Job Discussion Forums

[Sweaty Ted]

I have my B.A. and M.Ed. right here in my house. I also sent away to the University of Nevada (where I obtained both degrees) for my official transcripts. They arrived the other day. Now, in sending out my documents for my work visa to the Saudi embassy, do I mail them my degrees or do I mail them the transcripts? In addition, if it concerns the degrees, do I take them to a notary public to have them certified? Regarding my transcripts, they are in an envelope that has written on the flap, "not official if opened." So, would I send the transcripts inside the sealed envelope to the embassy or do I open the and have them certified by a notary public. I am so confused. I have never gone through such an arduous visa process before and I have lived in many different countries. I would be most grateful for any information you can offer me.

[trapezius]

These I can tell you with certainty:

1) They need both the degree and the transcripts.
2) Do NOT open the transcripts - send as is.

As for the getting the degree certified, I am not sure, but I don't think so.

[cmp45]

[nomad soul]

Ditto what cmp45 said. Forget about communicating with the Saudi Embassy. Instead, contact the documentation authentication section at the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (http://www.sacm.org/) in D.C. since they handle degree authentications for US citizens. When I went through this process last year, I contacted the department directly via phone and was immediately helped. They were also good about responding to my emails. Anyway, they'll email you a list of what's required and the instructions for submission.

Basically, you'll need to provide the following:

Letter from you requesting degree authentication
Copy of the employment contract (showing your signature)
2 copies of your academic degree/diploma (plain, not notarized)
Final transcript ("Issued to student") from your university, in a sealed envelope
Verification letter from your university's registrar, in a sealed envelope
Notarized authorization from you to release academic info to SACM
DegreeVerify certificate (www.degreeverify.org)

There's also a long thread about the employment visa process at http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=81881

By the way, because I was to teach at a Saudi uni, I was required to send all my employment visa paperwork, passport, and requisite documents to the SACM instead of through an expensive visa agent or directly to the embassy. Saved me a lot of money, plus, they kept me updated on the process. They also arranged my travel to KSA.

[scot47]

The Cultural Attache at the Saudi ERmbassy nearest to me took care of a lot of things when I was recruited by KFUPM. They did a good job.