- Do I need an ICAS Assessment Report?
You may need an ICAS Assessment Report if:
- You live in Canada and have received some or all of your education outside Canada
- You live outside Canada but are thinking of moving here to work or study
- You are applying for immigration to Canada
- You live in Canada and are applying for a TN visa to work in the United States
- You were educated in another province or territory of Canada but require an Ontario qualification for study or employment
- You live in Canada and are considering education programs offered in other countries
- Are ICAS assessments accepted?
ICAS is a Canadian company with over 30 years of experience in the assessment of international credentials. We are committed to helping people achieve their personal, career and education goals by providing accurate and reliable credential assessment services.
ICAS is designated by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to provide assessments for individuals who are applying for immigration to Canada. We are also an approved provider of credential assessment services for individuals applying to colleges in Ontario through ontariocolleges.ca (Ontario College Application Service/OCAS).
ICAS Assessment Reports are widely accepted across Canada, by employers, by colleges and by Canadian and U.S. customs and immigration officials. It is the applicant's responsibility to confirm that the type of report you request will meet the requirements of the institution, organization, agency or employer.
- I am applying to universities and colleges in Ontario. Will an ICAS assessment help me?
Many universities in Canada prepare their own assessments of international education for admission to their programs. An admissions counsellor can tell you whether or not you will require an external assessment.
If you are applying to a college in Ontario through ontariocolleges.ca (also known as Ontario College Application Service or OCAS), ICAS offers specialized Assessment Reports. This can include electronic transmission of your assessment directly to ontariocolleges.ca. Please see our College Applicant section for more information.
- Can an ICAS Assessment Report be used for my TN Visa application?
U.S. Customs officials routinely accept ICAS Assessment Reports in support of applications for TN Visas, but you should seek confirmation from appropriate officials before submitting an application for assessment.
- Are ICAS assessments acceptable for immigration to Canada?
Yes. If you intend to apply for immigration to Canada, ICAS has a separate application process and requirements.
Important Note: Only reports requested through this process will be accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship for immigration purposes. Learn more.
If you already have an ICAS Assessment Report and would like to upgrade to the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package, we can help.
- What types of qualifications does ICAS assess?
ICAS prepares Assessment Reports that describe education completed outside Canada and provide the comparable level of education here. Assessments are prepared for all levels of education - secondary, postsecondary (undergraduate and graduate) and technical.
ICAS does not provide assessments of postgraduate medical education nor qualifications awarded by professional associations.
- Does ICAS assess work experience?
No. ICAS does not assess work experience. We offer Assessment Reports only for education completed at appropriately recognized institutions.
- What types of reports are available and how much do they cost?
ICAS offers four types of Assessment Reports:
- General Report ($132)
- Secondary School Comprehensive Report ($182)
- Postsecondary Comprehensive Report ($237)
- Secondary and Postsecondary Comprehensive Report ($341)
(tax included)
For more information about these reports, please see the Services.
- What type of report do I need?
The General Assessment Report is sufficient for many purposes including general information and employment. A General Assessment Report can often be completed more quickly than any other type of Assessment Report. This type of report is not suitable for immigration to Canada. If you intend to apply for immigration to Canada, ICAS has a separate application process and requirements.
The Secondary School Comprehensive Assessment Report is most often requested by people who are applying for admission to college and/or university programs.
People applying for advanced standing or transfer credit in a postsecondary program often request the Postsecondary Comprehensive Assessment Report.
The Secondary and Postsecondary Comprehensive Assessment Report is only required if you need evidence of courses completed at both the grade 12 and postsecondary levels.
If the Assessment Report is intended for a specific employer, organization or education institution, we advise you to confirm the type of report required before submitting your request. You may wish to confirm whether an assessment of your qualifications (a General Assessment Report) is necessary or whether both the qualifications and the courses completed for these qualifications (Comprehensive Assessment Report) are required.
- Is it possible to upgrade from one type of report to another at a later date?
For more information about upgrades, please see the Returning Applicants section of our website.
If it has been more than two years since the date of issue of your existing ICAS Assessment Report, a file reactivation fee applies. You may also be required to re-submit all your documents in accordance with ICAS’s current documentation requirements.
- How do I apply for an ICAS Assessment Report?
- Select the type of report you need. Read more about the reports we offer.
- Review the documents we require.
- Create an ICAS Gateway Account and complete the online application
- Send all required documents to ICAS by mail or courier, or in-person (by appointment only).
ICAS of Canada
100 Stone Road West, Suite 102
Guelph ON N1G 5L3
Canada
- How can I pay for an Assessment Report?
The online application requires secure payment by most major credit cards or select local payment options. If you cannot provide payment online, you must contact ICAS to obtain the paper application package and submit payment by international money order or bank draft. All fees listed include all applicable taxes.
ICAS does not accept money transfers from other financial institutions, personal cheques or money orders payable in other currencies.
- How will I receive the report?
Completed Assessment Reports may be sent by regular mail or courier.
The electronic copy of your Assessment Report is sent to you by e-mail. If you are submitting original documents, they will be returned to the “Primary Address” you provide in your application. Regular mail cannot be tracked and is not as secure as courier service. ICAS encourages you to select courier service for the return of your original documents with the Assessment Report.
- How do I know if my application has been received?
If you completed the application for your initial ICAS Assessment Report before August 2024, you will not have an ICAS Gateway account. Please contact us to receive instructions
If you submit your application by mail or courier, you will receive a confirmation e-mail after your application has been received and processed by our office.
The file status will be updated when documents are received in our office (and processed by the Document Control Unit), and as your file moves through the assessment process.
Customer service staff are not able to provide any additional information by phone or e-mail.
- Can I submit my documents by e-mail?
Original documents must be sent by mail or courier or delivered in-person (by appointment only). They cannot be sent by e-mail.
If you are required to, or have chosen to, contact your former institution to arrange for official documents to be sent directly to our office, ICAS may be able to accept these documents by e-mail (subject to some restrictions). Please contact us for submission procedures and requirements.
- What documents do I have to submit?
Please review ICAS’s documentation requirements including specific requirements for each country. The processing of an application does not begin until we receive all required documents. Incomplete documentation delays the assessment process.
At any time during the process, ICAS reserves the right to contact appropriate authorities for verification of your documents or request documents forwarded directly to ICAS by the institution.
- What happens if I don't have my original documents?
If you do not have your original documents, you should contact the schools/institutions you attended for information about replacement documents.
Only in exceptional circumstances, will ICAS request information on your behalf. In order to request documents on your behalf, you will be required to complete a form that authorizes the institution to release this information to ICAS. There is a fee for this service.
- Do you accept certified, notarized or attested documents?
No. ICAS requires you to submit original documents or have them issued directly to ICAS by your education institution/appropriate authority. Please note that institutions may issue, directly to ICAS, certified copies of documents from their records.
- What are official documents?
Official documents are documents sent directly to ICAS by the institution you attended (or the appropriate authority). The institution may issue to ICAS original documents or attested copies from their records, but the documents must be sent directly to our office.
Documents submitted to ICAS in a sealed envelope by an applicant or another third party are not considered to be official documents and will not be accepted in lieu of official documents.
- What if my documents are not in English or French?
If your documents were not originally issued in either English or French, you must provide word-for-word translations in the same format as the original documents. The translation does not need to be completed by a certified translator but MUST be a literal translation, not an interpretive translation. We reserve the right to request a certified translation if there is a problem with the translation provided.
Please note that applicants who submit documents and an application in English will receive an Assessment Report in English. Applicants who submit an application and/or documents in French will receive an Assessment Report in French.
Please submit both the original documents and translations. Do not submit only the translations.
- Do I have to submit all of my documents?
When completing the application, you must fill in the entire education history chart. You may submit only the qualifications you would like to have assessed. Depending on the nature of your qualifications, ICAS may request documentation for other qualifications.
- What if I submit insufficient documentation?
You will receive an e-mail from ICAS if we require additional documents in order to complete your assessment. This letter or e-mail will outline the type of documents ICAS requires.
- What happens if I submit false documents?
False documents are those that do not accurately reflect your academic record.
If ICAS determines that you have submitted false documents, no assessment of any type will be provided at any time, and we will notify other agencies and associations. No refund will be issued, and documents will not be returned.
- Will ICAS contact my institution for information?
From time to time, it is necessary for ICAS to contact the institution that issued your qualifications for additional information. The report will not be issued until ICAS has received the required information.
- Will ICAS return my documents?
ICAS will return your original documents with your Assessment Report.
If you are submitting original documents, they will be returned to the “Primary Address” you provide in your application. Regular mail cannot be tracked and is not as secure as courier service. ICAS encourages you to select courier for the return of your original documents with the Assessment Report.
Please note that ICAS does not accept pre-paid XpressPost or courier envelopes/waybills.
Photocopies and documents sent directly to ICAS by the institution become the property of ICAS and will not be returned.
- How do I know if my documents have been received?
You can log into your Client Gateway Account for information about the status of your application and documents.
The file status will be updated when documents are received in our office (and processed by the Document Control Unit), and as your file moves through the assessment process.
If you completed the application for your initial ICAS Assessment Report before August 2024, you will not have an ICAS Gateway account. Please contact us to receive instructions.
Customer service staff are not able to provide any additional information by phone or e-mail.
- How long does it take to obtain an ICAS Assessment Report?
The preparation of an ICAS Assessment Report begins when we have received a completed application form, payment and all required documents. Information about our current processing time is listed in the News and Updates window in the right-hand column.
Rush services are not currently available. In the interest of fairness to all applicants, all files are handled in the order in which complete documentation is received.
- What is the status of my file?
You can log into your Client Gateway Account for information about the status of your application and documents.
The file status will be updated when documents are received in our office (and processed by the Document Control Unit), and as your file moves through the assessment process.
If you completed the application for your initial ICAS Assessment Report before August 2024, you will not have an ICAS Gateway account. Please contact us to receive instructions.
Customer service staff are not able to provide any additional information by phone or e-mail.
- How do I add services to my application?
If you have already applied for an Assessment Report and would like to add services such as courier service, electronic transmission to ontariocolleges.ca or extra original reports, please log into your ICAS Client Gateway account.
- Can I cancel my application?
As indicated in our Terms and Conditions, ICAS’s fees are non-refundable with the exception of overpayment.
- What if I have questions about my Assessment Report after receiving it?
To protect your privacy, ICAS staff are not authorized to discuss the results of an assessment on the phone. If you have questions about the Assessment Report, please submit your questions in writing (mail or e-mail). Your enquiry will be forwarded to the member of the Assessment and Research team who is responsible for your file. Your assessment will be reviewed and you will receive a formal response in writing.
- How can I obtain an additional copy of an Assessment Report?
You may request extra original reports when you submit your initial application or at a later date.
For information about how to request extra original reports at a later date, please visit the Returning Applicants section of ICAS’ website.
- What if I disagree with the conclusion of the assessment?
ICAS assessments are based on policies developed and approved by our Management Committee. If you disagree with the outcome, you must contact us in writing (mail or e-mail) within one year of the date on which ICAS issued the report. A member of the Assessment and Research team will review your Assessment Report to ensure it is consistent with current policies and will advise you of the outcome of the review in writing.
If you still do not agree with the assessment, you can submit a formal appeal in writing to:
The Chair of the Management Committee
PO Box 21042
35 Harvard Road
Guelph ON N1G 4T3
An external consultant will then review your documents and forward a report to the Committee for consideration at its next meeting. The Committee's decision will be forwarded to you in writing.
The fee for the appeal is $200. ICAS will refund this fee if the appeal is successful.