oi'trle i%dinlr:istrative tlppi.als Office in your case. All documents have been returtled to 
the office Illat originall:; decided jio?ir case. Any fitrlt~er inyui~y n:ust be made to Q~ai ofllce. 
DISCUSSION: 'I'he preference visa priitii311 %'a:: &:-tied by the Director, Califc,r!~ia Srrl~ice Center, and is 
iiow before the Admjnistratii/e Appeals Ofiice (A.A(:)) on appeal. The appeal will be dismissed. 
The petitioner is a teiecommunication tesriiig. eqiipment ~aalsiifacturer. It seeks to ernploy ihe beneficial?; 
permarnenl1y in the United States as a sofiivase engineer. As -reqilired by statute, a Fonn ETA 750, 
Appijcatican for Alien Ernployrt~erii Certi5cat;on approtred by tile Department of T..abor accon?parzies ik 
petition. The director deiennirred that 81e petiticrner had not established that the beneficla3-y has tlie college 
degr-er required by tlx preference classificatic.1-I for whicl: the Alien Ernploynlerii Certification accon-tjjalzying 
the petition specified and denied the pcssitio:~ accordii:gly. 
On appea;, the cnunsel si~brnits a brief. 
Section 2(53(b)(:3)(A)(i) of the Act, 8 1i.S.C. 9 1153(b)(3)(AB(i). prrsvides for gai:ting preference 
classifica~ion to qualiikxl inrmigs-slits who ;Ire capable; at [he lime of petiiicming for ciassit:catinn unde~ this 
pal-aqaph, of perfornlii~g skijled jabor (requiring at least two years lrairling or expcri~ncs). not of a ts!-nporarry 
nature, for which q~salified vy.oskers are i:ot available in the United States. 
Tbc regulation at 8 CIX 5 204.50)(3)(ii) statrs, in pertinent pat: 
(A) C~ncval. Any req~tirei~ients oi'trainirrg tlrl- expel-ience fix- skilled workers, professionals, or 
other- wor'kers nzust be supported by letters frrrm trainers or employers giving the nanie, address, 
and tlrle of the trainer or employer, and a ilescriptiora sf the trainir~g received or tlie experience of 
the al icn . 
(B) ,SA:iIIipd uujha:r. If the petition is $?.?r- a sklled worker, the petition inirst he accompanied by 
evide~lce that the alien meets the educational, training or experience. and any other requirense~zts 
of the iridividr.ral lalmr cer-tificatirjn, meets the requirerrients for Schedule A desigxation, or- n:.eets 
the requirerneilts fbr the Z,abor Market Infc~mation Piloi Proganl bsccspal-ion designation. 'The 
rnir~irrruiri reyaiiements for this classification are a: lease two years oftraining or experiel~cs. 
Section 203(b)(3)(A)(ii] 01 tile Iinn~igration 2nd Nationality Act (the Act), 8 U.S.C. $ 13;53(b)(3)(A)(i!:)* 
~~rovides for granting ?reference classiticarior! to qualified in~migranis who hold baccalaureate degrees aild 
are mrrnl~er!: of the pr,rofessions. 
The regtrlr-lllc~n a? 8 C.F.R. 3 304.5(1)(2) Ltales, 1rl perlirrzrlt parr: 
"Prq(';ssiorra/ means a qilalified alien who holds ai least a United; States bacca?:aureate degree 
crr a iilreiF eqcri-vaierit degree and 5vho is a n~en~her ofthe pr~fessinns." 
'T'he i.egu1atio11 at 8 C.F.R. 3 204.5(I)(3)(ii)(C) states, rn pei"rinent j?,?rt: 
P3rqfissiirnciis. 
 Tf the peti.iion is for a pri?fessional, tile petition must he sccor~ganied by 
evidence that the alien holds a kiniteci States bacca1a:lreate degree or a foreign equivalent 
degree ai:d by evideizce that the alien is a rnetnixr of the pmfessicms. Evidence of ;i 
baccaiaiireate degree shall be in Qlc: form of an csffj'ricial college or university record showing 
tlie date the baccalrireate degree was awarded and the area of ccrnccntratiun of sttldy. 
If the petlition is for a p~cstkssjonal pursuanc to 8 C.F.R.$204.5jl), then, the petitioner rrrusi dernonstt-ate that 
the beneficiary received a United States bsc~aliiureate degree or m equivalent foreign degree prior to the 
prionty date, :he day the For-n~ E'YA 756 ivas ziccepted fbr pi-ocessing by aiiy office within the einployment 
systen-r of fbe Ueparcment of Labor, Here, tlx Porn7 ETA 7% was accepted fbr processing on Septerrlhes 10. 
2001. The petrtioner selected in Part 2, box *'e" (sf ihe 1-130 pelidan. That selecticrr~ states, ".A skilled worker 
... 
(requiring ar least two years ctf specialized traini-ng or experience) or prvfessioiraI 
 ." 
'1'0 determine u,lretf-lcr a Irrcncficiary is eiih5bie for ai; emplop~ent based i~rmiqant visa, Citizenship & 
Iln,ri~ip-arion Services (CIS) musf cxa~nisle whether the alien's. credentials meet the requirements set fbit1-1 in the 
labor ceriificatiorr. In ervaluating the beneficiary's qu;difications, CIS nnusr: look to the job offer porticrri ofthe 
labor ccrlificai3on I<? deiennine thr required qriaiificslions for the pusitim:. CIS nray not jpore 3 tern? of the 
labor ccriificatri?n; nix may it inxpose additronal requirements, See d.fafte.r qf' Sbl'~vr Drag-on C'hijlms 
deslu~trcxni, 19 l&N 19ec. 4631. 406 (Cotrun. !,986). .%a: nl.co. !Wrndunj. v. Srnl'ih, 696 F.2d 1008, {D.i'. Cir. 
1953 ); K.R.K. k:j/.~i!z~, kc. 1'. La~zdon: 699 F.26 I006 (9th GI-. 1983): S~e~i,ar-~ hJi-a-Red 4_i,mp~:i.~,s.ar~r ?f' 
i2fassac*hirsett.s, Ittc. 31. 6komey. 661 F.2d I {l si Cir. 198 1). 
In the insai:t case, Forn-r E'T'A 750 :9; iiem 14 describes the reyni~-emcrzts of the pro-f'fered position ad occupatio~ 
of sr?i-lx~fare engineer as follows: 
1 4. 
 Edtlcaiio-n {el~tcr nuniber of y ears) ............... C ., 
jr dJe School .... C 
a-Iigt1 School c: 
Cojiege - c: 
College Degree Required 
 -- Bacl.lelc:~r of ..................... Science 
Majcx Fieid of Study 
 C:oinpilter S.1cikg.~ 
'I'rainlng Blank 
Experience .................. 
Job Offered .................. 
N~it~?.ber -Years Mos. - I :'0 
R.elati.d Occupation .................. 
N:lnlbt:r -Yeas Mas. Blank 
Related Occupation ... .................. 
Specjt:). LZl3;nk 
'I'lr empjoyer who is the pe:itio~ner has pl-ep::re~l the ahc'.ve ETA 750 it as an essel~tial part sf 5-te labor 
cenificaflcx-t process used to suypoi~ a preference visa putition that is ernpio!in:erit based. 'I'he emplnyer who 
desires to employ an alien in the United States rnust undertake a multiple siep process as directed by the 
iinited Statrs Deparf;rner:t of Labor v,41ich, once approved? ccrtifks the Alien Employment AppIicatioz for the 
occupatir:tn based :>pan the above criieria. In the prrsent case, the above requiremenis also state that the 
occupation o:'soft~~are engineer has a coilepe degee c>r its equivalent, in the ~onzputer science field. 
Along with Form ETA 750, I'ag ?-I, set forth above, tize employer also is required to submit Fom-r E'l'h 750, 
Fan B illat is a "Sutierrren: of Qi~alificatinrts of Alien." Part HS ideritit',es the alien. specifjss his current and 
prospective adclrrss ii: thc I.?nited States, his educaiion includir~g irade and vocation training; and lists his 
work experiesce. 
'The Fonn ETA 750 F3art B prepared by the berieiiciary states the follosving educzition history: 
%31ock 1 i 
Nalnes and Addresses of Schoois, C:'cjlleges, and Universities Attended 
 (including trade or s~ocatiotlai 
trajniijg facilities) 
&&-~!!g.j:!.S1!>jyg!::i.ty, Seoul, Kcrreri 
Field of St~idy 
From . . . [rno.b<[ 
'Yo . . ~ [3no,/yT.j 
Drgrees crr CertiRcates Receivcd 
E.jg!r%-g?_cs Engineering 
MAR 1990 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
FEB 1.99.6 
U.S. EIt.ct.r:~~jc.s..E.ng~i~eg~:~;":g 
Field of St~rdy 
From . . . [1-r1o.:'::rj 
To . . . [rrio./yr-,j 
Degrees or Certificates Received 
i.'omputer Info Svsterns 
AUG ... 1039 
IAN 2000 
. . . - . - . . . . -- 
D:)iAk!!nn Prouarn Certificate 
The petitioner su'omiged ar: education evaluation rei_zor2 rnentio~led below, and. counsel prc~vided a descriptlorl 
of the berreficiary's relevartrl ~ndustry experience as of' Ole priority date. 
On appeal counsel prcrrvidcd copies of the following di?curnents as additional evidence: a legal brief; the 
beneficiary's resurne; a translated summary of SQ Techrrolugics' Ltd. ~.;leb page; verification of empioyrnent 
of the beneficiary by SQ Technologies l.,td.; the beneficiary's certiiicatc of career uiitj-t SQ 'T'echnologies' 
I.td.; CIS Notice of Action crlucumcnts rclafeci to the beneficiary's temporary worker status; a copy of' the 
i>eneficiarj's visa; ;m educaiioilai evaluat~on report dated February 14. 2005, by the Fo;miiation Icjr 
Internntionil Services Tnc.; the bei-reticinry's educational tran::cripts; arid, Oracle br-oficiency certificates fi>r 
training. 
As tnentioncd. Qxe drrecror deterrnirlest 1h2t the pztitioner I:ait .not established tkir the bmei'iciary l-rad thc 
college degree required I>y the pref'erence ciassification for which the Alien Ernploynrent Certification 
accornparryir~g the petition specified and deriied the position accordingly on January 5,2005. 
On ap~regl, the co~~rrisel asserts that the bentSj"jcary's combined ?r-ofessioi:al experience and educarionol 
bnckground equates to a Uacileior's degree in cornpuler si:ier:cc. Counsel raises an issue concerning 
'kpparent inconsistencies in dates of education and work experierlce but this issue was not ralsed in ihe 
dir-ectol-'s decision and it will not bc discussed here. 
Fetiticrner's clear intent is expressed in ihe certified :liirn'E;qpinyn~ent Application. A bachelor's of science 
college degree is requii-ed in the computer science iield Gf study. Note that even if this petitivrs were 
consideresl undcr thr skilied worker replaaions, rhc rl-sr!It xvouid he thc same. !ti-hile it is clear that 
regulations governing the skilled worker ciassiikation do not contain a baccalaureate. degree requiren~ent, GTS 
is still bound by the regulaticjns a:.id ;!hove-cited case law to require the petitiiwer arrcl berreficiary to n~eei the 
reo,irire~ae~-tfs specified on the ETA-758. 5'ts;cie 8 C.F.fP. $ 204.5 (i')(?j(iij!B). Regardless of clnssification, the 
E'J'A-750 colltains the requirerrrents that tf:e i>eneficiary must have a bachelctr's of science college degree is 
I-equired ii: the coinputer scicilce tiel d of study. 
Page 5 
'T'ke petitiorrer st~bnritteci an educationai evaluation report cSated Febrtra~y 14, 2005. by r11e Fo~mdltlioi~ for 
Il-rterrlarionctl Services Inc., of lhe beneficia-v's foreis schooling and educat-in!: rect:ivc.d in the tinired States 
as it equates tn a I-iighcr educatjon offered in the United States. The evaluation stated 11-i pertinent part: 
Vhe beneficiary] has the eq~i~ialerzt of a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering wit11 a 
speciai~zaiion in electronics ti-om . . . a university iil the United Staies and has, as a res~tlt c~rf 
his educatior~al background aid e~npioynzeni experiences (3 years of esperience =: I year of 
utli1;crarty-level credit)? an educational hackground the equivaleilt of 311 il~dividfilal with a 
bache!or's degree in ccampter science fron-r . . . [an] unis.ersity iin the United States. 
'Xhe subjec: Fon!~ E'B'A 750 Part A requires a degree fiom a c~>ilege and Bre co~npletion of baccalaureate of 
scit-ce studies in crsn1put.e:- scimce. CIS regulatioi~s do PIO~ provide that a corribinatirsn of ed~rcation and 
experience may be acceptect in lieu of a fbur-year degree. While .the regularion ai 8 C.F.IZ. 9 204.5(1)(3)(ii)(Hj 
cto stare that the "relevani post secc?rzdary education may be considered as trairrirrg for the purposes of tlns 
paragmph;" there is no regulation that vQ.ould aliow for a con-\iel-se, that the experience may be ccsnsidered fc~r 
edrication reyuire~nerits. 
CZS may, ~n its discreticsn, use as advisor-); opinions, statements sribnlltieit as expert testimorry. 1-$o:vever, 
wl-iere a11 opinion is not i;n accord wit11 0th~~ infom-ration or is ir: sty way quest-ionable, CIS is not recluirecl to 
accept or may give less  eight to tlsat evidence. il,ff~l:er Q/' C'clrou Intenrclrionul, 19 I&N Dec. 791 QCornm. 
1988). In this i~slance, by petitioiler's credential evalu;itor, the bcneilciary has the cyuivalent of a bachelor's 
degree ii: electrical engineering {viih a specialization in eleciroriics froi-n . . . a university in the IJniied Stares. 
This matter is noi in dispute. 
1-lowever, CIS and the hhQ does not accept the evaluator's fi-irttrer opinion tl:at a clmzbination of education 
and expt-r-ir-nce equate "to a bachelors of' science degree in crjnlputer science as, that is ". . . a result of his 
educational backgroui~d and en~ployrnent PY~~I-iences (3 years ctP experience = I year of university-lexiel 
credit). a:; educational backgourrd d~e equivalent of an individual with a backelnr's de~ee in computer 
science frol-n . . . [a111 imiversity in the United States." 
C.:ounsel cortk::d,i tbal job experience together with the above mentioned diplorrra course take11 at- the ItJniversity 
of California at Ber-kley satisfjes the educatiorral requirenzent i'csr the preference catego~y. Z)espiie counsel's 
arg~~nzents, CIS will not accept a degree eq~iivalei~cy wher: a labor certification plainly XII~ expressly requires a 
.Uaci~eloi-:i of Science degree in co~npirter science, ;is is the present case. 
, . 
ll-ie regrrlations detir~e a third preference category professional as a "qualified alien who IrolJs at least a 
United States baccalaikreate degree or- a forei~ equivalent deg~ee and who is a inerzrber of the prokssiirns." 
8 C.F.K. 
 204.5{1)(2) and 8 C.F.R. 5 204.S(ij(3j(ii)(C). 
 r'rl:hough certain reguiations for terrlporary 
worker S~~IS aljovi 2 combinstion of education and esperie~ce, the in~rnigrarlt visas {enlployment based third 
pel-krence) regulatictns do nor. 
'The above reg~ilatiotrs at 8 CT.I;'.K. 3 204,5(i)(3)(ii){G') use a skguiar description 
 fbrriglz equivaler~t degree. 
'n1~13, fit. pr0fe~~r~)izals, the plzin n1e;iriitlg of the ieg~ilatory language sets for~h the rcquirenient that a baleiiciary 
must groducr degree that i:: deter-!riined to k t!~e c"<>reigi equivaleni ofa U.S, haccala~rreate deg-ee in order to 
bc quziified as a pl-ofessional fir ihird preference visa category piirposes. 
i 
. . . . . . . .. - 
 . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 
"~ertain nonimmigrant visas do all[:tw a conibination of edrication and experierzce. .SLY 8 C.F.R. $ 214.2 
'I'he petitioner {ltiied to subnnt evidencc s:ificient to demi?nsirate :]-tat ti-~e beneficiiiry has a United States 
baccalaureate or an equivalent foreign degree required by the preference classifjcation fix cvhich the Alien 
Ernp!oy~~lent Cexiitication accompal~ying the petition specified. The instmt petition, submitted pursuant to 8 
C.F.R.$204,5(i). nlay noi be approved. 
The burden of proof in these proceedings rests solely with the petiti~?~?~. SCCI~OLI 39 I of the ,Act, Q U.S.C. 
jj 136;. 'The peiilioiser has not niet iiut bur6r.n. 
ORDER: 'The zippeal is d~sn-ilssed.