Does the US government do background checks on your education when issuing work visas?

Depending on what kind of work status you'd be getting, yes: the USCIS will want you to provide transcripts and a copy of your diploma with your application. I agree with the above posters, and think it would be best if you removed that line from your CV entirely.

Since no one has said it yet, here's the default advice: Consult with an attorney who specializes in immigration, preferably corporate immigration, but perhaps not your firm's corporate immigration attorney. If you're talking about a NAFTA-based TN visa, here's the http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1274.html on what you need. It does include significant penalties for misrepresentation.

That was my thought as well. I know nothing at all about the overall process but am also inclined to be quite truthful in my dealings with governments, so it seems to me that since your old CV certainly doesn't include all of your promotions and whatnot, an update is in order, and that, in the process of editing, the false information should be dropped completely. Moreover, one might easily imagine a busy company not even reading the updated, superficially-acceptable CV of a valued employee, and if the three-year program has no bearing on your job, an outside agency wouldn't even be looking for it. IANAL, I do not support lying on one's CV in the first place, et cetera.

What kind of visa? Because yes, all the work visa applications I've dealt with have required a copy of the diploma and transcripts, like phunniemee says. But it almost sounds like you either work in the US and will be travelling to other countries for short work visits OR you work in another country and will be travelling to the US for short work visits? In that case I wouldn't worry as much, the visa requirements to come to the US in those circumstances are generally not as robust. If you are trying to get an H1B or something more permanent in the US I'd be a lot more worried.

I had to submit all transcripts for my H1-B visa. (Cdn working in US). I think you need to take the line off your resume or you would be expected to submit a copy of your diploma as verification. As requested I will refrain from discussing lying but I would assume the US government doesn't take to it well.

And the visa process is thorough and requires either you or your company hiring an immigration lawyer on your behalf, as far as I have experienced. And it's not cheap.

For a TN visa you would also be required to submit your diploma and transcript. NONE of the documentation you present for your visa (resume, offer letter, job description, etc) should mention you completing this technical program -- if anything does, then they'll want you to provide proof. If they did a background check and saw that it didn't add up, would they just deny my visa (and potentially make it difficult if not impossible to enter the US in the future... for work? or in general?), or would they alert my company as well? Everyone above has mentioned how important this is, but do you want to hear the worst case scenario? The worst case is that you get arrested and dragged before a judge in immigration court, get convicted of an offense, maybe serve some time, and then have to face special procedures if you ever want to enter the US for the rest of your life, now that you have a criminal record. IANAL, and I don't think it's likely, but yes the stakes are indeed this high. I have been advised (again IANAL, TINLA) that when people are denied because of one little item, and show up the next day (or hours after the first attempt!) with a fresh copy of all documentation that magically doesn't have the problem line? That's what happens to them. If they decide to deny your visa and determine that some degree of non-criminal misrepresentation, deception, or fraud is going on, you might only be denied entry to the USA for ten years, including personal and business travel. This is the same punishment as for anyone caught violating the terms of their visa after they get it, like overstaying for example. Get caught overstaying and you'll be denied entry for ten years. They consider a ten year ban the lenient option, compared to a lifetime ban. If your visa application is merely found insufficient and denied for this job, then that's okay, you are simply turned back and discouraged from applying for this job (that certain position at that company) ever again. If they deny a visa application based on some detail of your background or the job, you aren't permitted to "start over" and apply for that same job with a different description, you have to appeal the previous decision somehow. Pretending that it isn't a re-application is a good way to get brought before a judge. When a visa application is denied, the procedure doesn't include an immediate alert sent to your former potential employer, but you WILL be denied entry to the country that day (if applying in person). Your employer will quickly figure out that you didn't report for work. If you enter the country as a tourist and try to report for work, your employer will quickly notice that you don't have the paperwork necessary to get an SSN to be paid. If your company is applying by mail, I imagine they'll read the denial letter sent in response. So yeah, in short: they DO check, they CAN impose long term consequences you don't want, so avoid risking it in the first place. Lying about the professional degree would have caused huge problems; lying about this extra education definitely has potential to [permanently] sink this application. On all visa paperwork, don't include anything you can't prove. Hope you find a way to drop this technical program and get the visa.