The parchment, a full transcript with course descriptions, the regulator's confirmation of what the credential is, and, if a credential evaluation exists, that report. The aim is to remove the officer's need to guess.
Make the credential legible in one pass
Ambiguity is the enemy at a port of entry, where the officer has minutes rather than hours. A parchment reading Advanced Diploma in Civil Engineering Technology should be presented with a transcript showing the course content and length, and, where available, documentation from the institution or the provincial regulator describing what the credential is and is not. If a professional credential evaluation has been obtained, include it, while understanding that an evaluation is an opinion and does not convert a diploma into a degree. Where the claim rests on a licence rather than a degree, the licence certificate and a current standing letter from the regulator are the primary documents and should be at the front of the file. Documents in another language require certified translations for a petition and should be translated for a border presentation too.
Hypothetical example: an urban planner has an accredited planning degree and a job proposal for a county planning department, but the offer letter says only that she will provide technical support. A first review produces a document order: passport and citizenship evidence, degree and transcript, detailed letter, and a one-page duty crosswalk. The duty crosswalk is useful because it makes the record readable without changing it. If a transcript omits a credential conferral date or the employer cannot name the professional work, obtain the missing primary record before travel instead of hoping oral explanation will settle it.