Frequently Asked Questions
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What if ProfVal or the evaluator(s) do not agree with my or my company's opinion?
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Why doesn't ProfVal offer legal advice?
Questions that Experts may have
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Is the rate of compensation fixed or hourly for these evaluations?
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Who is helped with these evaluations? Are US workers being displaced?
Customer Questions
What kinds of evaluations does ProfVal offer?
We offer Expert Opinion Letters that can be used to support a variety of visa applications. They are used as supporting documents for a variety of specialized visas (EB, H-1B, H-3, L1, O) or other purposes.
How long will it take for my evaluation to be completed?
It depends on the service, our current volume, and expert availability. Please see the order form for the service that you intend to purchase.
Do you offer any guarantees?
We offer guarantees related to the quality of our services, but we do not offer guarantees related to acceptance by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
For all Expert Opinion Letters and Work Experience Evaluations, we offer an uncomplicated guarantee of quality that we describe below.
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You or your lawyer may request certain modifications to your expert opinion letter, professional plan, or business plan within a time period noted in your service purchase. Within that time period, we will not charge you to make one update the letter based on the following types of modifications: errors of fact made by ProfVal or an evaluator, suggested wording changes, our omission of key details related to your case, or other factual changes that may help us to more accurately complete your evaluation. Subsequent updates or changes that alter the parameters of your letter may lead to additional charges.
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Please note that we will try to accommodate client needs, but will not make changes if we and/or the evaluator working on your evaluation disagree with the suggestions. For clarity, it is our ethical duty to provide high quality evaluations that we and/or our evaluators believe to be true. In fact, our contract with evaluators requires that evaluators agree to never provide an opinion that they disagree with.
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For third-party services, please understand that your payment and service guarantees follow the requirements of those services. Any agreements with third-parties are in no way related to ProfVal.
What if ProfVal or the evaluator(s) do not agree with my or my company's opinion?
It would be unethical and poor business practice to complete an evaluation inconsistent with an evaluator's opinion. Hence, we will only provide evaluations that we and/or our evaluators believe to be true and accurate.
If an evaluation request is submitted for a position and we do not believe that it meets our standards, we will provide a brief explanation as to why we feel this way. If we reject your case, we will return your payment to you minus a processing fee as expressed on your purchase page. This, however, is rare.
If you would like to receive a free assessment of your case and avoid this fee, please let us know more about your needs by filling out a form on our contact us page.
How do you compare with other providers of Expert Opinion Letters?
We are the best. Here are some of the reasons why:
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Attorneys tell us that the primary reasons they return to us relate to our customization and quality. They explain that other companies produce generic documents and prefer ProfVal's services because they represent high quality research documents that are customized to each client's needs and background. We think that providing each client with this level of service is the right thing to do.
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Our evaluators are the best. Before considering a professor or evaluator, we confirm their credentials and have high standards. Before completing an evaluation, all evaluators complete basic training with us. We provide feedback to all evaluators.
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Our prices often are better and we pay evaluators more. Based on our most recent market analysis (2021), our prices are lower than other companies that offer similar services. At the same time, we are not aware of competitors that pay evaluators as much as we do. Why would you go somewhere that costs more and pays evaluators less?
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We are small and care about you and our communities. ProfVal was started because our founder and his wife experienced the challenges of the US visa and immigration system. Although we do not provide legal advice, we provide assistance in a limited employment-based capacity to people who we believe add value to this country.
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We are a purpose-driven company. From day 1, our reasons for existence were to: offer the best evaluations on the market and to make a positive difference in the world. We donate some of our profits to our communities because it's the right thing to do. You can learn more about our pledge to social responsibility here.
Who are the evaluators?
Most of our evaluators, unless otherwise stated, are professors at accredited and ranked colleges and universities within the United States. You can learn more about our evaluators here.
Is profval.com secure?
Yes, and you can see that it is by looking at your search tab. When a site is secure, it sends a signal to your browser indicating that it uses an added level of encryption. If you click on our web address in the search tab, you will see that our web address is https://www.profval.com. The "s" in "https" stands for "secure". Depending on your browser, you may also see a lock on the left side of your browser, which is another way of showing that our site is secure. When a site is secure, it means that the data you upload is encrypted during its transmission, which matters most when you are on an unsecure network (i.e. a coffee shop).
Why doesn't ProfVal offer legal advice?
You should ask an immigration attorney for legal advice. We are not immigration attorneys. We can introduce you to an immigration attorney if you need legal advice.
Part 2: Questions that evaluators may have
Can I become an evaluator?
We value and care about the professors and administrators who work with us. If you would like to be considered for these evaluations, please complete our initial intake form. Please note that not all will qualify and that your capabilities may not fit with our clients' current needs.
Why are experts needed?
Experts evaluate different types of credentials (academic, experience, awards, publications, etc.) of individuals and/or the duties of positions. To provide an accurate and relevant evaluation, an individual must have objectively demonstrated his/her expertise within their discipline so that he/she can have sufficient background to provide an evaluation.
If I do not agree agree that a person, position, or other requirement of the position fits with the intended visa requirements, what should I do?
Never provide an opinion that you do not agree with. If you have any reason at all for rejecting an evaluation, we ask you to reject it. Your rejection of an evaluation will never adversely affect our opinion of you or we treat you. In some cases, we provide a "rejection compensation" amount wherein you provide a brief written explanation for your rejection reasons which is shared with the client or their legal representation. You would know before you begin the evaluation if this is an option.
Is the rate of compensation fixed or hourly for these evaluations?
It is a fixed rate that will be made clear to you before you complete an evaluation. Differences in rate depend on the type of evaluation completed, whether an interview was included, and turnaround requested.
Who is helped with these evaluations? Are US workers being displaced?
The US government developed visa different visa requirements with the goals related to: creating more jobs in the US, stimulating US investment, helping foreign companies open offices in the US (L1 visas), or helping companies place talented employees into positions in the US as opposed to offshoring. When the right people contribute to companies in the U.S., we believe the US benefits.
Although ProfVal is not involved with the legal requirements of visas, companies must complete a Labor Condition Application and other documents that, among other things, are used to ensure that US workers have not been displaced. If we have reason to believe that a company is not following these requirements, we would reject the evaluation.
Each potential visa applicant must go through a rigorous screening process with the USCIS, which includes a rigorous background check.