Degree in Latin

Refused because Ivy League degree on original document was in Latin. 

What about the other stuff you were concerned about?

I can see how you could have overlooked that especially if your University was listed in the UK NARIC database.

"Where a document is not in English or Welsh, the original must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator.  This translation must include details of the translator’s credentials and confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document.  It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator. "

Translation Service USA has Latin translation services.
http://www.translation-services-usa.com/latin.php

Yep, lots of people assume that a Latin degree is acceptable.  We had this a few years ago with someone who had graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world, and he was insensed that he had to get a translation.

This sort of thing is one of the reasons why document checks are such a good idea.  You can't appeal this, you can only reapply.

Vicky

This sort of thing is one of the reasons why document checks are such a good idea.  You can't appeal this, you can only reapply.

And why an on-line forum has certain limits.  If we had known you had the degree in Latin, we would have warned you about it, but as Vicky says an OISC Registered Immigration specialist is your best bet.  We are good at sharing experiences and answering questions, but especially with Tier 1 these days, there are a lot of "cracks" that people can fall into.

Funny about Trinity College... I wonder what an ECO would do if they got a document in Welsh?

Welsh is okay, it's one of the languages spoken in the UK. 

Vicky

Welsh is okay, it's one of the languages spoken in the UK. 

What ECO do you know that can speak or read Welsh (though I am sure there are a few)?  My point was of a matter of humour of practicality.  The ECO would have to accept it, but I have no idea if there is some sort of VSD translation service in Cardiff.  Or if it was in Scottish Gaelic, would they have send the document off to Stornaway.

What ECO do you know that can speak or read Welsh (though I am sure there are a few)?  My point was of a matter of humour of practicality.  The ECO would have to accept it, but I have no idea if there is some sort of VSD translation service in Cardiff.  Or if it was in Scottish Gaelic, would they have send the document off to Stornaway.

DH was actually asking me about this sort of thing just yesterday, while sitting in the PEO - he asked if there was a PEO in Wales, and I told him no, that Birmingham was the closest, and he asked if they had folks who spoke Welsh working there....

If the degree certificate is in both English and Latin, with one text the exact replica of the other, would it still need a translation for the latin part?

I will let you know.  Personally, I don't know why they just don't explicitly tell people to give a translation for degrees in Latin - there must be so many of these that it should be very clearly specified.  Degrees from Oxford are in Latin, for Goodness sake!

My college gives translations on its website and I would have included it had I known.  Without giving the university name, it is clear to anyone that this is what it is.

Yes, my name and degree were in english and the univ name was in latin, but anyone could tell what it was.

Degrees from Oxford are in Latin, for Goodness sake!

Actually no.  Much of the ceremony is in Latin, but the degree certificate itself is an unpretentious sheet of A4 with the university crest and all the information in English.

If the required information is in English, then it won't matter if there are some Latin words.

Personally, I don't know why they just don't explicitly tell people to give a translation for degrees in Latin -

They do, they say all submitted documents must be in English.

Very few are in Latin these days.  I can only think of Trinity.

Vicky

And for clarity, from the Guidance:

14. Where a document is not in English or Welsh, the original must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator. This translation must include details of the translator's credentials and confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document. It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator.

Because this is specifically in the guidance, they will simply quote this in your AR and tell you they were following their policy.  I know you don't believe us, but when it comes to the PBS, they have tried their best to remove any discretion from the process.  If any ECO approved an application based on an untranslated document, they would get into trouble and any ECM who had signed off on it would get in trouble too.  The US VSDs had a lot of discretion when it comes to the PBS, there is no wiggle room.

What construes a "certified translation". Does the UKBA provide a list of approved translators in the US?

We are in this situation as well, as both the undergraduate and graduate diplomas we're submitting for my husband's Tier 1 application are in Latin.  I contacted an agency in the UK and was able to scan the diplomas to send to them.  I quoted the exact same excerpt from the Guidance as kitsonk mentioned in my initial contact with the translation agency and was assured that all would be as described, and that they had done many translations for submission to the Home Office without any problems.

The translations are en route to us now, so I'm hesitant to name the agency we used before having actually seen the final product, but so far my experience with them has been straightforward and positive.  If anyone would like any other information about them in the meantime, feel free to send me a message.