What Is An Educational Credential Assessment Report And How Do I Obtain One?

An Educational Credential Assessment, or an ECA report, is required by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to assess one's international academic credentials obtained from outside of Canada. The main purpose of an ECA report is to verify how much a foreign educational credential is worth by Canadian education standards. ECA reports are only valid for a maximum of five years from the date of issue. Therefore, if you have an ECA report that was issued more than five years ago, you have to obtain a new one from a designated organization.

In addition, ECA reports are mandatory for applicants applying under the Canadian Express Entry program and, in limited circumstances, for international students attempting to gain admission into a Canadian college or university program. There are seven designated organizations which are currently authorized to issue ECA reports: