Paano kumuha ng ECA – Educational Credential Assessment para Canada


There are main pathway na tinatahak ng mga Pilipinong nagbabalak papuntang Canada:

1.) Via Express Entry – Ito ay pwede ka mag-submit ng PR (Permanent Residency) application to Canadian Immigration online while nasa sarili mong bansa. Pwede ka mag-apply kahit nasa Pilipinas ka lang. Waiting time is around 6 months or less than a year you will be able to get your nomination DEPENDING ON YOUR SKILLS DEMAND (Check your NOC and experience). ECA is one of the requirements.

2.) Via Student Visa – Ito ang madalas na tinatahak ng mga Pilipino dahil regardless of your skills pepwede ka mag-enroll sa gusto mong kurso as student sa Canada depende sa natapos mo sa Pilipinas. Waiting time only 3 months or less. ECA is needed for educational assessment.

3.) Via Temporary Work Permit – Ito ay employer demand pathway. Kailangan mo makahanap ng employer para makapunta sa Canada. You can apply while nandito ka pa sa Pinas via direct or agency. The good thing about Canada is pwede ka direct mag-apply sa employer subject to terms and conditions of the POEA. The in-demand skills are care giving, Food & Beverage, production, and IT. Waiting time is 3-6 months. ECA is a requirement for office-based employers. ECA can be optional for some labor jobs.


Main Reasons why get an ECA – Educational Credential Assessment:

While nag-iipon ng pang-gastos papunta ng Canada, unahin muna ang pag-process ng ECA para malaman kung ang narating ba na education level sa Pinas is katumbas ba sa Canada.

Makakapag-apply ka ng office jobs and magiging competitive ang salary kapag may Canadian equivalency ang educational background mo sa Pilipinas ay college graduate or masters. Let’s say the job requires to have a bachelor’s degree or at least diploma, you will be confident to apply based on our educational qualifications.

The Canadian government particularly the Immigration is based on points system that will add up your educational background, experience and skills to qualify for Permanent Residency.


Here are the easy steps how to get ECA or Educational Credential Assessment:

STEP 1.) Secure a budget and Online Payment Account such as credit or debit card.

The cost is about CAN$200 plus tax and the cost to have it delivered via courier services. It also depends on the current exchange rate 1 CAD = P39.00 approx. Secure a budget at least P14,000.00 for ECA application.

My actual expense breakdown just for ECA application, first was Php 11,733.00 inclusive of mailing the result from Canada to Philippines charged to my credit card during registration.

Second, you will also have to spend money on international mailing services during the processing of the ECA to submit your credentials to the institution that will evaluate your credentials which is based in Canada. That is additional P2,000.00 more or less on the mailing depends of the city you are located in the Philippines, since I am from Davao city it costs P1,939 via DHL courier.

Pwede naman Western Union ang bayaran ng ECA. However, hassle-free lang kapag sa credit card because you don’t need to go out to Western Union branch. Debit card can also be used as long as it has available funds. If you do not have your own credit card or debit card, you can ask your family or friend if they allow you to input their card details to proceed with the online payment.

STEP 2.) Decide which institution would you like your education to be evaluated: at IQAS or WES?

Click on this link to know more about IQAS. Please visit https://www.alberta.ca/iqas-overview.aspx

Click on this link to know more about WES. Please visit https://www.wes.org


Why choose WES to have your education assessed?

WES evaluation is widely accepted and preferred by more than 2,500 educational, business, licensing and governmental institutions throughout the U.S. and Canada. Meron ka pang free digital badge for your Linkedin profile after the evaluation which is additional highlight for your prospect employers in Canada while job hunting. Please see sample of the WES badge. User friendly mobile app and website. Easy to understand instructions. Fast response and delivery of results. Then 5 years validity yung results. By that time hopefully nakapag-migrate ka na sa Canada.

You can try their free assessment tool in their website here. https://applications.wes.org/ca/degree-equivalency-tool/

STEP 3.) Create account sa WES website and download ka ng mobile app nila

Select mo yung Canada. Dalawa kasi options diyan USA and Canada. Select mo yung pangalawa ECA application for IRCC kung apply ka ng Express Entry (for PR – Permanent Resident). Click in this link to create account https://applications.wes.org/createaccount/create-account/register Basic info lang, username and password mo for WES account.

STEP 4.) Payment of WES and getting the Reference Number that you will use for requesting your credentials from the university where you graduated (highest educational attainment)

Proceed mo lang to online payment via credit/debit card/western union then get the WES Reference Number. Then may option dyan kung standard delivery or express. Mas mabilis dumating yung sa express. May additional bayad kapag express mail. Ibig sabihin nito ipapadala ni WES sa address mo sa Philippines yung hardcopy ng results after evaluation. You can also check out tips in completing your WES application – https://www.wes.org/advisor-blog/tips-for-completing-your-wes-application/

STEP 5.) Contact your school/university where you last graduated and follow WES instructions

You should inform your university that you are processing for ECA via WES. You have to forward them the WES reference number and the WES form. Then you will have to pay the request of credentials for Transcript of Records and Diploma to your university. I paid P395 for this request. They should prepare your credentials such as Certified True copy of TOR and Diploma in sealed envelope na based sa instruction ng WES. Please be careful to monitor this. I am glad that my university is used to processing ECA and they just know what to do about it. In mailing the sealed envelope to WES, either si school magpapadala sa international mail courier services sa WES in Ontario Canada or ikaw. In my experience after I picked up the sealed envelope containing my credentials from the University Registrar within 5 days from the request, I proceeded to DHL for international mailing. DHL is a courier service. I will mention the cost of international mail but please check with courier nearby your area as their prices may vary.

 

STEP 6.) Mail the document to WES Canada and wait for the results

After 1 week of sending the sealed envelope to WES Canada and indicating my university as the sender, my mail has been received by WES. I then checked my WES mobile app for updates. They usually update the status until it is completed. Once completed, you will be able to view the report of your evaluation from the mobile app. Then they will mail to you the hardcopy results to the address you indicated upon registration in their website. Hardcopy result is required for immigration assessment later on. Good news, soft copy will suffice upon creation of Express entry profile. Carefully follow instructions mentioned by WES.This is the format of mailing the sealed envelope containing credentials to WES Canada. WES will inform you about the Evaluation Update via email.


MY TIMELINE IN PROCESSING ECA through WES:

We all have unique timeline. Would just like to share mine for your guidance if ever you want to do the processing yourself. You can try the free assessment tool of WES before filing the application. However, this free assessment tool is not the basis in applying for any Canadian pathway.

Day 1 – December 25, 2020 Application at WES website
Day 2 – December 26, 2020 Acknowledgement email from WES
Day 5 – December 29, 2020 Downloaded the mobile app for free to receive updates
HOLIDAY BREAK*** HOLIDAY BREAK***
Day 11 – January 4, 2021 Contacted my university via email and inquired about the fees for processing issuance of CTC credentials for ECA
Day 15 – January 8, 2021 Pick up sealed envelope containing credentials and mailed to WES Canada
Day 22 – January 15, 2021 My mail arrived in WES Ontario, Canada for evaluation
Day 30 – January 23, 2021 I received update from mobile app that WES has done evaluation on my credentials
The same day I received the result (soft copy)
WES notified me in the email that they have sent the hardcopy result to my home address
Day 35 – January 28, 2021 I received the mail from DHL Canada here in my PH home address
35 days Total days to process including holidays
The school sent me the WES form for me to fill-out the details with my full name and WES reference number. My university has online payment through Gcash for easy transaction. It depends on the school. You must coordinate the Registrar’s office for this kind of request.

 

Please always check for more requirements and updates about immigrating to Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/submit-profile.html.

Disclaimer: I am not an Immigration agent, consultant or affiliated in any way with these companies. I am writing this blog based on my personal experience to share useful information to the readers who may be aspiring to migrate to Canada. Please note that prices and timeline of processing may vary depending on pandemic restriction and inflation. Please always do your research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my other blog posts:

 

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WEEKEND ITINERARY TO ANTIPOLO AND TAYTAY RIZAL PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES https://blogsnippets.com/weekend-itinerary-in-rizal/

TRAVEL GUIDE TO BALIUAG BULACAN PROVINCE PHILIPPINES. https://blogsnippets.com/traveling-to-baliuag-bulacan-province-philippines/ TRAVEL GUIDE TO EL NIDO PALAWAN PHILIPPINES FOR 3 DAYS AND 2 NIGHTS ITINERARY https://blogsnippets.com/budget-tour-package-in-el-nido-palawan-for-3-days-itinerary/

TO CHECK OUT TRAVEL TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS please click here https://blogsnippets.com/travel-blog/

 

 

 

 

 

Yang Herrera
blogsnippets.com