Any person submitting a profile to Canada’s Express Entry pool must demonstrate some level of education. Unless a person’s education was completed at a recognized Canadian institution then this education must be accompanied by an Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA) in order to be considered. An Educational Credentials Assessment, or ECA report, is a document which states how much a foreign educational credential is worth by Canadian educational standards. No matter where you try to obtain your ECA report, there will be a fee. We have put together a few tips and tricks to make sure you are saving as much money as possible on your ECA report!
Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA) organizations in Canada
There are six organizations authorized to issue ECA Reports:
- World Education Services (WES)
- Comparative Education Service – University of Toronto (CES)
- International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
- International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
- International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES)
- Medical Council of Canada (for Doctors)
- Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (for Pharmacists)
It is up to the applicant to determine which organization will work best for them. Every organization completes its own evaluation, so it is possible that a degree evaluated from ICES may be valued differently than the same degree evaluated by CES.
Many people choose to complete their evaluation with World Education Services (WES) as their instructions are straightforward and they usually complete the ECA report faster than any of the other organizations. It takes WES approximately 20-business days to complete the ECA report after all documents are received, where some of the other organizations may take several months. Based on the popularity of WES’ services, we have written our money saving tips specifically for individuals working with this organization, but you can always choose to work with one of the other organizations if you’d prefer.
Please note that those with degrees in medicine must complete their ECA report with the Medical Council of Canada and those with pharmacy degrees must complete their ECA report with Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada, respectively.
ECA REPORT PROCESS
In order to obtain an ECA report from WES an applicant must create a profile online and submit information about the educational credentials. The applicant will then be asked to make a payment to WES in order to begin the evaluation. One this has been completed, WES will issue a list of documents required for the evaluation. The applicant must arrange for these documents to be mailed to WES in hard copy for the evaluation.