How to choose an ECA organization?
What is an ECA and why do you need it?
An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is a document used by IRCC to verify foreign degrees, diplomas, or certificates (or other educational credentials) to make sure they are valid and equal to a completed Canadian secondary or post-secondary credential. ECA is absolutely required for all foreign credentials, regardless of whether you studied in the US, Australia, Europe (Bologna process), post-Soviet countries, Africa, or Asia. Only educational credentials obtained in Canada are exempt from ECA.
It is mandatory that you include your ECA report reference number when you’re creating an Express Entry profile. Without having a valid ECA and the actual ECA report reference number you will not be awarded any points for education and won’t be able to submit your profile to the pool (unless you have educational credentials received from a Canadian institution). So, it is highly important that you start preparing your ECA long before you even create an Express Entry profile. ECA reports are valid for 5 years, so it makes sense to get it done as soon as possible.
Where to get an ECA? (List of designated ECA organizations)
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) designated 5 organizations and 2 professional bodies (updated July 20, 2022) that can provide ECA services. Each designated organization and professional body has different processing times, procedures, and fees. You may also get different results of your assessment with each organization - some organizations may not work with your educational institution, or may not recognize your educational credential. For this reason, you’ll need to do thorough research to see whether your education will be considered by a particular ECA organization and whether you’ll be awarded a desired equivalency for your credentials.
Below is the list of designated ECA organizations and professional bodies:
| Name of the Organization | Designated on |
|---|---|
| World Education Services | April 17, 2013 |
| Comparative Education Service: University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies | April 17, 2013 |
| International Credential Assessment Service of Canada | April 17, 2013 |
| International Qualifications Assessment Service | August 6, 2015 |
| International Credential Evaluation Service | August 6, 2015 |
| Name of the Professional Body | |
| Medical Council of Canada | April 17, 2013 |
| Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (professional body for Pharmacists) | January 6, 2014 |
We’ll not be covering the Medical Council of Canada and Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada in this blog post, as these professional bodies issue assessments to a very narrow list of candidates and will require a standalone blog post delineating their key differences. Instead, we’ll focus on 5 ECA designated organizations only. To better demonstrate how the process may differ depending on the country and organization policies we will use two hypothetical scenarios and check the requirements for the following random and hypothetical credentials:
Master in Marketing Management from the University of Delhi - (New Delhi, India), and
Master of Laws from National University “Odesa Law Academy” - (Odesa, Ukraine).
Now, let’s analyze each organization and look at their key differences in processing these two credentials. Please note, the comparison provided below is not meant to advertise or highlight a particular organization and is solely a summary of publicly available (but not exhaustive) information about each organization:
World Education Services (WES)
Processing fee: $240 CAD + Delivery cost (Standard delivery - $10 CAD; or Courier Delivery - $85 CAD)
Processing times: 35 days (as of July 2022) from the time all of your supporting documents have arrived to WES.
Required documents:
Master in Marketing Management from the University of Delhi:
If you have an Indian master’s degree or an Indian postgraduate diploma you must also provide your bachelor’s degree documents (exceptions available);
A clear, legible photocopy of the final or provisional degree certificate (sent electronically);
Statement of Marks (University Issued and Attested) (sent electronically).
Master of Laws from National University “Odesa Law Academy”:
Academic Transcript (has to be verified through the Information and Image Center under the Ministry of Education and Science before it is electronically sent to WES);
Degree Certificate (has to be verified through the Information and Image Center under the Ministry of Education and Science before it is electronically sent to WES).
Typical WES assessment results:
Bachelors (3 years) - typically evaluated as Bachelor’s degree
B.Pharm / M.Pharm - typically evaluated as Bachelor’s degree and PGD/Bachelor's degree respectively
B.Com / B.A followed by LLB - typically evaluated as a professional degree
M.Tech / MCA /M.E / M.ED - typically evaluated as a Master’s degree
M.SC / M.Com / M.A - typically evaluated as either a Postgraduate Diploma or Bachelors degree
MBA - typically all Indian Universities MBA is assessed as a Post Graduate Diploma of one year
BDS / MDS - typically evaluated as a Professional degree
Main advantages:
Fast processing times
Usually is more “generous” in their assessments. For example, the “Specialist diploma” (1-year post-bachelor degree) issued in many post-soviet countries is normally recognized as a “Master’s Degree” by WES, while other organizations often recognize it as a “1-year postgraduate certificate”.
Most popular ECA organization.
Main disadvantages:
A little more expensive compared to other organizations.
Comparative Education Service (UofT) (CES)
Processing fee: $210 CAD + Delivery cost (Optional Certified Electronic Copy - $20 CAD; Courier within Canada and US - $35 CAD; International Courier - $80 CAD)
Processing times: 10 weeks (as of July 2022) from the time all of your supporting documents have arrived at CES.
Required documents:
Master in Marketing Management from the University of Delhi:
Scanned copy of government-issued ID;
Scanned color copy of both sides of the Final or provisional diploma/degree certificate (submitted electronically with the application);
Scanned color copy of mark sheets/statement of marks for each year of study issued by the State Board of Technical Education, the State Council of Nursing and Midwifery, and/or the awarding university/institution (submitted electronically with the application);
Verified/attested mark sheets or statement of marks:
sent to the CES directly from the State Board of Technical Education, the State Nursing Council, and/or the awarding university/institution;
forwarded by the applicant in a sealed in original institution’s envelope (if the institution issued the mark sheets to the applicant);
electronic or digitalized institutional documents can be sent through MailTranscripts, TrueCopy, Worldwide Transcripts; or
official electronic transcripts can be sent directly to CES by the academic institution/the examination board.
Master of Laws from National University “Odesa Law Academy”:
Scanned copy of government-issued ID;
Scanned color copy of both sides of Final Degree/diploma certificates in Ukrainian (+ Translation) (Submitted electronically with the application);
Scanned color copy of both sides of Academic records in Ukrainian (+ Translation) (Submitted electronically with the application);
Official academic records in Ukrainian ( Official academic records, or Verified/attested copy of the academic records, or Verified/attested copy of the academic records through the Information and Image Center (ENIC Ukraine) under the Ministry of Education and Science) (+ Translation):
Sent directly to the CES office by the institution you attended, in an institution-sealed envelope; or
You can forward the original institution-sealed envelope to our office if the institution has released the official transcript to you.
Typical CES assessment results:
Bachelors – typically evaluated as Bachelors only
BDS / MDS - often evaluated as a professional degree
B.Pharm / M.Pharm – often evaluated as Bachelors and PGD/Bachelors respectively
MBA - typically all Indian universities MBA are assessed as Masters (usually better results compared to WES)
M.A / M.SC / M.Com – typically evaluated as Masters
M.Tech / MCA / M.E / M.Ed - typically evaluated as either a postgraduate diploma or Bachelors
Main advantages:
Offers Expedited Processing (5 business days). There is a cap of 10 expedited applications per month on a first come first served basis. Expedited processing incurs a fee of $499 in addition to CES regular processing fees (for a total of $719 CAD).
For some countries offers a variety of alternatives and flexibility in required documents.
Cheaper than WES
Main disadvantages:
Longer processing times, compared to WES.
Has a more stringent list of eligible issuing institutions.
Can have a stricter assessment process compared to other institutions. For example, consider this statement on CES website:
“…As a result of a significant influx of suspicious documents from India, official/verified/attested academic documents for programs completed at an Indian institution/university will experience delays due to further authentication measures taken to confirm the authenticity of those documents…”
International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
Processing fee: $200 CAD + Delivery cost (Courier within Canada - $25 CAD, Courier within US - $35 CAD; International Courier - $85 CAD)
Processing times: 30 weeks (as of July 2022) from the time all of your supporting documents have arrived at ICAS.
Required documents:
Master in Marketing Management from the University of Delhi:
Clear, complete photocopy of the Diploma / Degree Certificate (submitted by the applicant) (+ Translations);
Clear, complete photocopies of the mark sheets for each year of study (submitted by the applicant) (+ Translations);
Statements of graduation and marks certificates for each year of study for the diploma/degree sent directly to our office by the university along with the Official Records Request Form (or technical education board) (submitted directly to ICAS by the institution/awarding body).
Master of Laws from National University “Odesa Law Academy”:
Clear, complete photocopy of the Diploma (submitted by the applicant) (+ Translations);
Clear, complete photocopy of the Diploma Supplement / Academic Record (submitted by the applicant) (+ Translations);
Diploma, Diploma supplement, Translations, and Official Records Request Form verified through the Information and Image Centre of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Ukraine and submitted directly to ICAS.
Main advantages:
Less popular organization, hence can be used as an alternative if other ECA organizations have significant backlog. Yet, this advantage is of less significance due to inherently long processing times.
Main disadvantages:
Very long processing times.
Does not accept documents sent by the applicant in an official institution sealed envelope. See this remark on ICAS website: “…Documents submitted to ICAS in a sealed envelope by an applicant or another third party are not considered to be official documents and will not be accepted…”
International Qualification Assessment Service (IQAS)
Processing fee: $200 CAD + Delivery cost (Courier within Canada - $15 CAD; International Courier - $75 CAD)
Processing times: 14 weeks for one credential (as of July 2022) from the time all of your supporting documents have arrived at IQAS. At least 4 more weeks if the applicant is seeking assessment for more than one credential.
Required documents:
Master in Marketing Management from the University of Delhi:
Diploma / Degree (submitted with the IQAS application by the applicant) (+ Translations);
Academic transcript / Examination results (submitted by the applicant) (+ Translations):
sent either by the applicant or issuing institution in a sealed envelope that is signed/stamped across the back flap by the official;
if the institution offers online verification of credentials, the applicant can provide IQAS with access; or
The issuing authority may email transcripts directly via Truecopy or WorldwideTranscripts.
Master of Laws from National University “Odesa Law Academy”:
Degree certificate (submitted with the IQAS application by the applicant) (+ Translations);
Academic transcript:
either by the applicant or issuing institution in a sealed envelope that is signed/stamped across the back flap by the official;
if the issuing authority uses trusted digital services to transmit academic credentials, provide IQAS with access to your electronic documents; or
The issuing authority of your credentials may email transcripts directly to IQAS via Digitary.
Typical IQAS assessment results:
Bachelors – usually evaluated as Bachelors only
BDS / MDS - often evaluated as a professional degree
B.Pharm / M.Pharm – usually evaluated as Bachelors and PGD/Bachelors respectively
B.Com / B.A followed by LLB - often evaluated as Professional degree
MBA - typically all Indian universities MBA are assessed as Masters
M.A / M.SC / M.Com – usually evaluated as Masters
M.Tech / MCA / M.E / M.Ed - often evaluated as Masters
Main advantages:
Very lenient assessment process.
Relaxed requirements for the documents and official transcripts. Often the applicant can send all documents without directly engaging the institution.
One of the cheapest ECA options.
Main disadvantages:
Relatively long processing times.
The International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES)
Processing fee: $200 CAD + Delivery cost (Courier within Canada - $26 CAD; International Courier - $75 CAD)
Processing times: 25 weeks for one credential (as of July, 2022) from the time all of your supporting documents have arrived to ICES.
Required documents:
Master in Marketing Management from the University of Delhi:
Diploma / Degree (sent directly by the issuing institution in a sealed envelope that is signed/stamped by the institution) (+ Translations);
Mark cards for each year of study (sent directly by the issuing institution in a sealed envelope that is signed/stamped by the institution) (+ Translations).
Master of Laws from National University “Odesa Law Academy”:
Diploma / Degree (sent directly by the issuing institution in a sealed envelope that is signed/stamped by the institution) (+ Translations);
Attachment to the diploma or Academic Certificate (sent directly by the issuing institution in a sealed envelope that is signed/stamped by the institution) (+ Translations).
Typical ICES assessment results:
Bachelors – usually evaluated as Bachelors only
BDS / MDS - often evaluated as a professional degree
B.Pharm / M.Pharm – typically evaluated as Bachelors and PGD/Bachelors respectively
MBA - as a rule of thumb all Indian universities MBA are assessed as Masters
M.A / M.SC / M.Com – typically evaluated as Masters
M.Tech / MCA / M.E / M.Ed - normally evaluated as Masters
Main advantages:
Somewhat lenient assessment process.
Relaxed requirements for some countries. For example, there is no requirement to obtain verification from ENIC for Ukrainian applicants, compared to WES.
One of the cheapest ECA options.
Main disadvantages:
Long processing times.
As of June 2022, The International Credential Evaluation Service no longer accepts official documentation from any 3rd party transcript services (such as Truecopy, World Transcript, India Transcripts, etc.). All new applicants must arrange for official documentation directly from the issuing institution.
Large list of ineligible institutions for which ECA will not be processed (some countries, for example, in India).
Conclusion - How to choose the best ECA organization?
There is no definite answer to this question and the answer will vary from candidate to candidate. The choice of the best ECA organization will depend on your institution, country, financial situation, and time constraints. However, when choosing an ECA organization you should keep in mind the following:
1. You should start your research in advance. Some organizations may take up to 30 weeks to complete an ECA and this can cost you your only chance to ever immigrate to Canada (if for example, you lose age points while waiting for the ECA report). The sooner you start the process of obtaining your ECA the better!
2. The same credentials may get different assessment results from different organizations. Do your research around the web to find out about past experience from other Express Entry applicants. A good place to start is by joining the Express Entry Law Facebook Group with over 126,000 members going through the Express Entry process:
3. If in doubt and if you can afford it, consider applying to several ECA organizations at once to minimize the chance of not getting the desired ECA results. This will save you time should one of the organizations award you not favorable assessment.
4. Check your country-specific requirements with all organizations, shortlist the best options, and narrow down the list to one or two best ECA organizations after considering the factors, such as the processing time, cost, and expected ECA results.
5. If applying together with your spouse or common-law partner, consider obtaining the ECA not only for the primary applicant but for the secondary applicant as well.
6. If after reading this blog post, or obtaining your ECA report you end up having questions that you’d want to clarify with one of our Immigration Lawyers, consider booking a consultation.
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About the author:
Igor Kyryliuk
Canadian Immigration Lawyer, LLM
