In this post, I share my experience with the World Education Services (WES) credential evaluation process, specifically for my Engineering in Computer Science degree from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala (USAC).
Spoiler: Yes, it’s a long and sometimes tedious process, but with the right guidance it becomes much easier.
Why did I start this process?
Among the most popular ways to apply for permanent residence in Canada is Express Entry. This program gives you points for various categories, including your level of education, but only if your degree is validated by a recognized institution (like WES), which means obtaining the famous ECA (Educational Credential Assessment).
Tip: Make the most of your education! Validating your degree not only gives you extra points for Express Entry, but it also helps with future employers or if you plan to study a Master’s or PhD in Canada.
What is the ECA?
The Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is a report that translates your degree, diploma, or certificate obtained outside Canada to its equivalent in the Canadian education system. In other words, it shows that your education meets Canadian standards.
Many institutions, employers, and graduate programs require this document to validate your academic background. So, if your plan is to break into the job market or pursue academics in Canada, the ECA is a must.
What is WES?
WES (World Education Services) is a non-profit organization that evaluates international academic credentials, equating them to Canadian and U.S. education levels.
Although there are other institutions that also issue ECAs, such as:
- Comparative Education Service (CES) - University of Toronto
- International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS)
- International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)
I chose WES because, at least in theory, its process was better explained and promised slightly faster response times. However, always research and choose the institution that suits you best.
Validation Process
1. Check what documents WES requires
The first step is to identify the requirements of your home institution (in this case, the USAC). WES has a tool on its official website where you select your country and university of origin, and it shows you what you need.
Example of my form:
2. Contact USAC
Before starting, ideally you should ask at your faculty (or academic records office) if they can send the documents directly to WES.
In my case, I was already in Canada, so my family in Guatemala took charge of visiting the Academic Records and the main Records and Statistics Office. They went back and forth without much success at first, because they kept saying they couldn’t send anything directly.
Fortunately, WES also offers option 2, where the university gives me the documents and I am the one who sends them to WES. Tired of the initial refusal, I decided to open my WES account and follow that route.
Note: Sometimes the university must send the documents directly to WES, but if that’s not possible, they usually offer an alternative. In my case (USAC), the “second option” was the key to deciding to move forward.
3. Create an account on WES
When you create your account, you must select the type of evaluation you want. For immigration purposes (Express Entry), choose:
ECA Application for IRCC
What does WES ask you to upload online?
- Engineering degree (scan both sides, in PDF)
- Transcript, translated by a sworn translator
- CV (optional but recommended)
Important: Never send original documents, because WES will not return them. Only send copies, whether in physical or digital format, according to their instructions.
4. Pay for the service
The current cost of the ECA evaluation with WES is around 293.80 CAD, of which $12 CAD was for shipping within Canada. Yes, it’s pricey, but that’s what they charge and it covers reviewing your documents and issuing the report.
5. Processing and sending documents
After paying and finishing your WES account setup, you start getting some “Qualification Check” emails. Supposedly, they keep track of the status of your evaluation and check if the documentation matches WES’s database. They also check if documents have been accepted or not, basically a validation tracking plus an estimate of what your degree might be equivalent to in Canada.
Personally, I didn’t feel the need to keep track of my evaluation status because I had plenty of time, nor did I need to see the equivalency estimate, so I decided not to pay for that.
Next, it’s time to prepare the documents to send to WES.
- Request transcripts: In my case, I got them through the Engineering portal at USAC.
- Translate documents: I contacted a sworn translator in Guatemala (cheaper than doing it in Canada, and it was accepted).
- Send the sealed envelope: I put together the folder with sealed and signed copies by the university and shipped them via FedEx to WES Canada (it cost about 60 USD extra).
6. What if WES rejects your documents?
When the package arrived at WES, to my surprise, the documents showed up as rejected. I started communicating through an online form in my WES profile (they take around 3 days to respond, usually with generic answers indicating that the documents must be sent directly by USAC).
Without any resolution, I decided to call their customer service (available only for North America). Although they couldn’t tell me the exact reason for the rejection, they did forward my case to the evaluations department.
Two weeks later, they replied saying USAC must send the documents electronically from an official email account. This was another headache, because I had to join the virtual offices of the Engineering Academic Records department and push them to send my documents. Finally, my family helped by going in person to insist until they finally did me the favor and sent my transcripts directly to WES.
7. Results and timing
After the electronic resubmission, WES recognized the documents in about 10 days and started processing my evaluation. In the end, the total time spent (including delays and back-and-forth) was 3 months and 1 week, approximately.
Tip: If you’re thinking about this process, do it ahead of time. It can take 2–3 months (or more) depending on how fast your university and WES move.
Conclusions
Validating your degree with WES is a fundamental step if you want to earn points in immigration programs like Express Entry or if you plan to pursue graduate studies in Canada. While the process may seem long and bureaucratic, being well-prepared and following the steps with patience will ensure a successful outcome.