The applicant would need to provide evidence that they have one of the following:
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A completed Canadian one-year post-secondary educational credential (or higher) OR,
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A completed foreign educational credential AND an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report issued by an organisation designated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)
The Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report would need to indicate that the completed foreign educational credential is equivalent to a completed Canadian one-year post-secondary educational credential (or higher). In addition, the officers would need to verify that the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) organisation designated by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has issued the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report on or after the date on which the organisation received the appropriate designation from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Furthermore, the officers would need to ensure that the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report is less than five years old on the date of receipt of the application.
It is worth highlighting that the assessment outcome specified in the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report is conclusive evidence that the applicant’s completed foreign educational credentials are equivalent to at least a completed Canadian one-year post-secondary educational credential.
Applicants would need to be aware of the fact that equivalency assessments would typically include assessments by the designated organisation of the authenticity of the applicant’s completed foreign educational credentials. However, this assessment given by the designated organisation does not count as conclusive evidence of the authenticity of the foreign educational credentials. As such, officers could encounter situations where they have concerns about the authenticity of the applicant’s foreign educational credentials. In this scenario, they would need to communicate these concerns to the applicant. Thereafter, they would need to provide the applicant with the opportunity for responding to those concerns and providing additional information or documentation.
