What is an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) ?

If you wish to move to Canada then you need to show proof of your education and how your degree / certificates or other documents values in the Canadian education system.  To do this an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) is required that can help you in the immigration process.  It's a document that looks at your education from another country and figures out what it's equal to in Canada.

You can get an ECA from certain organizations approved by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

What are the different types of Education Credential Assessment required for Canada Immigration?

There are different types of ECAs for things like professional licenses, jobs, education, and immigration.  Let’s Pick up the right document as its important - 

An ECA for immigration usually includes:

• Checking your education background
• Saying what your credential is equal to in Canada
• Describing your credential, like its name, when you got it, how long the program was, where you got it from, and what it's about.

Having an ECA can boost your chances of immigrating to Canada because the Canadian system values education. The more educated you are, the more points you get under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). So, getting a good ECA can help you score higher and improve your chances of immigrating.

All you need to know about scoring well in ECA - 

• In many immigration programs, candidates usually only need to assess their highest education credential to check if they're eligible for a program. But sometimes, scoring systems also give credit for extra education if it's assessed.
• For example, in the CRS scoring system, having "two or more certificates, diplomas, or degrees (with one being from a program of three or more years in length)" can earn up to 128 points for single applicants. This means more points compared to someone with just a bachelor's or three-year degree. It could be the difference between getting an ITA (Invitation to Apply) and not being invited in an Express Entry draw.

What are the different Types of ECAs for Canada Immigration?

Getting different types of Educational Credential Assessments (ECAs) might help a candidate based on their needs. For instance, someone might get an ECA for an educational credential to prove eligibility for a program, while also getting one for a technical degree or professional certification for job purposes. These both could be assessed and possibly rewarded under the immigration system.

• If someone has a one-year college degree along with a professional certification in a skilled trade they might choose to get both assessed using different kinds of ECAs. 
• Even though they may not get extra education points for the professional certification, having an ECA for it could boost job opportunities in the Canadian labor market. It could also be useful for those in bridging programs who want to speed up getting a Canadian credential in a regulated profession, based on their past professional and education credentials.

Getting an ECA can help an applicant find work in Canada (which gets rewarded under the CRS) and might speed up getting a Canadian certification in a licensed profession. It could also make them eligible to apply under different Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams depending on their situation, improving their immigration chances.

PNPs are immigration programs run by provincial or territorial governments that let them choose newcomers to immigrate to their areas. They often pick candidates based on their education, profession, or human capital factors.