WES ECA – World Education Service

Steps for WES ECA evaluation for Canada Immigration purpose.

This article contains important points with a lot of information along with frequently asked questions on how to apply for WES ECA.

Please bookmark this page for future reference.

Before you start just check the following things:

Check Official WES Website: World Education Services Canada: International Credential Evaluation

• Please go through the website and familiarize yourself with the navigation. You will get most of your answers there.
• The site usually opens USA page by default so make sure you navigate to the Canadian page by selecting the drop-down menu shown in the picture below.
• It is important to verify that you are on the Canada WES site before proceeding.
• How to make sure you are on the Canada WES site?
  • The domain of WES Canada is wes.org/ca
  • The dropdown flag (Top right) show above will display which site you are accessing

Degree equivalency tool: WES Degree Equivalency Tool

• WES has a free tool to check equivalency of your degree to a Canadian degree.
• Do not rely completely on this as the final assessment always depends on the actual evaluation but it will give you an idea and a head start.
• If your degree is not listed there it does not mean it will not be equivalent to anything, you will get to know that in the real assessment.

Important points to remember about your WES Application

• Once you have paid your evaluation fees, a WES reference number will be generated which will be used in all your communications with WES Quote
• Once you submit your profile and reference number is generated you cannot edit your information so double-check all information carefully and then click submit
• Read all instructions regarding documents and address where the sealed envelope needs to be sent
• Never send any original document to WES unless specifically asked by WES with instructions that they will return it after evaluation
• You can monitor the progress of your evaluation from WES website or the app. The current timeline for completing an evaluation is 35 business days.
• Upon receiving all documents, WES will issue an estimated date of completion. This is usually a very accurate date. You will receive your report usually on the same date or plus/minus one day
• Once your evaluation is marked as completed you will receive an email and a hardcopy will be dispatched to your address simultaneously.
• You can download a pdf copy of your report by logging in your WES My Account. You will also receive a separate email once the hard copy is dispatched. This email will include the DHL tracking number
• You can use the electronic pdf copy for Express Entry. There is no need to wait for a hard copy of your report for Express Entry. Both have the same information.
• The validity of your ECA report is 5 years.

Avoid these mistakes when applying for WES ECA and save money:

• Prepare for delays and plan ECA 6 months ahead of your IELTS. WES is the fastest provider, however; depending on University, there may be delays. Hence, always plan for delays in advance.
• Do proper research.
• If you want to get ECA done for Indian Masters or Postgraduate diploma, WES requires you to send your bachelor’s degree as well without which it will not be able to complete your ECA.
• Exceptions where you do not have to send your bachelor degree:
  • M.ED., M.Engg., M.Tech., MPhil.
• Monitor the updates in your WES account. WES sometimes verifies the transcripts they have received with your University and keeps the application on hold till then.
• Indian Universities may not always inform you that a verification request from WES is pending. Hence, monitor your WES account for a status update and call your University if you see that WES has requested verification of your data.
• An important point to note here is that while most universities may do the verification for free, some may charge for it afresh.
• If they do it for free, your application may not get stuck in processing, however; few Universities such as Delhi University charge a fee for verification and will keep the request on hold till you pay the fees. Take note of that and plan accordingly.
• WES will reject envelopes without WES reference number.

Frequently Asked Questions about WES ECA