International applicants who have received Diplomas or Degrees from countries where English is not the primary language are required to undertake an Education Credential Assessment (ECA).  The ECA assesses an applicant's international education credential and determines its Canadian equivalent.

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An ECA includes the following information:

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• A verification of your education background

• The Canadian equivalence of your credential

• Identification and description of the assessed credential

• Name and year of credential

• Requirements for entry and program length

• Status and name of issuing institution

• Major/specialization of credential

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There are a number of agencies that undertake an ECA for Canadian Universities, Employers and for Immigrations purposes.  Each province also has a preference for which ECA agency they accept.  Below is a list of province-wide accepted agencies and a brief outline about the agency for your reference.

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• Alberta: International Qualification Assessment Service (IQAS)

 

         International Qualification Assessment Service helps applicants get recognition for education and training  they received outside of Canada.  IQAS issues certificates that compare educational credentials from other countries to educational standards in Canada.

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• British Columbia: International Credential Evaluation Services (ICES)

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       International Credential Evaluation Service is a provincially  mandated credential evaluation service in British    Columbia.  ICES compares education earned outside of Canada to the general education level in Canada.  The recommendations of the ICES consider several factors:  minimum academic credential required for the program, level and duration of the program, the program of study and the recognition of the program and institution.

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• Manitoba: Alliance of Credential Assessment Services of Canada 

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      Manitoba does not operate their own Credential Assessment Service.  They accept credential assessments from the Alliance of Credential Assessment Services of Canada which has 6 members.  

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                 1. Comparative Education Services (CES)

                 2. International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS)

                 3.  International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES)

                 4. International Qualification Assessment Service (IQAS)

                 5.  Ministere del'immigration de la Diversite et de l'Inclusion (MIDI)

                 6.  World Education Services Canada (WES)

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• Quebec: Centre d’expertise sur les formation acquises hors du Québec

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        The comparative evaulation is an expert opinion issued by the Immigration Ministry for reference purposes only. It  establishes an overall comparison between two educational systems.  It indicates the educational benchmarks and areas of training that can be used to compare studies done abroad.

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• Saskatchewan: International Qualification Assessment Service

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• Ontario: World Education Services, Comparative Education Service and International Credential Assessment Service of Canada

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      World Education Services is the leading credential evaluation services provider in North America.  A non-profit organization dedicated to helping international students and professionals achieve their professional and educational goals

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       Comparative Education Service (CES) was established by the University of Toronto and is Canada's only University-based academic credential assessment agency.

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• Northwest Territories: International Qualification Assessment Service

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For other provinces not mentioned above, any of the Assessment services can be used.

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BENEFITS OF ECA

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While an ECA helps prove your eligibility for an immigration program, it can also be an effective way to increase your chances of getting immigration. Further education is given more weightage under the Canadian Immigration system and the ECA's are the main tool used to assess education levels by IRCC.

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On the Comprehensive Rankings System (CRS) scoring grid, you will find that under candidate's education, the higher the applicant's education level, the more points they are awarded in this system.  Therefore, getting your credential's assessed could increase your chances of receiving an ITA by increasing your overall points score under the Express Entry system.

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While many immigration programs require the candidates to assess only their highest education credential, some scoring systems may reward additional education if it can be assessed.  If you have two or more certificates, diplomas or degrees, you can earn up to 128 points for a single applicant.  

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An ECA can also be helpful for those in bridging programs who are looking to expediate gaining a Canadian credential based on their previous professional and education credentials. This can help secure employment in Canada and may expedite earning a Canadian certification in a licensed profession. 

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