Blogs

For people who want to immigrate to Canada temporarily or permanently, there are several options, such as –study permit for students, work permit for professionals, Canada Permanent Resident (PR) visa, etc. These permits and visas to Canada require applicants to meet different eligibility criteria. One such requirement is to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). An ECA is often required for most economic immigration programs offered by Canada’s federal government, such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) under the popular Express Entry system.

If you aspire to immigrate to Canada, but are unsure whether or not you will need to obtain an ECA, consulting a qualified immigration lawyer may help you get clarity. Contact us today to speak to Ravneet Kaur Brar – one of the top immigration lawyersin India with years of experience helping aspirants move successfully to countries such as the US, UK, Canada, etc.

An ECA is required to establish that any certificate, diploma or degree earned in a country other than Canada is valid and equivalent to one earned in Canada. The objective is to evaluate the educational qualification or credentials of foreign nationals as per the Canadian educational standards. It is used as an indicator of the applicant’s ability to contribute to the advancement of the Canadian economy with a certain level of knowledge and skills after they move to Canada as a permanent resident through the Express Entry system. If you have completed your secondary or post-secondary education in Canada, you do not need an ECA.

The Process For Getting An ECA Report:

You must apply for your ECA at one of the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) designated organizations. The IRCC has designated the following organizations for conducting ECA and itis essential that you receive your ECA only from one of these organizations for it to be accepted by the IRCC.

• Comparative Education Service (CES) – University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies 
• International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
• International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES)
• International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
• Medical Council of Canada (if your primary occupation is a specialist physician/general practitioner or family physician)
• Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (for the occupations that require a license to practice, such as a community or hospital pharmacy)
• World Education Services (WES)

In case you are not sure whether you need a licence to practice in the Canadian pharmaceutical industry, to get more information in this regard, you should contact the relevant regulatory body in the province where you intend to live once you move to Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1. What Kind Of ECA Report Should Iapply For Canada Immigration?

Ans. To use an ECA specifically for immigration, you need an ECA for immigration purposes.

Q.2. Will I Need To Obtain Separate ECA Reports For Eachcredential?

Ans. No.You can have all your secondary and post-secondary credentials evaluated in a single ECA report.

Q.3. Does My ECA Report Have To Contain Certain Information?

Ans. Your ECA report must show that your educational coursescompleted abroad, referred to as credentials here, are equivalent to the similar secondary or post-secondary educational coursescompleted in Canada.

Q.4. I Have A Master’s Degree In My Field Of Study, Do I Need To Get The Bachelor’s Assessed Also?

Ans. As a general rule, only your highest educational qualification, in this case, your master’s degree, should be assessed. However, if your completed bachelor’s degree included a study of 3 years or more, you can earn additional points through its evaluation. If you intend to receive full ECA points for more than one credential, one of them must have a duration of 3 years or more.

Q.5. What Is The Processing Fee Forgetting An ECA?

Ans. The processing fee for getting an ECA report may vary from organization to organization. In general, the fee could approximately be CAN $ 200 with additional charges for the delivery. You should contact the IRCC-designated organizations for precise information in this regard.

Q.6. How Long Does It Take To Get An ECA Report?

Ans. The duration for receiving your ECA report can vary from a few weeks to months depending on the organization you choose to have your credentialsassessed by. Please contact the IRCC-designated organizations to get accurate information.

Q.7. What Is The Validity Of An ECA Report?

Ans. An ECA is generally valid for a period of 5 years and the IRCC accepts ECA reports for up to five years from the date of their issue.

Q.8. What If An ECA Establishes That My Post-Secondary Credential Is Not Equivalent To A Canadian Credential?

Ans. In such a case, you can have your high school or secondary credential assessed. It will allow you to earn points for your secondary education, which will help you earn CRS points at least for your valid high school credentials.

Q.9. I Am The Principal Applicant For The Express Entry Application, Which Includes My Spouse/ Common-Law Partner. Will They Also Need To Get Their ECA Report?

Ans. In this case, your spouse/ common-law partnerdoes not need to get an ECA report. However, if they get one, it can help you increase your CRS score, improving your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

Q.10. Do I Need An ECA Report For The Federal Skilled Trades Program Or The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Under The Express Entry System?

Ans.As per the eligibility criteria, applicants are not required to submit an ECA report for these Express Entry programs. However, you may still get your credentials assessed even for the two programs and possibly improve your CRS score as well. Thereby, improving your chances of receiving an ITA to apply for Canada PR.

Q.11. Will The Organization Assessing My Credentials Send My ECA Report To IRCC?

Ans. No, theywill send your ECA report to you with a unique reference number, which will be used while creating your Express Entry profile and applying for Canada PR.

Contact IMB Immigration Law

Applying for a visa or permit often involves a lot of paperwork which can prove to be overwhelming to deal with all on your own. To ensure that you submit a complete application containing all the mandatory