Credentials
Evaluating your credentials – academic degrees or professional designations may be an important step in your further education and employment. Whether you want to continue your education, seek professional licensing or employment in Canada, such an evaluation makes sure that your international academic credentials are recognized.
You could use specialized Academic Credentials or International Qualifications Assessment Services. These services assess international educational documents and compare them to educational credentials in a Canadian province. As a result you will obtain an individual report/certificate which indicates how an educational credential received in another country compares to an educational program in Canada. This report/certificate may help enter the labour market, gain membership in professional licensing bodies and admission into post-secondary institutions. The credentials assessment reports/certificates are used by employers, professional licensing associations and educational institutions to understand educational programs outside of Canada.
Please note that assessment reports/certificates are advisory only in nature and are designed to support and facilitate hiring or admission decisions made by employers, occupational regulatory bodies and educational institutions. They do not limit a professional association or educational institution from making its own determination of educational levels and credits earned. For many professional associations and post-secondary institutions, an educational assessment is just one of many factors that are used to determine admission. Many professional associations and post-secondary institutions conduct their own educational assessments. Always contact the professional associations and post-secondary institutions before using credentials assessment services. It is your responsibility to ensure in advance that the post-secondary institution or professional association that you wish to enter will accept your assessment report/certificate.
Documents Required for Credentials Assessment
To apply for the academic credentials assessment, you will need to provide the following:
- Original or notarized copies of all final degrees, diplomas and certificates from study completed abroad
- Certified literal English or French translations of all foreign language documents
- All transcripts, mark sheets and academic records of subjects taken at college, university or high school
- A marriage certificate (if required to prove change of name).
Credentials Assessment Process
The assessment service will verify documents for authenticity, translation, recognition status of institution and educational program and individual educational standing. Comparisons are made against current educational standards.
Programs outside Canada are compared to Canadian programs, with respect to the province, issuing institution, level, length and general content of study. The assessment certificate/report may highlight similarities between the programs.
Most assessment services complete the following steps for each assessment:
- Authenticity Review
All documents are reviewed for consistency and evidence of tampering or alteration. Verification will be sought on suspicious documents directly from the issuing institutions. An evaluation will not be conducted on documents determined to be altered or falsified.
- Translation Review
Educational assessments are conducted using original/official documents or certified/notarized copies and their English/French translations. Translations are checked for accuracy.
- Recognition Status of Institution
Assessments are conducted only of formalized education obtained at accredited or recognized institutions. A recognized institution is one that has been formally recognized by competent authorities in a country and/or is widely accepted by other institutions inside or outside the country.
- Description of Educational Program
An extensive research is conducted by the assessment service and a description of the educational program taken abroad is provided. The research includes a review of the level of education, duration of study, general contents of program, and the purpose of the degree.
- General Statement of Comparability.
To determine how a foreign educational credential compares to educational standards in Canada, numerous resources within Canada and across the world are utilized.
Academic Credentials Assessments are given for formal instruction only. They do not evaluate competence, work experience or prior learning.
Foreign Credential Office
The Foreign Credentials Referral Office is a central source of authoritative information that makes finding out about the requirements for working in Canada, labour market trends and the job search process straightforward and easier. Read more
Credentials Assessment Services – Helpful Links
World Education Services (WES) – Ontario
International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) – Alberta
The International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES) – British Columbia
The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC)
The Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada
Canada’s Foreign Credential Office
