Immigration Announcement
Highest Degree Of Canadian Immigrants Required For ECA
People aspiring to become Canadian immigrants are usually required to submit an Educational Credential Assessment or ECA. This document is used to verify international diplomas, degrees and certificates obtained by potential immigrants. The goal is to find their Canadian equivalent so that everyone is judged on an equal standing.
What should candidates do?
IRCC has certified some providers to issue ECAs. WES is one such provider and they recently made an announcement stating that immigration applicants will just have to give their highest completed credential for assessment. In fact, WES actively discourages applicants from submitting extra credentials so that the process can be swift and smooth. For example, this means that candidates who have a Ph.D. do not need to submit their undergraduate or postgraduate information.
Exceptions
There are some other instructions applicable to people who studied in a francophone country. Some candidates might have to send extra information and credentials. Documents that are submitted in French will not have to be translated. WES states that documents submitted in other languages that are not spoken in Canada will need to be translated in most cases.
Immigration applicants from India might also have to submit extra credentials in some cases. For example, some Indian applicants will have to send their Bachelor’s degree information even if they have a postgraduate qualification.
Applicants should remember that Canadian credentials do not have to be verified via an ECA. On the other hand, people who submit their applications for Canadian immigration system via the Express Entry system might require an ECA.
