Educational Credential Assessment
ECA
An evaluation of your foreign education credentials to determine their Canadian equivalency for immigration purposes.
What is an ECA?
An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is a report issued by an IRCC-designated organization that evaluates your foreign educational credentials and determines their equivalency in the Canadian education system. For immigration purposes, you need an ECA to claim education points in your Express Entry profile.
Why It Matters for Newcomers
Education is a significant factor in CRS scoring. Without a valid ECA, your foreign degrees, diplomas, or certificates will not be counted toward your Express Entry points. An ECA is mandatory for the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program and beneficial for other programs.
Designated Organizations
IRCC recognizes several organizations to perform ECAs, including World Education Services (WES), International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS), Comparative Education Service (CES), and others. Each has different processing times and fees. WES is the most commonly used.
Quick Tip
Order your ECA early in the process because you need your academic institution to send transcripts directly to the assessment organization. This step alone can take weeks, especially for institutions outside North America. ECA reports are valid for five years from the date of issue.