Educational Credential Assessment or ECA is the process of assessing the scholastic certifications of a candidate to know whether these certifications are worth in Canada. One cannot apply for Canada immigration through Express Entry without getting ECA done. Express Entry candidates who wish to increase their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score can do so by getting their certifications to undergo ECA. But ECA is not necessary for those who hold a Canadian degree.
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has assigned a few associations for getting the ECA done. Though a bit costlier, the World Education Services (WES) Canada is the widely prescribed organization for doing the ECA.
You must keep in mind that your tenth and twelfth-grade authentications do not require ECA. If you have only a single degree, you need to do ECA only for that. But if you have a postgraduate degree or diploma, you need to do ECA for those authentications too. Getting ECA done for more than one educational degree or diploma will help to increase your CRS scores.
How to complete your ECA?
The first step in getting ECA done is to have all the documentation needed ready. In order to do that, you must find out what all documents you need to send to get ECA done. The next step is requesting the university that awarded your degree or diploma to issue the transcripts. You must contact your college/university to know how you need to apply for the transcripts. Once you get the transcripts, you can create a record in WES and apply for ECA by following the instructions on the website. After creating the account, you will receive an ECA package that includes a printed version of your ECA report and a delicate duplicate that can get to on the web. Now you can send the archives and documents to WES. Once WES gets your documents, the status will be changed from “Waiting for expected reports” to “Records got – Review in Progress”. Once they start assessing the documents, they may either change the status to “Assessment in Progress” or ask you to send more records. If you are unable to send the required documents within the stipulated time, WES will dismiss all your reports and then you will have to start from scratch again.
Usually, the assessment of the records is completed within 20 business days. Once completed, WES sends an email saying “Assessment Completed” and dispatch the printed version of your answer to your address. You can also see the report on the web.
ECA and Express Entry
You need ECA to become qualified under the three major economic immigration programs managed under the federal Express Entry program of Canada–Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST) or the Canadian Experience Class program (CEC). In order to apply for Canada PR under any of these programs, you need to include your ECA results in the Express Entry profile.
Cost of getting ECA done
The charges for doing the ECA and the time required are different for each applicant. The charges are different for each appraisal association. However, for most of the applicants, the charge would be CAN$200 besides the expense for conveyance. If the entire family is applying or if you are a master doctor or specialist, you will have to pay more. You may directly contact the concerned appraisal associations to know how you much would need to pay.
Usually it takes from half a month to two months to get the ECA done. One method to speed up the whole process is to submit all the required documents and make sure that you have included all the relevant information in your application. You can also get ECA done fast by approaching established Canada immigration and Canada study abroad consultants in Kerala. ImmiLaw Global helps its clients to have ECA done fast and hassle-free and thus saves them from hours of effort and unnecessary worries.
Documents you need to submit
You will have to submit documents including mark sheets and transcripts. We can provide you detailed information on what all documents you may need to send if you contact us.
After completing the assessment, WES will send an electronic ECA report to you as well as to the IRCC. You may also receive a paper report for the supply of conveyance charges.
Associations
The seven associations that offer ECA service are:
- World Education Services (WES)
- Comparative Education Service (CES)
- International Credential Assessment of Canada (ICAS)
- International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
- International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES)
- Medical Council of Canada (MCC)
- Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC)
We can help you!
To get the ECA done on your own is really difficult as you need deep knowledge about the process. One single mistake is enough for the assessing authority to reject your application and you will have to start from Step 1 again. It will affect your chances of immigration and lead to unnecessarily wasting your time, money and energy.
ImmiLaw Global Immigration Lawyers and Study Abroad Consultants offers expert and matchless services in immigration and overseas education. Being one of the best and most trusted immigration and study abroad consultants in Kerala, you can count on us to get all services including ECA done without any hassles. We provide the complete Express Entry service package with regard to ECA that includes Free Assessment Services, ECA report preparation and Job help with Canada.
ImmiLaw Global is India’s first international Immigration Law Firm of its kind with operations in all the major immigration destinations including Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. We operate on a new and innovative model of collaboration among foreign immigration lawyers from the five most popular destination countries for migrants and study abroad aspirants.
You can contact us for any assistance or guidance you may need for migrating to Canada.
