Acquiring an Educational Credential Assessment, ECA, is one of the most important steps to be taken in consideration while immigrating to Canada. An ECA is more important, above all, for those applying under the Express Entry programs such as FSWP, the Canadian Experience Class, and Provincial Nominee Programs. An ECA essentially confirms that your foreign education equates to Canadian education. WES is, arguably, the most prestigious and preferred, among the long list of organizations accredited to provide an ECA. The following information relates to why you should consider WES for your ECA and everything about the process.
What is an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)?
An ECA is a document that identifies your foreign degree, diploma, or certificate and attests that it is valid and equivalent to the Canadian credential. It serves as proof of the authenticity of an applicant’s academic credentials for skilled immigration, where eligibility and ranking in the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System are partly determined by educational background.
WES is an IRCC-approved institution that offers ECA services for the assessment of your educational qualifications. Through WES, you can establish if your educational background meets Canadian standards—a requirement in your immigration process.
Why choose WES?
- Established Reputation: WES is one of the oldest and most trusted credential assessment organizations. Their reports have wide recognition by IRCC, but also by academic institutions, professional licensing bodies, and employers across Canada.
- Fast Process: WES boasts some of the quickest processing times in the industry. They offer streamlined service through a Web-based platform that allows applicants to create accounts, upload documents, track assessment progress, and perform other functions easily.
- Online Document Submission: Through WES, the majority of applicants can now upload their documents through their online portal. This relieves one from mailing the hard copies and saves much time and effort.
- Broadly Accepted by Professional Bodies: Other than being recognized by IRCC, WES assessments are also accepted by various professional licensing bodies. This is very ideal when planning to work in a regulated profession in Canada.
- User-Friendly Platform: Both the WES website and their customer support will help in clearing and easing you through the process. Right from opening an account to receiving your results, everything is simplified for all applicants.
Who Can Apply for a WES Assessment?
The WES evaluation is offered to individuals who have obtained some post-secondary education and who are applying to IRCC for immigration programs, such as Express Entry. WES does not assess diplomas issued at the secondary school level. You should have pursued an education after completion of your secondary school leading to the award of a degree, diploma, or certificate in order to be assessed.
The evaluation will be beneficial particularly for:
- Internationally Educated Professionals: Any person intending to migrate to Canada as a skilled worker needs their educational accomplishment assessed to match over the Canadian standards.
- International Students: Students desiring to further study in Canada may also be required to have this ECA for establishing equivalencies of previously obtained education.
- Professionals in Regulated Fields: Doctors, engineers, or any other kind of professionals who intend to practice under licensed statutory bodies will require WES to authenticate their educational qualifications for licensure in Canada.
Age Limits
There are no age limits to the WES evaluation per se. However, age does play a vital role in the CRS score under Express Entry. There isn’t any specific age requirement for the ECA, but for the Comprehensive Ranking System, it would appear that applicants seem to have a higher rating at the age factor between 20 – 35 years of age. The points for age awarded by the CRS start to lower after the age of 35.
What Type of Documents Should Be Submitted?
WES requires documentation that will authenticate all educational credentials. The nature of the documents differs from country to country and, of course, by level of education being assessed, but includes in most cases:
- Official Transcripts: These should be provided directly by the institution where you attended. WES receives these directly from your institution in a sealed envelope or through secure electronic upload.
- Degree/Diploma Certificate: You will need to provide a copy of either a degree or diploma certificate. WES may request the original language document with a certified translation, if required.
- Proof of Identity: WES may, in exceptional cases, require proof of identity, such as a passport or government-issued ID.
- Secondary Education Information (if Applicable): In case a post-secondary institution does not mail documents, WES may request information about secondary education for the purposes of backup document verification.
After What Education Can You Apply for a WES Assessment?
WES assesses post-secondary credentials. For this reason, you are qualified to apply if you have done the following higher education:
- Undergraduate Degrees: Bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, or equivalent post-secondary education.
- Graduate Degrees: Master’s degrees or other postgraduate credentials.
- Professional Degrees: Degrees in fields like medicine, law, or architecture that require special training.
It’s worth noting that WES doesn’t assess secondary school diplomas or other non-academic certificates, so you need at least to have completed some kind of higher education.
Professions That Benefit from WES Assessments
Credential evaluation is the means by which the vast majority of professions in Canada authenticate foreign education. The following are some of the professions that normally require a WES ECA:
- Engineering: In the case of professional engineering licensure, foreign qualifications must demonstrate their qualifications against Canadian standards.
- Healthcare: Doctors, pharmacists, nurses, among other health professionals, may be required to have an ECA for provincial or national licensure.
- IT Professionals: Information technology workers, including software developers and data scientists, benefit from an ECA that is issued to show their skills are at a level equivalent to Canadian standards.
- Education: Teachers, professors, academic researchers, etc., frequently seek a WES evaluation for applying to positions within the Canadian education sector.
- Business and Finance: Accountants, Auditors, and Management Professionals can increase their prospects of having their immigration applications successful by confirming their foreign gained education meets that of Canada.
This means that, in the case of belonging to a regulated profession or trade, a relevant licensing body has to be confirmed to have WES accreditation; this is very important. This will then make your report valid once you apply for licensure in your profession.
How Does WES Affect Your Immigration Process?
WES becomes very relevant to your immigration process if you are applying via Express Entry. Your ECA rating will reflect how your own education stands vis-à-vis the benchmarks of Canada. These scores will then get translated into points for the number of CRS you are gunning for.
How an ECA from WES Affects Your Application:
Your ECA ratings reflect how your own education stands compared to the Canadian benchmark. The scores then translate into the number of target CRS points.
- CRS Points: You will get a maximum of 150 CRS points depending on the level you have attained and the equivalency that WES gives it. Additionally, if you have education credentials from Canada and also a foreign country, you will be awarded additional points.
- Proof of Education: The WES ECA acts as proof of your foreign education for IRCC. Your application will not be complete without it.
- Eligibility Verification: For the immigration streams that have some basic requirements in terms of education, your WES report will confirm to IRCC that you have the minimum education required.
- Fast-Track Licensing: In case you belong to a regulated profession, your WES ECA will fast-track the process of licensing by providing verification of your credentials to the professional bodies.
Conclusion
Choosing WES for your IRCC Educational Credential Assessment is, therefore, the best option towards becoming a Canadian immigrant or professional. The services are reliable, with fast processing; its assessment is also recognized in very many sectors. For anyone seeking to have their foreign education accredited in Canada, WES will feature prominently among the best. Having a WES ECA means a lot towards living your Canadian dream, be it through the Express Entry application or licensure in a regulated profession.
Be sure to collect all the required documents, check if there is any requirement for the relevant professional bodies to confirm the acceptance of WES, and complete your assessment as early in the process of immigration as possible. With WES, you can confidently move through your journey toward a new life in Canada.
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