Under new rules, the Canadian immigration authorities require a potential candidate for immigration to Canada to evaluate their foreign credentials.
There are five institutions in Canada at present time which are designated to evaluate foreign diplomas and certificates. Designated meaning they would be recognizable by the government as legitimate evaluators. They are:
- Comparative Education Service Department at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies;
- International Credential Assessment Service of Canada in Guelph, Ontario;
- World Education Services in Toronto, Ontario ;
- Medical Council of Canada (evaluation for Doctors); and
- Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (evaluation for Pharmacists.
My office has the experience in dealing with the University of Toronto and it is our opinion that, although quality of the evaluation is high, the processing times are long and that the applicant (or their counsel) must monitor their cases carefully making sure that all documents which are submitted to the university are satisfactory for evaluation as the staff at the comparative education services will not push you in reminding that something is missing,- they will simply sit on your case and wait for your move. It is burden on the applicant to present their documents and follow the procedure.
The application process for evaluation is pretty straightforward, however requires attention to detail.
The applicant (or their counsel) must make sure that the following information is present before making a formal application for evaluation:
- Legal name of the applicant as it appears on their travel passport (not on diplomas as you have to be consistent with the requirements of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada to have your name appears on all application forms as it spells in your travel passport);
- The Applicant’s previous names, if applicable;
- The residential address with the postal code; telephone numbers and email;
- Detailed history of education: periods of study starting from elementary school (even though you might not need your elementary and high school certificates to be evaluated), names of schools as it appears on certificates and their addresses, diplomas, grade achieved.
The processing fee for the evaluation is $200 per certificate or diploma plus courier fees. If the applicant choses regular mail, the fee is not applicable.
The Canadian evaluation ogranization will email you an official form for further sending it to your educational institution in your country. Your university or college you studied must send your transcripts directly to the designated organization in Canada. In addition, you submit copies of your diplomas, certificates and transcripts with translation (all copies that are not in English or French must be translated and certified).
