Do distance education qualify as formal education for US Visa processing?

Question

I mean to say that applying working visa for US, they demand 16 years of formal education. What if a person has completed his bachelors and masters degree from distance education? Will that education be counted as formal education? I have heard that for every one year lack of formal education one has to compensate with three years of work experience, is that true?

Answer 1

distance education is considered formal education if the institution is acredited.

However, the 16 years of education  that the US immigration department requires refers to a Bachelors degree, or equivalent. In some countries it takes more than 16 years to get a Bachelors Degree. In Italy for example it takes about 18-20 years of education.

If you completed a masters degree and hold credentials you might be OK.

Answer 2

no

Answer 3

It depends on the school where you get the diploma, depends if it is accredidated.

Answer 4

Distance education will not count unless it is an accredited institution in the US.  Some accredited universities have a "distance" program for part of the coursework, then on-campus seminars, and these are as rigorous (or more so) than their on-campus offerings.

For some things, experience cannot compensate for the lack of formal education, so ultimately whether it meets immigration requirements is irrelevant because it will not meet employer requirements.  No point trying to immigrate if you cannot compete in this highly competitive environment.

BTW, for an employment visa, it is a minimum of a bachelors degree plus at least 2 years post-baccalaureate experience.  And the employer has to apply for an employment visa, you cannot.  The employer has to prove there are no qualified Americans for the position available.  And these days, when over 380,000 Americans per week are losing their jobs, that is getting very difficult to prove.  Many employers are not renewing work visas, or are outright terminating them.  In such a case, the worker must return to their own country immediately.  At their own expense.

Distance learning is not going to do it for you in today's job market.

Answer 5

If it's an accredited educational institution, yes.