Getting your Educational Credentials Assessed
Hi everyone, this is the latest post from my blog which can be accessed at www[dot]leavingforcanada[dot]com
Feel free to drop me a comment or send me an email using the contact tab. I am more likely to reply to you speedily from that platform. Below is an extract of the information written on there.
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It’s been about a week now since my last published post. In this post, I intend to cover all the foreseeable questions that lurks around the topic of getting your foreign educational credentials assessed. For legibility and to try documenting my thoughts in a different writing style, I aim to adopt a question/answer format for the purpose of this blog post.
Q1: Why do I need to get my foreign degrees assessed?
A1: An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is used to verify your international degree, diploma, certificate or any other document which depicts your educational credential is valid and on par with a Canadian one.
Q2: Who needs an ECA?
A2: The principal applicant for an Express Entry application whose intention is to immigrate to Canada under the Federal Worker Skilled Program and whose educational achievements were obtained outside Canada.
In addition to this, an applicant under the Express Entry program may wish to accrue additional points for a spouse/common-law partner by getting their credentials assessed as well if their degree/certificate/diploma was obtained outside Canada. The table below shows a points matrix to illustrate this. Additional points can be awarded if the candidate is admissible into the Express Entry tool through the Federal Skilled Worker Program.
Degree Type Express Entry Classification Points Awarded
Secondary School/High School Diploma Express Entry CRS with spouse 28
Express Entry CRS without spouse 30
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 5
One-year degree, a diploma or certificate from a University, college, technical, trade or other institute Express Entry CRS with spouse 84
Express Entry CRS without spouse 90
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 15
Two-year degree, a diploma or certificate from a University, college, technical, trade or other institute Express Entry CRS with spouse 91
Express Entry CRS without spouse 98
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 19
Bachelor degree or other programs (three or more years) at a University, college, technical, trade or other institute. Express Entry CRS with spouse 112
Express Entry CRS without spouse 120
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 21
Two or more certificates, diplomas or degrees: one of the degrees must be for a program of three or more years. Express Entry CRS with spouse 119
Express Entry CRS without spouse 128
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 22
Professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession e.g. Dentistry, Law, Pharmacy Express Entry CRS with spouse 126
Express Entry CRS without spouse 135
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 23
University degree at Masters level Express Entry CRS with spouse 126
Express Entry CRS without spouse 135
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 23
University degree at Doctorate (PhD) level Express Entry CRS with spouse 140
Express Entry CRS without spouse 150
Federal Skilled Worker Program factor points (if it applies) 25
Q3: Do I need to get an ECA before filling in an Express Entry profile
A3: Absolutely, this is mandatory if you want to be awarded points for your foreign educational attainment towards the CRS.
Q4: How long is my ECA valid for
A4: ECA is valid for a period of five years from the date it was issued.
Q5: Where can I get my ECA?
A5: This is the most important question here on this post. There are several designated organizations here in Canada where you can get your credentials assessed. They are as follows:
•Comparative Education Service – University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
•International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
•World Education Services
•International Qualifications Assessment Service
•International Credential Evaluation Service
•Medical Council of Canada (professional body for Doctors)
•Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (professional body for Pharmacists)
Q6: Do I need to get all my degrees assessed (e.g. I’ve got a B.Sc. and a M.Sc.)?
A6: This is entirely up to you the applicant or spouse/common-law partner of the applicant. Simply put in this way, you will only get points towards the CRS in Express Entry or be eligible under FSWP if your ECA report matches at least one of the results in the table above. So to answer this, in my own personal experience, I only had my M.Sc. degree assessed (this was due to circumstances beyond my control) as I was unable to get the University at my country of residence to send my transcript over) but had not hitches in requesting my transcript for my M.Sc. degree from the UK. This was sufficient in the meantime as I accrued points for having a university degree at Masters level.
The drawback to this is when you’re finally resident in Canada and you need to go through a professional designation in your profession, you will need to have all your educational credentials assessed and possibly upgraded to a course by course report as the format for immigration purposes is just document by document. Do not fret, you can simply contact the designated organization you used earlier and pay an upgraded fee to upgrade your report to a course by course report hence it makes logical sense to have all your credentials assessed if you can.
Q7: Which designated organization should I choose from to have my credentials assessed?
A7: Again, I will ask myself the question if my profession a licensed one? If it is for example Medicine, your precedence should be to go with the body associated with medical doctors i.e. The Medical Council of Canada. I will follow the same logic if you were in the Pharmacy profession. For all other professions, you may simply go with either of the remaining organizations. If in doubt, contact the province where you intend to stay in to see if your occupation is a licensed one. Pharmacists may or may not require a licence to practice in some pharmaceutical or government institutions so they may not be obliged in these circumstances to get an ECA from the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada.
Other factors to consider when choosing an alternative designated organisation should include
•Costs to get the credential assessed as costs may vary by organization.
•duration it’ll take to have the credentials assessed.
•documents to be furnished to facilitate the assessment
•Employers in Canada who partner or are familiar with certain designated organizations. This will help you much later when you’re applying for jobs in Canada.
I also provide landing support for new immigrants dwelling in Edmonton, Alberta. I will assist with temporary accommodation at my place while I drive you around to arrange viewings for a place to rent in the first couple of weeks, opening a bank account, registering for social services (SIN, Health Card, Drivers' Licence etc). To enquire about this service, simply drop me an email on my blog site.
Thanks
Ola
