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Credential evaluation for USCIS: WES, ECE, IEE

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The short answer: a petition usually needs a document-by-document evaluation from any qualified service - USCIS does not require NACES membership. Services differ in speed, price and document requirements, and that is where most people stumble. Below are verified facts plus community experience.

Service requirements and document-transfer rules change (especially for Russian universities). Memberships and quoted turnarounds were verified on the services' sites and the NACES/AICE member lists in September 2026 - re-check on the chosen service's site before paying.

The services compared

Service
Membership
What matters
WES (World Education Services)
NACES member
The most recognized: US universities (including top ones) most often require WES specifically. The rules are strict: documents must arrive directly from the university, transcripts required; by member reports, mail from Russian addresses often fails to reach them and paper originals took months.
ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators)
NACES member
Operating since 1980; the service itself quotes about five business days per report. Mentioned less often in the chats than WES and IEE - as the recognizable fallback.
IEE (International Education Evaluations)
NACES member
The NIW chats' favorite: by member reports - fast (a couple of business days), inexpensive, scans were accepted for the immigration purpose, responsive support. The service itself quotes a few-day turnaround.
Scholaro
AICE endorsed member (not NACES)
Not an obstacle for USCIS (NACES membership is not required), but if you plan to enroll in a university after the petition - check which association that school requires.

Speed and document requirements are from 2025 member reports and the services' own statements; prices are deliberately omitted - they change.

How the community chooses

The rule the chats converge on: if US university study is planned after the petition - take WES, accepted everywhere including top schools. If the evaluation is only for the immigration purpose - members pick faster services that accept scans; in the NIW chats the standing recommendation is IEE.

Do not confuse it with an "expert opinion evaluation"

A credential evaluation confirms degree equivalency. A separate paid product is the "expert opinion letter" about extraordinary ability or the whole case from a professor: chats saw such letters ordered for hundreds of dollars after an RFE, and they do not always help. It is not a substitute for criterion evidence.

FAQ

Does USCIS require a NACES-member evaluation?
No - a common misconception: USCIS accepts evaluations from qualified services regardless of membership. It is universities and licensing boards that typically require NACES or AICE, not the immigration service.
Document-by-document or course-by-course?
For a petition, document-by-document is usually enough: it confirms the US equivalency of your degree. Course-by-course (subject by subject, with a GPA) is for university admission or licensing - for the immigration purpose it is an overpay.
My Candidate of Sciences diploma has no transcript. How is it evaluated?
A frequent chat case: services ask for a transcript that a Candidate of Sciences degree simply does not have. Members solved it with a letter from the place of defense (the dissertation council) describing the program; confirm with the service what it will accept before paying.
My Russian university refuses to answer WES. What now?
By 2025 reports, some Russian universities ban correspondence with Western organizations, turning the WES rule "documents directly from the university" into a dead end. Member options: some universities do send electronically at the graduate's request, or people pick a service that accepts scans and notarized translations from the applicant.
Which degrees to evaluate - all or just the highest?
Depends on what the petition leans on: for EB-2 NIW it is usually the highest degree (a master's or Candidate of Sciences). Chats mostly evaluate that one; if the argument uses several degrees - discuss the set with your lawyer.
Do I need an apostille for the evaluation?
By member experience - no: services work from the diploma and a translation without an apostille (WES states this directly). The translation format (notarized or agency-stamped) depends on the service - check its requirements.

Related reading

Reference information and community experience, not legal advice. Your petition's requirements come from USCIS forms and instructions - verify on uscis.gov.