If you received education outside of Canada and plan to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry, you will likely need Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
10 key facts:
- ECA confirms authenticity of foreign diploma and establishes its equivalence to Canadian educational programs. If you studied in Canada, ECA is not required.
- ECA is only applicable to academic degrees. ECA does not apply to trade qualifictions, language courses, licences, non-credit programs, etc.
- Processing times depend on your educational institution and the specific organization conducting the assessment.
- ECA report is valid for 5 years. It must be valid both at the time of receiving the invitation (ITA) and at the time of application (eAPR). If the report has expired, it might be possible to order a report duplicate, duplicate, which will be valid for another 5 years. For example, WES offers such service.
- ECA report must be "for immigration purposes".
- The report must indicate that the diploma is equivalent to a completed level of education. If only the number of years is indicated, it is considered as not completed education and does not award points in Express Entry.
- To receive points for two or more certificates/diplomas, you must do an assessment of each degree earned outside Canada. Exception: If your highest degree is a Master's or Doctorate, the assessment of that degree alone is sufficient.
- Some diplomas (pharmacist, doctor, architect) are assessed through professional organizations.
- If you want to receive points in Express Entry for your partner's education, you will need ECA. However, if you already have enough points, ECA is not mandatory.
- Approve companies by IRCC to conduct ECA:
- Comparative Education Service (CES)
- International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
- International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES)
- International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
- World Education Services (WES)
More information about Express Entry.
"Important: Immigration requirements are constantly changing. The information on this page is current at the time of publication."