The Importance of Having your International Credentials Recognized in Canada
Posted: 12.03.2015
By Susanna Kislenko
Are you a recent immigrant to Canada looking for work or thinking of continuing your education? Have you been living in Canada for a number of years, but are not working in your professional field? Do you have a professional designation in your home country and are looking to attain the same level of professional recognition in Canada?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions and are experiencing difficulties, the good news is that there is a solution that can assist you. People trained for professions that are regulated, for instance, teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc., are encouraged to visit the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials at www.cicic.ca to find out their next steps. For all other newcomers coming to Canada, it is recommended that you have your international academic credentials evaluated before you apply for a job or to attend a program at a college or university. Knowing the Canadian equivalency of your education can help you avoid additional years of schooling or having to work in a "survival"-type of position, just to support your family.
You may notice that many of the job postings that you find on Torontojobs.ca and other online job boards may contain minimum educational requirements. This is an important consideration when you are applying for a position, but there are also a number of underlying issues that may serve as obstacles for people that did not attain their academic credentials in Canada. One of the hidden truths is that some employers are apprehensive about hiring new employees that have foreign credentials simply because they are unfamiliar with academic programs outside of Canada and prefer to hire someone whose credentials they understand.
Even if you have been able to overcome this initial obstacle and are already employed, but have not had your credentials evaluated in Canada yet, you may be missing out on important opportunities within the organization. Many employers make decisions about salary and promotions based on the number and type of academic credentials that candidates may have.
World Education Services (WES) recently conducted a study, which found that over 75% of engineering, health care and technological degrees that were evaluated from the top 10 immigrating countries to Canada, including India, China, Pakistan, Russia and Romania are, in fact, equivalent to a Canadian degree.
The importance of having your international academic credentials in Canada cannot be emphasized enough. In many cases, it is the first step and sometimes the only way to open the doors of opportunity for new immigrants living in Canada.
In order to address this need for new immigrants and to provide for a smoother transition to a successful life in Canada, credential evaluation services were created. Currently, there are five provincially-mandated credential evaluation services in Canada that have joined to create the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC) (www.canalliance.org).
In Ontario, the service that is officially recognized by the provincial government is WES. WES provides Canadian equivalencies for foreign academic credentials in only 7 business days, which makes it the fastest national credential evaluation service. WES also offers an online application and the opportunity to check your status online. As well, an important service that WES offers is the opportunity to send a free copy of the report to the employer or institution of your choice.
For more information, please go to www.wes.org/ca
Are you a recent immigrant to Canada looking for work or thinking of continuing your education? Have you been living in Canada for a number of years, but are not working in your professional field? Do you have a professional designation in your home country and are looking to attain the same level of professional recognition in Canada?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions and are experiencing difficulties, the good news is that there is a solution that can assist you. People trained for professions that are regulated, for instance, teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc., are encouraged to visit the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials at www.cicic.ca to find out their next steps. For all other newcomers coming to Canada, it is recommended that you have your international academic credentials evaluated before you apply for a job or to attend a program at a college or university. Knowing the Canadian equivalency of your education can help you avoid additional years of schooling or having to work in a "survival"-type of position, just to support your family.
You may notice that many of the job postings that you find on Torontojobs.ca and other online job boards may contain minimum educational requirements. This is an important consideration when you are applying for a position, but there are also a number of underlying issues that may serve as obstacles for people that did not attain their academic credentials in Canada. One of the hidden truths is that some employers are apprehensive about hiring new employees that have foreign credentials simply because they are unfamiliar with academic programs outside of Canada and prefer to hire someone whose credentials they understand.
Even if you have been able to overcome this initial obstacle and are already employed, but have not had your credentials evaluated in Canada yet, you may be missing out on important opportunities within the organization. Many employers make decisions about salary and promotions based on the number and type of academic credentials that candidates may have.
World Education Services (WES) recently conducted a study, which found that over 75% of engineering, health care and technological degrees that were evaluated from the top 10 immigrating countries to Canada, including India, China, Pakistan, Russia and Romania are, in fact, equivalent to a Canadian degree.
The importance of having your international academic credentials in Canada cannot be emphasized enough. In many cases, it is the first step and sometimes the only way to open the doors of opportunity for new immigrants living in Canada.
In order to address this need for new immigrants and to provide for a smoother transition to a successful life in Canada, credential evaluation services were created. Currently, there are five provincially-mandated credential evaluation services in Canada that have joined to create the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC) (www.canalliance.org).
In Ontario, the service that is officially recognized by the provincial government is WES. WES provides Canadian equivalencies for foreign academic credentials in only 7 business days, which makes it the fastest national credential evaluation service. WES also offers an online application and the opportunity to check your status online. As well, an important service that WES offers is the opportunity to send a free copy of the report to the employer or institution of your choice.
For more information, please go to www.wes.org/ca
