If you have been planning on immigrating to Canada through a PR, one of the very first things that you need to get done is to get the ECA for Canada by getting your credentials evaluated and you need to zero in on an approved agency that would do it for you.
If you use the Express entry route, you can’t even start without this. And a lot of PNP streams use it as well.
When starting the ECA process for my credentials evaluation in Canada, I have done my homework on this. I have also talked to several immigrants to understand how the process went for them.
And I will keep on updating the article as and when I come across any new information.
So most of the times, no ECA = no Canada PR.In any case, if you want to immigrate to Canada, definitely read the article on visas for Canada.
Table of Contents
What is Canada Educational Credential Assessment & Why Do I Need it?
In a fair world, there would be no need for an educational credential assessment. But the thing is Canadian authorities have no idea whether what you have studied for in your college or university has an equivalent in Canada.
So they need to ensure that. And they need to ensure that whatever certificates and transcripts you have are legitimate and not from some phony university or something that you just bought from the internet.
Farmington university, anyone?
Now as an ECA compares your education to its Canadian equivalent, you don’t really need an ECA if you have studied in Canada. That’s obvious, right?
But if you have studied outside Canada, then getting an ECA is a must for your Canada PR.
How to Get Your ECA for Canada?
There are many organizations that you can use for educational credentials assessment in Canada.
But no matter which organization you choose, the evaluation process will begin only after you make the payment and they receive the necessary documents from you or your university.
ECAs are not needed for Canadian credentials.
You can get ECA reports from multiple ECA agencies like bachelors from one and Masters from another one.The credentials evaluation process itself can also take several weeks to several months.
Another factor is that the evaluation criteria can change from time to time. So if you are expecting a certain kind of evaluation as per your credentials, you might apply with a different evaluating body, if you don’t get it from the first one you apply with.
At the end of the day, the ECA outcome depends on the evaluating body. While you can follow the guidelines and expect an outcome, no one can really predict it for you.1. World Education Services – WES
WES website: https://www.wes.org/
ECA Fees:-
200 CAD for any number of credentials and 100 CAD for upgrade + Courier charges
Canada ECA Processing Time:-
35 days from the day all the documents are accepted.
WES Degree Equivalency Tool:-
https://applications.wes.org/ca/degree-equivalency-tool/
You can use the WES degree equivalency tool to check what your degree is equivalent to.
2. International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
IQAS Website:
http://work.alberta.ca/immigration/international-qualifications-assessment-service.html
ECA Fees:-
200 CAD for any number of credentials and 100 CAD for upgrade + Courier charges
Canada ECA Processing Time:-
23 weeks from the day all the documents are accepted.
3. International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES)
ICES Website: https://www.bcit.ca/ices/eca/
ECA Fees:-
200 CAD for each credential.
Canada ECA Processing Time:-
20 weeks from the day all the documents are received.
4. Comparative Education Service (CES)
CES website: https://learn.utoronto.ca
ECA Fees:-
210 CAD for each credential + Courier charges/Order for softcopy or free of cost for pickup at university of toronto office option
Canada ECA Processing Time:-
90 days from the day all the documents are accepted.
5. International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
ICAS Website: https://www.icascanada.ca/home.aspx
ECA Fees:-
200 CAD for any number of credentials + Courier charges
Canada ECA Processing Time:-
30 weeks from the day all the documents are received.
6. Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC)
PEBC Website: https://www.pebc.ca/index.php/ci_id/3116/la_id/1.htm#FSWP
ECA Fees:-
100 CAD for any number of credentials + Courier charges
Canada ECA Processing Time:-
8 weeks from the day all the documents are received
7. Medical Council of Canada (MCC)
MCC Website: https://physiciansapply.ca/services/educational-credential-assessment/
ECA Fees:-
111 CAD for any number of credentials + Courier charges
Canada ECA Processing Time:-
14 business days for the soft copy and 8 weeks for the hard copy from the day all the documents are received
So, Why WES is the Best ECA for Canada Immigration?
Believe me, I am not saying this because I used WES for my Canada ECA or because I have a special place in my heart for them. Go and you ask around. Most immigrants would tell you that WES is the best ECA for Canada immigration.
WES is by far the most popular organization to get an educational credential assessment in Canada.
The reason is simple.
They have the most efficient processing time, and they don’t charge any more than the other agencies.
Unless you are a doctor or pharmacist, WES should be your first choice. So if you have been wondering about the best ECA for Canada immigration, then it will be WES without any doubts.
Now, of course, there might be scenarios where you should consider other agencies so that you can accumulate more CRS points for Canadian immigration.
In this article, I will tell you how to do a WES evaluation for credentials along with how I did it.
Here is the procedure to apply ECA for Canada on WES.
1. Create an Account on WES Portal
Create your account on WES’s official website by visiting it. Make sure to choose Canada as the country where you will use your evaluation since WES also does ECA for the United States.
After choosing Canada, you would further be prompted to choose the purpose.
WES Standard Application
This is for people who want to study in Canada and get a Canadian license and as such. So if you want to get a study visa for example, you would need this.
ECA Application for IRCC
This is the most common one used by people who want to immigrate to Canada using express entry or PNP route. IRCC Canada is the Government entity handling all these. Most of you would be choosing this option.
ECA Application for Agri-Food Pilot:
You need to used this only for Agri-Food Pilot project
In my case, I chose ‘ECA Application for IRCC’ and click on ‘Start Application’.
You will be prompted to fill in your personal details, date of birth etc on the next page, after which you can create the account.
If You make a mistake of choosing the wrong evaluation type, and made the payment, you can contact WES through their contact us page using your reference number and request them to change the evaluation type.
2. Provide Mailing Address to World Education Services
Once you create WES account, you would need to provide the mailing address and phone number. This address is where WES would send your ECA hard copy. While the hard copy is not necessary to have, it can be useful in many scenarios.
3. Provide Education for WES Evaluation
This is the most important step where you would need to provide your educational details.
Now, IRCC Canada only asks applicants to submit only their highest completed credential for an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). However, this doesn’t apply to Indians. Check the section on Indians for the detailsThis means if you have a Masters and Bachelors, you would want to get the Masters evaluated and not the Bachelors. But for certain countries like India, this comes with a caveat.
If you have Master of Education, Master of Engineering, Master of Philosophy, or Master of Technology in India, then you don’t need to evaluate the Bachelor. In all other cases, you do.
Click on ‘Add Credential” to fill out your educational qualifications. Have your certificate in front of you when you do this step so that you don’t make any mistakes.
In my case, I had done a Bachelors only, so I chose that. I filled out the name of my institution, and name of the certificate as well as the years I attended the degree.
If your institute is not listed, you can enter it manually.
Once you complete adding one credential, you can add any other credential. So after adding bachelors, you can add the Masters as well.
Usually, most of the people would choose University Education and then Bachelor’s or Master’s or Ph.D.
The type of education would have different options depending on where you finished your education.
For many countries like the Philippines, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United States of America, you would choose ‘Higher Education’, rather than ‘University Education’.
Name of Diploma/Certificate
The name of Diploma/Certificate should be exactly as your certificate says.
Common examples:-
- Bachelor of Technology
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Philosophy
- Master in Business
- Master in Science
4. Confirm the Recipients for Credential Assessment in Canada
Once you finish adding your educational details for Canada ECA on WES, you can select the recipients who would receive the ECA. By default, WES would send the educational credential assessment report to
- you, the applicant
- IRCC Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Now if you want, you can add more recipients from the approved list of WES. For example, if you want the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program to receive your ECA, you can select it there. There are various state governments that you can choose as well.
So, if you plan to apply to a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in Canada, do add the program as a recipient. In any case, you can also add PNP recipients later.
This will cost you extra.
Once you confirm the list of recipients, you can see what all WES would provide.
It will provide
- A PDF soft copy of education evaluation for Canada immigration to you
- ECA report for IRCC Canada electronically
- Official paper report for you
- Electronic storage for your report
After this, you can choose Standard Mail through Canada Post or International Courier that comes with tracking. If you ask me, choose Standard Mail since the hard copy again is not necessary and it costs significantly less.
5. WES Requirements for Evaluation of Degree in Canada
Pay extra attention to this page to understand what documents are exactly needed and how they should be submitted for the WES evaluation in Canada.
The document requirements and submission will greatly vary depending on where you finished your education.
- You might or might not need to upload a copy of your certificate.
- You might be able to get the official transcripts from the university and courier them to WES in a sealed envelope.
- Your university would need to courier the official transcripts to WES and not you.
- Your university would email or send the transcripts electronically for WES evaluation and there won’t be any need for the hard copies to be couriered.
In my case, I had graduated in India. WES needed me to upload my degree certificate and my university to send the official attested transcripts.
Upload Degree Certificate
Upload a clear, legible photocopy of the final or provisional degree certificate in ‘My Account’.
Send the Official Attested Transcripts from the University
Here is the thing. The official transcripts are not college-issued mark sheets/result cards. An official transcript would include
- all subjects/papers taken
- marks earned for each year of study
- your university student identification number
Your university would need to attest these documents, and send them directly to WES in a sealed envelope that is signed or stamped across the back flap by the appropriate authentication officer of the university.
If the documents are being sent by standard Mail or courier, make sure to
- include the WES reference number that you would get after paying WES evaluation fees. This reference number should be on each envelope and document that you submit to WES.
- not to send your original documents unless they are specifically requested by WES.
All documents must be mailed to WES. WES does NOT accept documents delivered in person.
Before making the payment, you can verify all your information and check the WES evaluation fees.
In my case, it was $230 CADs.
6. Pay WES Evaluation Fees
There are three ways to pay WES evaluation fees.
- Credit card
- Cheque/money order
- Western Union Money Transfer
Now, credit card is definitely the fastest way to make the payment.
Once you submit the payment, you would see the success message with the WES reference number. They will also send you a confirmation email.
7. Upload Documents for WES Evaluation
For me, the first step was to upload a copy of my certificate for credential assessment in Canada. Skip this step if you don’t need to do it.
For this, you would need to visit the ‘My Accounts’ section and upload it there.
Before you upload, here are the rules.
- Upload only PDF or JPEG files. Do not password-protect your PDF.
- The maximum file size is 10 MB.
- You can upload a total of 20 files. Please consider combining several pages into one file if they are related.
- Only upload correct, clear, legible documents. Your documents cannot be deleted once they are uploaded.
- Do not upload academic transcripts or mark sheets, upload is available only for degree certificates and translations.
8. Transcript Submission WES Degree Evaluation
This is where things get tricky. Especially if your university doesn’t have a mechanism to send the documents electronically or for you to ask them to send the transcripts.
News flash: A lot of the universities don’t, especially the ones in developing countries.
So, in this case, you would need to make a trip to your university or college or both, fill out some forms, get some signatures, pay the fees and possibly pull some strings for the university to send the transcripts in a sealed envelope.
WES sealed envelope
This is how a WES sealed envelope looks like. It should always have the WES reference number and the return address of your university, and contain the official transcripts.
9. WES Receives Your Transcripts
Once WES receives your transcripts, the status of your application would change. And you will receive an email from WES on the same.
Here is the email I received from WES.
10. Receive the ECA from WES
Once the evaluation is complete, you can see it in the WES portal.
You would see the notification that they have sent Canada evaluation report to IRCC and view it electronically and download it as well.
Here is mine.
WES Address in Canada
You or your educational institution would need the WES address in Canada when sending your official transcripts. Here is the address.
World Education Services
Attention: Documentation Center
102-2820 14th Avenue
Markham, ON L3R 0S9
Canada
Make sure to mention the WES Reference No. above the address when sending transcripts.
How Long is WES ECA Canada Processing Time ?
WES usually takes 35 business days or less to complete the credential assessment in Canada. And this is after the receipt, review, and approval of all documents, and payment in full.
If additional research, correspondence, or verification is required, the degree evaluation in Canada will take longer.
That being said, people have received it in a week or two as well.
How Long is Canada ECA Valid?
ECA for Canada is valid for 5 years.
Does WES Refund after Payment?
So there are some cases where WES can refund your evaluation fees, especially when they haven’t received the transcripts from your university and haven’t initiated the real evaluation.
For example, let’s say you thought they would give you Master’s equivalency for an MBA and you made the payment. Then you realized that you would get a Bachelor’s only and you are better off with CES or IQAS.
In this case, you might a successful refund from WES as long as they haven’t received the transcripts.
Upgrading Your ECA for Canada
It is possible to upgrade your ECA to reflect a new degree. So for example, if you got your bachelors evaluated and then two years later, you did a Masters, you can upgrade your credentials assessment so that you get the CRS points for the Masters.
This will cost you extra and the university or you need to send the transcripts of the new degree.
Understanding the ECA Report
ECAs for some degrees are fairly easy to interpret and for some, it’s a little tricky. Especially with integrated courses and Master’s, I have found that the reports might not give you a clear idea of what’s going on.
The best way to interpret the report is to visit the ECA interpretation on the official Canadian government website.
Select the points system as comprehensive raking system and then check the Canadian equivalency and the points associated with them.
Link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/education-assessed/read-report.html
ECA for Cananda in India
If you are planning on doing ECA for Canada from India, then there are certain things that you need to take into consideration.
Any Indian applicant who is sending in a master’s degree or postgraduate diploma to get assessed also has to send their bachelor’s degree.
Exceptions:
Indians with a Master of Education, Master of Engineering, Master of Philosophy, or Master of Technology degree. Also, Indians who have a Ph.D. do not need to send a bachelor’s or master’s degree for evaluation.
ECA for Masters in another Country + Bachelors in India
If you have done your Masters from a western country like the United Kingdom, United States, Germany etc, and your Bachelor’s from India, in that case you need to get the Master’s evaluated only.
In this case, there is no need to mention about your Bachelor’s.
However, note that whether you will get a Master’s from a foreign university would entirely depend on the course you have studied and your university. The only difference is that you don’t need to get your Bachelor’s evaluated.
ECA for Indian MBA
If you have done MBA in India (distance or full-time), then doing the credential evaluation through WES is probably not the best idea unless it is from IIM or IIT.
Is MBA considered a Master Degree in Canada?
WES assesses all Indian MBAs as PostGraduate Diploma of one year (Since June 2018) apart from PGDM from IIMs and IITs.
So if you have done your MBA from any university other than IITs/IIMs, then try to use CES or IQAS or any other agency (not WES) for your evaluation, since a Masters assessment gives you more CRS points.
Is Integrated MBA valid for Canada PR?
Yes, it is. If you have done an integrated MBA like B.Tech+MBA for 5 years, I would strongly recommend you to use IQAS for your evaluation to get a Masters.
Is Distance MBA considered Masters in Canada?
Yeah, Canada doesn’t really care if your MBA is in Masters like some other countries. So don’t worry about it.
Indian Masters Degree Equivalent in Canada
If you have done your Masters in technology or arts or any other streams ( not MBA), in that case, your evaluation will vary depending on the Canada credentials evaluation agency.
| Masters in India | Canada Degree Evaluation |
| M. Tech, MCA, M.E., M.Ed. | Masters |
| M. Sc/M. Com/M.A | Masters by ICES & IQAS. Other agencies might consider it Post Graduate diploma or Bachelors |
Canada Evaluation for MCA
MCA or Master of Computer Application is treated as a Masters for Canada. But keep in mind that you need to get the bachelor’s evaluated in this case as well. So for example, if you did BCA and then MCA, you need them both to be evaluated.
Diploma Degree Equivalent in Canada-Lateral Entry
A common questions is how the Canada credential evaluation will look like if you have done a diploma(usually 3 years) and then got into degree on the basis of that diploma. This is common with lateral entries to Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) or Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.).
You would need to evaluate both diploma and degree in this case, not just degree, which means you need to send the transcripts for both separately.
If you are applying on WES, you can choose technical education for Diploma and university education for bachelors.
Usually, the Canadian equivalency, in this case, would be a 2-year diploma + 4 years degree.
And you would get points for two or more degrees.
Post Graduate Diploma Equivalent in Canada
If you have done a Post Graduate or Post Graduate Diploma after the Bachelors, then it will be considered as a PG diploma only.
BALLB – Professional or Not?
An LLB followed by B.A. or B.Com. is usually considered as a professional degree only, although there have been reports of WES evaluating it as a dual bachelors.
So if you want to get the ECA for BALLB, it’s worth trying with IQAS or CES. That way you get a professional degree and your points would be equivalent to a Master’s.
Blacklisted Indian Universities by ICES
ICES maintains a list of universities that are blacklisted due to non-compliance, lack of quality measures and fraudulent practices and more, even though they might be recognized by the UGC.
Here is the list of blacklisted Indian universities by ICES.
What to Do if Your University is not Listed?
As all the evaluating bodies are different, if your university is not listed in one of the evaluating bodies, you can check whether it is there in any other. For example, if your university doesn’t show up on WES, check on CES or IQAS etc.
WES Evaluation for Indians
WES is definitely one of the most preferred agencies to use for your credential evaluations. But you do need to understand a few things before going for WES evaluation.
Indian Degrees That Are not Evaluated by WES
WES does not evaluate education in
- Ayurveda
- Unani
- Siddha indigenous medical systems.
Dual Bachelors Degree
In some cases, you might receive a dual bachelor’s, especially with law degrees. For example, if you did two bachelors at the same time.
However, in IRCC, you would need to fill out Bachelors only. You cannot select 2 degrees.
Indian Degrees with Lateral Entry
If you were a lateral entry into the second year (or third semester) of a Bachelor of Technology or Bachelor of Engineering, in that case you must also provide documentation for prior study, e.g. Diploma in Engineering from a State Board of Technical Education.
You Can’t Send Transcripts, the University Can.
From Indians, WES only accepts official transcripts issued, attested and sealed directly from the university. You, the applicant or third-party agents can’t send these documents.
College-issued mark sheets/result cards are not accepted by WES unless from an autonomous college.
You can check the official list of autonomous colleges in India here.
IQAS vs WES: Which is Faster & Better?
If you are talking about which is faster, then WES is no doubt faster than IQAS or any other agency.
But if you are talking about getting the best bang for your buck, there are situations where IQAS surely trumps WES.
For example, if you have done an MBA or PGDM, your chances of getting a Master’s equivalent are way better through IQAS or any other agency, but WES.
WES is quite picky when it comes to Master’s and MBA, so you really need to find alternatives if you want to get a Master’s equivalent for your Master’s or MBA or PGDM.
People have been able to get their MBA evaluated in IQAS within 60 days or less without any followups.
And coming to Indians, in most cases, except for an MBA from prestigious institutes like IIMs and IITs, WES will evaluate it as PGDM.
Hi! I would like to inquire if I could apply for Two or more Bachelor’s degree, if I received a WES assessment of Dual Bachelor Degree (4 years)? I have two Bachelor of Science degrees, but finished it in the same duration and same school. I’m not sure if IRCC would accept if I selected this option. Thank you!
Hi Kris,
WES does give out Dual Bachelors, so I think it is possible that you receive the same. You can send a message to WES through contact us and explain it. They will help you better.
In IRCC, you would need to fill out Bachelors only. You cannot select 2 degrees.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for the detailed explanation. This was very helpful.
However, I have one doubt. What if my college is one of the Blacklisted colleges by ICES. Can i still apply for the document evaluation and will it be accepted by WES?
If not, please guide me on what can be the further process.
Thank you.
Hi Maneesha,
Thanks for stopping by. If your college is blacklisted by ICES, you can definitely try through WES or IQAS. As long as it is not blacklisted there, no issues.
I have completed my 3yrs Bachelor of Computer Applications degree and 3 years Masters of Computer Applications degree and i want to know the level of equivalency of my MCA according to Canada if i will apply for ECA through WES?
Hi Tarsem,
WES evaluates MCA as Masters. So go for it.
thank you so much bro for your help … plz tell me is it enough to send MCA for assessment or i need to send both BCA and MCA ????
Hi Tarsem,
You would need to send both BCA & MCA.
Hi Deb Pati,
plz tell me while uploading documents on WES account after paying fees to WES is it enough to upload only the DEGREE Certificates of both BCA and MCA or i have to upload marksheets of BCA ( all three years) and MCA (6 semesters) ?????
Hi Tarsem,
The degree certificate will be fine.
Hi Deb,
I am really thankful to you , i got the WES evaluation of my MCA degree as a MASTERs …
Happy to hear that Tarsem.
Hi Deb Pati , I want do ECA through WES and for that I have to do transcript verification from GNDU University Amritsar and I am applying for it online on GNDU website but I was stuck at a point they are asking to add a foreign address and I am confused which address I have to put any CANADIAN UNIVERSITY address or WES address ?
Hi Tarsem,
The foreign address would be the address of WES, if they would need to send the physical transcripts to WES. Not any Canadian university. And if they would send them electronically, the foreign address is not really necessary.
Thanks Deb Pati ….
Hi Deb,
First of all, thanks for detailing the steps. Great job! Keep it up!
My question is related to ECA. What will be the ECA (Canada equivalent) for someone who studied in India and completed 10+2+2 academic years (i.e. 2 years of Bachelors Degree in general category under old curriculum after completing 10+2 from school)? I have seen ECA done for 3 years and above for Bachelors Degree, but not for 2 years Bachelors Degree (University of Calcutta) which used to prevail prior to 2016.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Thank you.
Hi Arup,
Thank you for your kind words.
Honestly, I didn’t even know that 2-year Bachelor’s was a thing. Always thought it was for 3 years or more.
I would recommend you to get in touch with WES. If they say that it won’t be a Bachelor’s, please try with IQAS. IQAS has a very good understanding of the Indian education system.
Okay. Thanks Deb. Appreciate your help.
I wish I would know. Would really appreciate if you could update once you know.
Hello
can anyone clarify my doubt, i did M.tech(IT) from IKG PTU and B.tect as well from the same university. Also i was lateral entry student i also need to get ECA for my diploma or only for B.tech and M.tech.
Hi Shikha,
Had you done the bachelor’s only, then you would need to get the diploma and bachelors assessed. But you also did an M.Tech.
The good news is that Indians with M.Tech don’t need to get their bachelor’s assessed. So you can just get the M.Tech assessed. You should be awarded a Master’s for that.
Hello Deb,
You have been a helpful hand on this trend, please do not stop helping people, especially when it is needed urgently.
My question is that; is it possible to claim ‘two or more certificate’ for a diploma in Midwifery (a 3 years program) coupled with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing ( a 5 years program)?
Hi Odekunle,
Thanks for your kind words.
See, your highest degree is what matters. So if you have a bachelor’s, you need to get the ECA done for that only. So only the nursing in your case. There is no need to get it for the diploma unless yours was a lateral entry or not through regular mode. Also depends on the country you passed from.
Hi Deb,
I found this blog really helpful. Thanks for making the process look simple and clear. I have a question I have done a 3 years (Bachelors of Art (Honors) Economics) and 2 year Master in Business Administration – Human Resources. As I have read on your blog too that if anyone has done Masters from India then they should get ECA done via CES as they would treat this as Masters.
Question I have is Do I need to get both Bachelors and Masters evaluated via CES. As lot to place I read that we just need to get the highest degree evaluated. Can you please guide as should I get both bachelors and Masters evaluated from CES or just Masters.
Hi Adi,
Thank you.
You need to get both Bachelor and Master evaluated.
For Indians, only when it is a Master of Education, Master of Engineering, Master of Philosophy, or Master of Technology, there is no need to evaluate the Bachelor.
If I wish to get a Canadian PR and study there which WES application do I choose? the one for IRCC or standard application?
Hi Sushma,
WES standard is for a study visa ( universities asks for it ).
The ECA for IRCC is for Canada immigration or PR. So it depends on what you want to do first.
I have completed my 4 yrs Bachelor degree of Textile Technology under Dhaka University Bangladesh I want to know the level of equivalency of my degree according to Canada if i will apply for ECA through WES ? Thanks in advance
Hi Razib,
You can check that on https://applications.wes.org/ca/degree-equivalency-tool/
Hi Deb,
I got an Email from my University which in the Remarks below and I want to confirm that they sent the documents electronically or by post plz tel me about that??
Remarks: Digital copy of transcript has been sent to World Education Services. After 10-15 days status would be update on your account of World Education Services.
Hi Tarsem,
That means your university sent the transcripts electronically.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for such an amazing detailed out article , this is of great help!
Appreciate it 🙂
Question: I have done my Masters of Science in Information technology from mumbai university. So in order to receive a masters equivalent where do i apply my ECA from as you mentioned WES wont accept it as masters?
I am planning to apply for PR visa so as to increase my points which would be preferable and best option if not WES?
Thank you!
Hi Ted,
Thank you for your kind words.
If you have a Masters of Science, you can go through ICES or IQAS. They will treat it as Masters.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for such an amazing detailed out article , really appreciate it.
Question: I have done Integrated B.Tech(CSE) and MBA, a full-time course of 5 years. So can you guide me that will i be bachelor’s or master’s equivalent or if i am even eligible for this. If yes, where do i apply my ECA.
It would be really helpful.
Thank you!
Hi Rahul,
I would strongly recommend going with IQAS for integrated course evaluation to get a Masters.
Hi Deb
I have done B.Sc (Zoology honours) and M.Sc (Zoology) from Delhi University.I also did B.Ed from Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University.All these were regular full time courses.After this, I did Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) from IMT ( centre for distance learning), Ghaziabad.I want to apply for Canadian PR . Will I be considered Masters from WES?
Hi Anuja,
Try to do it with IQAS or CES. WES would not evaluate your PGDM as Masters.
Hi. Thanks for replying. I actually have three degrees –
BSc, MSc and PGDBM. When I check in the evaluation tool, it takes a year away from my MSc and combines it to my BSc to consider it as a four year Bachelor and then consider MSc as one year of Graduate study. Now if I add my PGDBM degree to the mix and even if it does not consider it a standalone Master degree, will it add it to my MSc one year Graduate study and the combined years can then be considered equivalent to a Master degree?
You can definitely try and check the WES equivalency tool if you want to take the WES route. I have provided the link in the article. But I would still strongly suggest IQAS if you want to get a Master’s. I believe WES might award you dual bachelors.
Hi Deb,
Thank you for your detailed article.
Im planning apply for Canada PR. I have Masters of Science from United Kingdom and Bachelors of Technology from Indian University, do I need to get the both certificates evaluated in WES? Please suggest
Hi Subash,
Thanks for stopping by.
You can mention the Masters of Science from the United Kingdom when filing for the evaluation. No need to mention anything related to Bachelors. Just get the Masters evaluated.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for the detailed article. really great info.
I have one query here,
My wife is M.Tech and she is the main applicant for Canada. My question is
1. If We want to claim the spouse point as well, Do I also need to do ECA for my degrees? or only doing my wife’s degree ECA is fine.
2. I Have done full time B.Tech and done Mtech from BITS pilani In correspondence (WILP program). does My MT.ech will be considered Equivalent to masters degree by WES ?
Hi Shailesh,
Thanks for stopping by.
1. Yes, if you want to claim spouse points, you need to get the ECA done as well. That’s the proof.:)
2. I do believe the M.Tech program would be considered Master’s by WES. I think the certificate doesn’t say anything about correspondence or online, right? But feel free to recheck in the WES equivalency tool. I have given the link in the article.
Hi Deb,
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation. I am from Pakistan and recently got my Masters degree evaluated from WES. They have evaluated my degree however the problem is, they have considered my degree as 4 years Bachelors equivalent. What should I do in this scenario as I am losing points for epxress entry.
Regards,
Atif
Hi Atif,
Unfortunately this is common when it comes to WES & Masters. You can apply with IQAS or CES.
Hi Deb,
Thank You for the detailed article!
My spouse is the primary Applicant. He has a B.Com (Bachelor in Commerce) and MBA from SRM University, Chennai. I have a B Tech Degree. Is it better if we do both of our Bachelors from WES and his MBA from CES/IQAS? Or should we do the entire thing(3 sets of credentials) from one place?
Hi Hazel,
I think the first approach would be better even though it might take a bit longer. He should definitely be able to get the points for the Masters from CES/IQAS.
i already have wes eca, can i aplly for another eca through IQAS?
Yes you can.
Hi, I have done my Masters of Engineering from Canada and my Bachelor of Engineering from India. Do I need to go for WES evaluation for my bachelors from India for application of express entry?
Hi Krunal,
I don’t think so. Since your Master’s is from Canada, you should be fine.
Hey Deb,
Just 2 words to describe your explanation: Awesome and Satisfactory, i have never come across such a detailed, easy to understand and to the point information for ECA.
I came across this because I did my evaluation through WES for BE (EC) + MBA full time and from WES I got Bachelor’s degree (four years) and postgraduate diploma (one year) response,
I am applying for PR and having 10 years of work experience (34 year age)
As mentioned in your post i should go with IQAS for getting Masters in ECA, but do you have any example or know anybody who got Master through IQAS recently, just asking so that i can decide to take risk as cost involved in it.
also do I have to evaluate both BE and MBA or only MBA evaluation is enough by considering WES for BE
Hi Appu,
Thanks a lot for your kind words.
Yes, I do know people who got a Master’s for MBA through IQAS after getting PGDM through WES.
You can go for only an MBA evaluation for IQAS. You can try Truecopy to send your transcripts rather than postal.
Firstly i would say Awesome article👍👍
Can you please guide me?I have done bca and mca from different universities ,so i need to evaluate both degrees from wes with both degree certificates?
Hi Minakshi,
Thanks.
Yes, you would need to get both of them evaluated.
Hi deb,
I really appreciate your clear cut answers for all the queries above
In my case i have two bachelor degrees and one masters MBA
and first bachelor degree is incomplete and i want to apply with second one which is BA.English distnace have completed on the same year as MBA that means b.a and mba have completed on the same year will i get through IQAS?
Hi Shihad,
I have never come across a scenario like this. I would request you to get in touch with IQAS or CES and see what they respond. Ideally, a Master’s can start only after a Bachelor’s is finished. In your case, they both have the same year of completion. So there lies the dilemma. The distance part doesn’t really matter.
Hello. Never seen such a detailed post on ECA like this one. So thank you for that.
My question : I have a BA.LLB degree from India. And I am yet to start my maters from canada this year. I just want to get my ECA done before hand for me to apply for PR later as it will be valid for 5 years. Where do you suggest I get it from ? WES or IQAS or CES, in order for me to get a masters rather than a dual bachelors ? Since I am in no hurry, I don’t mind the time it takes. Also are IQAS and CES valid for 5 years too ( in case I apply for PR next year or next to next year ) ?
Hi Ari,
Thank you.
Since you would be doing your Master’s in Canada and you are in no hurry, why not apply with the Masters in Canada? You would get the required points easily, and no need to do the ECA since your education is from Canada.
That being said, you can try IQAS or CES for the 5 years BALLB. It would be evaluated as a professional degree, that can help you claim the points for Masters.
I have created an account in WES and paid the fees. But still I can’t see “Upload Documents” button on My Account page. It says wait for 15 minutes, but it has been over an hour and still can’t upload. Please suggest how much time it takes for the button to be enabled.
That’s news for me. I was able to upload maybe in 15-20 minutes or so.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for the detailed explanation. This helps a lot of us.
My spouse has done her B.A and M.A from Delhi University. We went for WES ECA and they evaluated her degrees as Bachelors and 1 year postgrad diploma. To gain points, we need Master’s equivalency.
Would like to know if CES would recognize her M.A as Master’s and should we just get her ECA for MA done or both MA and BA as they charge separately. Would you recommend IQAS over CES in this specific case.
Thanks
Hi Vatsal,
Your spouse will get a Master’s for M.A from IQAS. Definitely worth trying. Go for M.A only and try Truecopy.
Hello Sir,
I would like to know that I have done Master of Laws/LLM (2 years course), So in case of Master of Laws, Do I need to assess my Bachelor of Laws (3 years course) as well? And before LLB, I have studied Bachelor of Science (3 years course). Moreover, which ECA agency is good in my case for getting higher points in CRS Score?
Thank You.
Hi Mohit,
Yes you need to assess both Bachelor’s and Master’s. Try IQAS or ICES.
Hi Deb,
I got my pgdm assessed by IQAS which they considered equivalent to university diploma instead or Masters. Now, i am thinking of getting my bachelor degree also assessed by WES so that i can claim 2 or more degree.
Is this the right approach??
Looking forward for your suggestions.
Hi Porav,
How will that help you really- having two degrees? And IQAS usually gives Masters for PGDM. I am quite surprised that you got a diploma.
I would recommend you to visit the ECA report interpretation link to understand it better. I have a section in the article that can help.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/education-assessed/read-report.html
Hi Deb,
What is the process for WES for a person with 2 Post Graduate Certificates from Canada, for applying PR?
Hello Deb,
This is one of the best articles i have come across regarding ECA, it can be quite confusing 😉
Kindly help me with this – I have a PGDM from AICTE approved institution of Delhi after my B Com(H) from DU. Recently i have also got my Advanced Diploma in Management accounting from CIMA UK. So could you help which evaluation agency should i choose so that my points are maximized. i have found that my CIMA diploma would be considered as 2nd Diploma (a 3 year one) so i believe i would be able to choose two post graduate diploma option during CRS and get good score or you would suggest to try with IQAS which might consider my (PGDM as Masters and i would be better off in CRS
Thanks in advance and keep doing the great job
Hi Monali,
Thank you for your kind words.
I believe it would be better to try IQAS and get a Master’s, rather than 2 diplomas.
Hi Deb,
Here is my scenario.
I have done BBA through distance education from a Tamilnadu based University. Then I did a 2 years MSc IT from Sikkim Manipal University (distance Mode). Here in SMU, based on my previous IT Vendor certification/course, I got entry directly into the 2nd semester (lateral entry) of MSc but I did write the 1st sem exam as well. Eventually I passed my all 4 semester papers of MSc within 1.5 years duration in the mid of 2011 Mid. After this, I took admission into Distance MCA (3 years course) directly into 3rd year (lateral entry based on 2 years MSc IT). It is a Tamilnadu based state university and I passed the MCA course just in 1 year. But since my admission into the MCA was a lateral entry & I studied only in the last year, my MCA university did not provide me any consolidated marks sheet. From my this MCA university, I have I have got only 3rd year marks sheet, + provisional & Original Degree certificates. If I go to WES for my Master degree ECA, then what are my chances ? Will my MCA Degree & last year marks sheet suffice or I will have to share my SMU degree as well ?
Hi Anyon,
It is possible to apply by providing two sets of mark sheets if you are a lateral entry. It would be similar to the diploma+degree type situation I take. But I don’t understand why you received only 3rd-year mark sheet. You might consider reaching out to WES and ask about their take on this before making the payment.
And since you have one Msc in IT, you might try IQAS or ICES for that one.
HELLO,DEB,
I am Swati, and I have done Ph. D. in HR and M.B.A. HR from India, I want to go for Immigration/PR, which ECA agency is good in my case for getting higher points, can I apply for ECA on my own without any agent/consultancy? I need to evaluate both degrees with both degree certificates? What is the process for WES for a person with Ph. D. and MBA, Certificates for applying PR?
Hi Swati,
You don’t need any agents for doing the ECA. If you have done a Ph.D., go for WES. Only the Ph.D. certificate will be fine. No need for an MBA certificate.
Follow all the steps mentioned in the article and you will be able to do it yourself.
Hi
Thank you for such an incredible post. I have two questions I am applying for Canada PR and I have done MA (1year course) from United Kingdom and another MA & BA Hons from India, what ECA should I choose Wes or icas and do i need to upload all of my BA and MAs. And my spouse did BDS (dentist) from India what shall I choose for him? Apologies for such a lengthy question.
Appreciate the help.
Hi Tania,
Thank you for your kind words.
For your spouse, for BDS, WES would be the best.
For you, please check https://applications.wes.org/ca/degree-equivalency-tool/ for the equivalency of your MA in the UK. If it’s not a masters, then try ICES or IQAS for your MA in India. You will get a Masters.
Hey
Thanks Deb for your immediate response. My UK degree is equivalent to Masters in Canada as per WES. Another little query: shall I only use my UK degree for evaluation and drop degrees from India because Wes is considering them graduate degrees. Or should I go for ices or iqas but they took ages in processing. What would you suggest? Thank you
Hi Tania,
I believe in that case, you can evaluate your UK degree through WES, and drop the degrees from India.
Hi Deb,
It was such good article and a explained with great finesse.
Just to put my last doubts to rest., if you cab suggest what agency to choose for ECA.
1. B.E from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra .(Full Time)..4 years
2. MBA (Distance ) 2 years ….Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu
3. EPGDBM (Executive Postgraduate diploma in Bussiness managament (Part Time…2 years)..Symbiosis International University, Pune.
Which Agency , should I choose for getting maximun CRS score,or equivalency to Masters .
Can I choose differenet Agencies for diferent degrees here .
Sewk your expert opinion.
Thanks.
Hello Rajesh,
Thanks.
You can definitely choose different agencies for different degrees but I would recommend IQAS or ICES and get your MBA evaluated so that you can score the maximum points.
Thanks for your reply and necessary clarification.
Could you please also tell, Should I go only for ECA of only one Degree (Highest) i.e MBA through IQAS ?
Is it necessary to get Bachelors also evaluated by any Designated ECA Agency ?
Alternatively ,
If I get Masters for My MBA from IQAS, Should I still get my B.E evaluated for ECA ?
HELLO,
I have done BBA and MBA. Do i need to get ECA for both the degrees or only MBA?
Kindly suggest me the ECA body as well from which i should apply.
Hi Rajni,
You can go for only an MBA evaluation for IQAS. You can try Truecopy to send your transcripts rather than postal.
Hi Deb, I have couple of questions regarding the documents requisition. As per the update i am required to upload my Masters(2 years) and Graduation(3 years) document. My question is
1. Do i just need to upload only one document(final or provisional) each on WES
2. I do not have transcripts, in my case could you let me know how many transcripts do i need to request my university to send to WES. I mean the total number of transcripts needed to be sent to WES by my university. My university is asking for the number of papers so that they can tell me the fees accordingly.
Awaiting your response!
Ansar
Hi Mohammed,
1. You would need to upload the final/provision degree certificate for each.
2. The university should send all the transcripts they have for both degrees. It should be a standard thing, right? Same for all the students. I am a little surprised that they are asking you. 🙂 Since it’s different for different universities, I can’t really say. But I assume if you have 5 mark sheets, there would be 5 transcripts.
Hi Deb, I have done B.tech-M.tech dual degree course in Computer Science from Jaypee noida from 2008-2013. The college issues two seperate degrees, one for mtech and one for btech. But they issue single transcript having 11 semesters. So which degree should i get evaluated and from which organization WES or IQAS?
Thanks in advance
Ayush
Hi Ayush,
In case you have an M. Tech, you don’t have to evaluate the B. Tech. IQAS will definitely award you a Master’s. You can check with WES whether they will. WES does evaluate normal M.Tech as a Master’s, but in case of an integrated degree, I am not 100% sure although my gut says they should. Please check and maybe you can update once you know. Would be helpful for people in future.
Hey!
Should a Master in Science from IIT Dehli be evaluated through WES, I know someone who got it equivalent to a two years master’s degree for MSc from IIT Hyderabad by WES.
Yes, I have heard the same. But do check the WES equivalency tool and reach out to them before making the payment.
Hi Deb,
I have a follow up query to my earlier query dates 05 July.
If I get my MBA evaluated from IQAS and get Masters Credential for same.
Should I still get My B.E. evaluated by WEs or IQAS or CES ?
Hi Rajesh,
If you get your MBA evaluated from IQAS as a Master’s, that would be enough. No need to evaluate the B.E separately.
Thanks a lot.