Educational Credential Assessment ECA for Express Entry

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Aside from language abilities, another key area in any Express Entry application for permanent residence and in assessing your ranking within your candidate pool is your education. In order for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC, formerly Citizenship and Immigration Canada or CIC) to assess the validity of your foreign degree, diploma, or certificate, you will have to submit to an Educational Credential Assessment, or ECA.
In order to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) as a principal applicant, you will need an ECA.
If you are an Express Entry applicant under the Federal Skilled Trades program (FST) or the Canadian Experience Class program (CEC), then an ECA is the only way for you to receive points for your foreign education. This is always a good idea as it boosts your ranking and improves your odds, within your pool of candidates, of being invited to apply for permanent residence.
In the case of the FSWP, as well as the FST and CEC cases, you must include your ECA results in your online Express Entry Profile to be awarded points.
If you already possess a Canadian degree, diploma, or certificate, then you do not need an ECA.
If you wish to work in a regulated profession in Canada, you will need to be licensed by the provincial or territorial government’s licensing body in the province or territory in which you wish to live and work. This is in addition to having your degree or diploma assessed through an ECA. You should contact the relevant regulatory body in the province or territory you wish to live in as soon as possible to see what the requirements are for getting your foreign credentials assessed.
IRCC-DESIGNATED ORGANIZATIONS
World Education Services (WES)
WES is the most famous designated organization, authorized by IRCC to provide ECA reports. They are located at:
2 Carlton Street, Suite 1400
Toronto ON M5B 1J3
Their phone is only accessible from within Canada and they do not attend walk-in customers. They do not provide an email and must be contacted electronically by filling out the appropriate online forms at their website and by mail when you, or your educational institute, mail them the application packages with the appropriate documentation or the official documents. They have a 3-step application procedure:
Complete the online application form by going here. You will receive a reference number which you must keep.
Review the document requirements for your country of education. For example, for those educated in the Philippines, and if you attended a higher education institute, you will need:
An Academic Transcript listing all the courses taken and grades earned for each year of study. If you attended more than 1 institute the last institute attended must send the transcript.
If you have a doctoral degree, you will need an official letter confirming the awarding of your PhD.
Download and print an Academic Records Request Form and if necessary a Doctoral Degree Conferral Request Form and send them to your educational institute in order for them to send the transcript directly to WES. Remember not to send original documents unless specifically requested by WES.
WES will process your application and send you an electronic ECA report for you to send to IRCC. You will also receive electronic storage of your report and verified transcripts for future use. Upon payment of delivery fees, you may also receive a paper report. Standard processing times are approximately 20 business days. Go here for more information on fees.
Comparative Education Service (CES)
By the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
Based in Toronto, it was designated by IRCC on April 17, 2013 to provide ECA reports. That means any ECA done by CES before this date will not be accepted by IRCC. They are located at:
158 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario
learn@utoronto.ca
416 – 978 – 2400
416 – 978 – 6666 Fax
The maximum points you can earn for educational credentials is 150.