Canadian educational credentials
30 (1) The points that are to be assigned for a Canadian educational credential are the following:
(a) 0 points, if the foreign national has a secondary school educational credential;
(b) 15 points, if the foreign national has an eligible credential from a one-year or two-year post-secondary program; and
(c) 30 points, if the foreign national has
(i) an eligible credential from a post-secondary program of three years or more,
(ii) an eligible credential from a university-level program at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification matrix at Skill Level A for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is required, or
(iii) an eligible credential from a university-level program at the doctoral level.
Highest level of education
(2) Points are to be assigned under subsection (1) only for the eligible credential corresponding to the highest level of education for which the foreign national meets the requirements of subsection (3).
Requirements
(3) Points are only assigned under subsection (1) if, for the purpose of obtaining the credential, the foreign national
(a) studied in Canada at a Canadian educational institution;
(b) was enrolled in full-time study or training for at least eight months; and
(c) was physically present in Canada for at least eight months.
Eligible credentials
(4) For the purpose of this section, an eligible credential is one of the following:
(a) a degree, diploma, certificate or trade or apprenticeship credential from a Canadian public postsecondary institution or from a Canadian private post-secondary institution that operated under the same rules and regulations as a Canadian public postsecondary institution;
(b) a diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) or an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) earned through a program of study of at least 900 hours from a private secondary or post-secondary institution in Quebec; or
(c) a Bachelor’s, Master’s or doctoral degree from a Canadian private post-secondary institution, if a provincial statute authorizes that institution to confer that credential.
Exceptions
(5) For the purpose of this section, the following are not eligible credentials:
(a) credentials obtained in a study or training program in which the study of English or French as a second language amounted to more than half of the program;
(b) credentials obtained in a study or training program in which distance learning amounted to more than half of the program; or
(c) credentials obtained in a study or training program while receiving a scholarship or fellowship that stipulated that the recipient return to their home country to apply the knowledge and skills gained.
