International Consultants of Delaware

The International Consultants of Delaware, Inc. (ICD), a division of CGFNS International, is recognized nationally, as well as globally, as an expert in the field of international education. Established in 1977, ICD is a credentialing agency which evaluates international educational documents and provides their U.S. equivalents. These equivalents are used to assist individuals in obtaining additional education, employment and immigration visas for any career field, as well as licensing and certification for healthcare professionals.

Who is CGFNS?

CGFNS International is a non-profit, internationally recognized leader in the education, registration and licensure of healthcare professionals worldwide. CGFNS protects the public in relation to evolving healthcare policies and standards of professional practice for migrating healthcare professionals.

Why do I need ICD’s services?

ICD was created to evaluate foreign educational credentials for such purposes as further education, immigration and employment. ICD’s range of experience includes evaluations of credentials representing a wide array of professions and majors from over 70 countries around the world, incorporating elementary, secondary and tertiary levels of education.

Who uses ICD?

ICD’s services are utilized by individual foreign applicants as well as immigration attorneys, governmental agencies, colleges and universities, professional licensing boards and private organizations.

Is ICD a member of NACES?

Yes. ICD is a charter member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). This is the only organization which serves the purpose of maintaining standards of foreign credential evaluations. Members voluntarily agree to uphold the standards of the profession.

What specific services does ICD provide?

ICD provides three types of reporting from which to choose. These evaluation equivalence reports are used to support individuals in obtaining further education, employment and immigration visas, and in the case of healthcare professionals, licensing and certification as well. The three types of reports that ICD provides are: General Statement Evaluation, Course-by-Course Evaluation and Physical Therapy Evaluation.

How are evaluations prepared?

All evaluations include the names of the foreign universities/institutions attended, names of the academic qualifications and dates earned. The foreign academic credentials are compared to those of the United States, and U.S. equivalencies are provided. To determine the U.S. academic placement recommendations, ICD refers to reference texts such as those published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs (NAFSA) which describe the educational systems of countries around the world. In following these texts, ICD applies standards which are used by the mainstream of higher educational institutions in the United States and approved by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials. Also, ICD conducts its own research on educational systems around the world and maintains thousands of files of sample foreign documents as key reference sources.

Who is eligible?

ICD’s various credentials evaluation services will benefit candidates applying for employment, further education, certification or licensure in the U.S., or to support an immigration application to the United States. ICD does credentials evaluations for the following areas:

Business administration
Business management
Certification/licensure
College admission
Computer programming
Computer science;
Employment
Engineering
Doctor of medicine
Further education
Immigration application

Medical technology
Medicine
Nursing
Pharmacy
Pure and applied sciences
Respiratory therapy
Speech and hearing science
Teacher certification
Transfer credits
University admission
and many others

What are the requirements for an ICD evaluation?

Complete and sign the application form.
Enclose the application fee, which can be a U.S. money order, cashier’s check or personal check in U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank. Make payable to: International Consultants of Delaware, Inc.
Enclose notarized photocopies of all degrees, diplomas and certificates held by the candidate.
Enclose certified, word-for-word translations of any documents that are not in English.
Completed transcripts and marksheets, submitted by the issuing institution directly to ICD and containing: courses, grades/marks, credits, contact hours, course weighing factors and proof of conferral of all degrees, diplomas and certificates earned.
Completed license verification forms, submitted by the issuing board/body in the country of education directly to ICD.
(In the case of Physical Therapists) a notarized photocopy of the most recent international physical therapy license held by the candidate.

Does ICD accept faxes of documentation?

No. ICD does not accept documentation sent by fax. All documents must be mailed.

How long does ICD keep my documents?

All documents and a copy of the evaluation are retained in your file for at least three years.

What do I do if I need extra copies of my evaluation?

If you need duplicate copies, please send the request in writing, including the address where you wish to have the evaluation sent. A reasonable fee is charged for this service.

How long does an evaluation take?

Evaluation times vary according to the amount of work received and the amount of time it takes to receive all the documentation from source agencies. Once all documents are received, an evaluation typically takes about eight to ten weeks.

If ICD completes a physical therapy evaluation for me, does this mean I will be licensed?

ICD completes physical therapy evaluations according to the forms and requirements supplied by the various state boards. When the state board receives a completed evaluation, they decide if an applicant meets their requirements for licensure based on the information included in the evaluation.

If I am licensed as a physical therapist in one state, will I be licensed in other states?

Each State Board of Physical Therapy has its own requirements for licensure. Licensure in one state does not guarantee that you will be licensed in another.

Will the U.S. college I plan on attending transfer all of the academic credits listed on the evaluation?

Each college and university in the United States has different requirements for obtaining a bachelor’s or master’s degree. Some of the coursework which you may wish to transfer may not transfer to a degree program at a particular university or college.

Who do I contact if I have questions about my application?

For more information about ICD’s services or for specific questions about an application, contact the ICD office at the following address: International Consultants of Delaware, Inc., 3600 Market Street, Suite 450. Philadelphia, PA 19104-2651 USA, or call the office between the hours of 9 a.m. to Noon (ET) Monday through Friday at +1 215-222-8454 ext 603.

What is VisaScreen^® and why do I need it?

U.S. Immigration law now requires that healthcare professionals, other than physicians, complete a screening program in order to qualify for certain occupational visas. VisaScreen^®, a certificate issued by the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP), a division of CGFNS, enables healthcare professionals to demonstrate to consular and immigration officials that their credentials meet the U.S. government's eligibility standards for foreign healthcare professionals. CGFNS is named in the law as an authorized credentialing organization.

What does VisaScreen^® review?

VisaScreen^® for physical therapists is an educational review, licensure review, English language skills assessment and supervised clinical experience assessment. Applicants who successfully complete VisaScreen^® will receive a VisaScreen^® Certificate, which can be presented to a consular office or immigration officer when the applicant applies for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status.

What are the VisaScreen^® requirements for physical therapists and how do I apply?

To apply for VisaScreen^®, applicants must:

Complete the ICD Physical Therapy VisaScreen^® application.
Complete the enclosed forms to send to your physical therapy school(s). Academic transcripts must come directly from the physical therapy(s).
Complete the enclosed forms to send to your licensing authority(ies). Validations of all licenses, past and present, must come directly from the licensing authorities.
You must successfully complete an English language proficiency test and have the scores directly forwarded to ICD from the testing agency.
You must successfully pass either the CGFNS Qualifying Exam or the NCLEX-RN examination if you are a nurse.
Enclose a copy of your high school diploma or equivalent.
Enclose the application fee.

Who is exempt from fulfilling the English language proficiency requirement?

Applicants may be exempt from the English language proficiency requirement if they meet all of the following criteria: 1) Country of professional education was Australia, Canada (except most of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States; 2) Language of instruction was English; and 3) Language of textbooks was English.

Who pays for the program?

The applicant typically pays for the VisaScreen^® program. The application fee can be paid by an international money order or certified bank check in U.S. dollars, drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to “ICD,” or by one of the following credit cards: Visa, Mastercard or Discover/Novus.

Must I submit my original documents for review?

Yes and no. ICD accepts clear and legible photocopies of secondary school documents for evaluation. However, ICD will only accept original verification from issuing agencies. All validation of registration/licenses and the applicant’s professional school’s transcripts must come directly from the issuing authority to ICD. In addition, since ICD verifies credential authenticity, ICD maintains the right to validate any documentation with the source agency.

What do I do if my educational institution has closed?

ICD only accepts certain documentation from source agencies (such as transcripts and validations of registration/ licensure). If your school has closed or no longer operates, you will need to contact the organization or agency authorized to hold documentation for that institution (such as a ministry of health or the national, provincial or state licensing authority in your country of education). If you are uncertain about where to go, contact ICD directly for assistance.

Do I need to have validations for all licenses I have ever held to complete my VisaScreen^® application?

Yes. ICD requires all VisaScreen^® applicants to provide validations of ALL licenses they have held, past and present. The validations must be sent directly to ICD from the issuing authority(ies).

Can I provide a photocopy of my license instead of a validation?

No. ICD requires that official validations of licenses must be completed and sent directly from the issuing authorities.

What do I do if the agency that issued my license is no longer in existence?

ICD only accepts validations of licensure from the source agency. If that agency has closed or no longer operates, you will need to contact the organization or agency authorized to hold documentation for that institution (such as a Ministry of Health or the national, provincial or state licensing authority in your country). If you are uncertain about where to go, contact ICD directly for assistance.

What if my documents are not in English?

A certified word-for-word English translation, signed with a certification of authenticity by the translator, must accompany any credentials not in English. If you cannot furnish a translation of your documents, ICD can provide an official translation of each document for an additional fee. ICD will accept translations of documents submitted by source agencies (such as transcripts and validations) only from the issuing authorities. Otherwise, ICD will translate documents for the appropriate fee.

How does ICD ensure the quality of its evaluations?

To ensure quality evaluations, ICD uses standards developed by a Professional Standards Committee made up of leading educators and practitioners in the field.

Once a VisaScreen^® Certificate is issued, who receives the original document?

The VisaScreen^® Certificate is issued directly to the applicant who successfully completed all of the requirements of the program. The applicant then presents it to a consular officer when applying for an immigrant visa, or to an immigration officer when applying for adjustment of status.

I am from a foreign country, but graduated from a U.S. college. Do I still need to apply for VisaScreen^®?

Yes. Although your professional education was completed in the United States, the purpose of the VisaScreen^® program is to provide a screening program which meets all federal requirements for international healthcare professionals seeking an occupational visa in the United States, irrespective of where the professional education was completed.

What are the passing scores for the TOEFL, TWE, TSE and TOEFL iBT?

For physical and occupational therapists: 560 paper-based TOEFL or 220 computer-based TOEFL, 4.5 TWE, 50 TSE, 89 total and 26 speaking TOEFL iBT.