Get your education assessed

You must show that you have the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma, or higher, by getting an educational credential assessment (ECA).

On this page

• What is an ECA
• How to get an ECA
• What your report means
• What to include in your application

What is an ECA

If you have a completed foreign educational credential, like a high school diploma (or higher), you must get an ECA from an approved organization.

An ECA is used to check that your foreign credential is valid and equal to a Canadian secondary school diploma or higher.

How to get an ECA

Choose a designated organization

You can get your assessment from any of these organizations:

Check the websites of the approved organizations or contact them directly to find out

• what documents you need
• how much it will cost
• how long an assessment will take

Apply for your assessment

Make sure you

• apply for an ECA for immigration purposes
• gather all the documents the organization needs to assess your education
• ask your school for multiple copies of your degrees, diplomas, transcripts, etc.
• follow any instructions given to submit the documents
• pay the fees

What your report means

Once you get your education assessed, the organization will give you an ECA report that will tell you if your foreign credentials are equal to a Canadian secondary school diploma or higher.

Your ECA report must

• clearly state that your completed foreign credential is equal to a completed Canadian secondary school diploma or a higher-level diploma
• be issued on or after the date the organization was approved by us
• be less than 5 years old on the date that we receive your application

Reasons you might not be eligible to apply

You’re not eligible to apply if your report shows your completed foreign credential is equivalent to

• a high school diploma from a non-recognized institution
• incomplete years of studies (instead of a completed high school diploma or a higher-level diploma)

What to include in your application

In your application, you must include

• a copy of the ECA report
• copies of your degrees, diplomas, transcripts or other proof of your completed foreign credential

Keep a copy of the report for your records and future use.

We’ll check any ECA report submitted with an application and with the organization that produced the report.