FAQs

General

Are ICAS Assessment Reports accepted for immigration purposes?

Yes.  ICAS is one of the organizations designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to provide Assessment Reports for immigration purposes. Our Canadian Immigration Assessment Package is accepted for immigration programs where an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is required or optional.  For more information, including a list of the designated agencies, please visit Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website.

What is Express Entry?

For more information about Express Entry or other immigration programs, please visit Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's website. Please note that ICAS cannot provide information or advice about any aspect of the process except the educational credential assessment.

Am I eligible to apply for immigration?

ICAS cannot provide any information or advice about your eligibility to apply for a particular program.  For information, please visit Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s website.  

Assessment Package and Fees

What is included in the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package?

The Canadian Immigration Assessment Package includes:

  • Two Original Assessment Reports 
  • Electronic Copy of the Assessment Report
  • Electronic Storage of the Report for verification by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
How much does the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package cost?

The fee for the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package is $210.00.

 

Will an ICAS General Assessment Report be accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada?

No. Only the Canadian Immigration Assessment Report will be accepted by IRCC. If you have previously received an ICAS Assessment Report, you will need to upgrade your report.

I already have an ICAS Assessment Report. Can I upgrade my report to the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package?

Yes.  If you have already received an ICAS Assessment Report, you can upgrade your report to the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package.   Please print and complete the Upgrade Package

Please also review the documentation requirements

If the report you previously received was provided on the basis of documents sent directly to ICAS by the institution(s) you attended, you may not be required to submit additional documents.  Please contact ICAS to confirm which documents, if any, are required to upgrade your report.

If, however, the report you previously received was provided on the basis of original documents or certified copies of your documents, you must request official documents.

I already have a Canadian Immigration Assessment Report, but it was issued several years ago. Can I still submit this report to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada?

The Canadian Immigration Assessment Package will be accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for five (5) years from the date of issue. If your immigration assessment has expired you may request a renewal.

Please review and print the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package renewal information. The completed renewal package can be submitted to ICAS by mail, courier or by fax to 1-519-763-6964. Your file will be reviewed to confirm that the documents previously presented and the assessment are consistent with current policies. You will be notified by email if additional documents are necessary or if there may be changes to the report.

Application Procedures

How do I apply for a Canadian Immigration Assessment Package?

Before applying for a Canadian Immigration Assessment Package, please review the application procedures and our documentation requirements.

Once you have reviewed the information and you are ready to begin

  1. Complete the on-line application form
  2. Open the confirmation e-mail you receive, which includes:
    • Your ICAS File Number
    • A Document Submssion Form
    • An Official Records Request Form
  3. Print and complete the Document Submission Form
  4. Mail or courier the following to ICAS' office in Canada:
    • The completed Document Submission Form
    • Photcopies of the documents for your specific country, listed under 'To be submitted to ICAS by the applicant."
    • Photocopies of any other applicable documents, listed under "Important Notes."
  5. If required for the country in which your education was completed, print a separate Official Records Request Form for EACH qualification you wish to have assessed, even if you received several qualifications awarded by one institution/authority.  Submit the Official Records Request Form to the appropriate institution/authority for each qualification you wish to have assessed and request that the institution/authority send required documents directly to ICAS’ office.  Please note that a sealed envelope, submitted by the applicant or a third party, is not accepted in lieu of official documents. 
How can I pay for the Canadian Immigration Assessment Package?

On-line applications require payment by credit card (VISA, MasterCard or Discover Card only).  If you cannot pay by credit card, you must contact ICAS to obtain the paper Application Package and submit payment by international money order or bank draft. 

All fees must be paid in Canadian dollars to ICAS of Canada.  Bank transfers / wire transfers are not accepted.

What types of qualifications are included in ICAS Assessment Reports?

ICAS Assessment Reports include formal academic education completed at appropriately recognized institutions.  Our reports do not include in-service professional development, work experience or professional examinations. 

Medical specialization is beyond the scope of ICAS Assessment Reports and will not be included.

Which credentials should I submit for assessment?

The Canadian Immigration Assessment Package will include all credentials for which ICAS receives appropriate documentation.  ICAS cannot advise you for which credentials an assessment is required.  For information about Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's requirements, please visit their website.

How will I receive the report?

The two paper copies of your Assessment Report are sent by regular mail (post) unless you request and pay for courier service.  Please note that items sent by regular mail cannot be traced and we cannot provide an estimated delivery date.

The electronic copy of your Assessment Report is sent to you by e-mail.

Documentation Requirements

What documents do I have to submit?

Please review our documentation requirements for specific document requirements for each country. 

I am applying under the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot, what documents are required?

For an assessment under the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot, ICAS requires evidence of your eligibility to apply under this program in addition to your academic documents. 

Evidence of Eligibility 

Please submit photocopies of your evidence of qualifying work experience and a qualifying job offer.  For information about this, please see the Government of Canada’s website.

Academic Documents 

Please review our documentation requirements for specific documentation requirements for each country. 

Do I need to submit my secondary school documents?

In most cases, individuals who have completed a postsecondary education program (college or university) are not required to submit secondary school documents.

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.

What if the documents are not in English or French?

If your documents were not originally issued to you in English or French, you are required to submit photocopies of translations of your documents.  Translations must be complete, accurate and in approximately the same format as the original document.  The certified translator must provide complete contact information including an e-mail address.

The institution/awarding body may issue, directly to ICAS, untranslated documents.  If translations are required, ICAS will contact you to provide a translation.  Please ensure that your ICAS File Number appears on all documents issued directly to ICAS.

Can I submit documents by e-mail?

If your institution facilitates the provision of official documents electronically, the institution may submit stamped/signed documents from their records to ICAS by e-mail. If the institution is sending documents electronically, please ask that they submit by email to documents[at]icascanada[dot]ca. The file name must include your ICAS File Number and full name.  The communication must be sent from a verifiable, institution issued email account and signed by an appropriate institution authority (i.e., registrar, controller of examinations, head of records, etc.). Emails from generic accounts (i.e., Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) will not be accepted.

Will ICAS contact my institution for information on my documents?

In some cases, yes.  ICAS reserves the right to contact an institution/authority at any time during the assessment process to request additional information about the documents or the program of study completed. Please note that the report will not be issued until ICAS has received the required information from the institution/authority.

Will ICAS return my documents?

No. All documents submitted for a Canadian Immigration Assessment Package become the property of ICAS and will not be returned. Documents issued directly to ICAS by the institution will not be released to the applicant. Do not submit your original documents.

After You Have Applied

How do I know if my application has been received?

If you submit an on-line application, you will receive an e-mail within one hour of your submission confirming successful completion of your application. This e-mail contains your ICAS File Number, which you can use to check the status of your assessment on-line. You can log in using your ICAS File Number and Date of Birth.

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. At that point, you can log in to check your on-line file status.

If you successfully completed your online application but did not receive a confirmation e-mail, please check your junk mail folder in case your e-mail service provider filtered out the message.

How do I know if my documents have been received?

After you have submitted your on-line application, or after your paper application has been processed by our office, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from ICAS. This e-mail contains your ICAS File Number. You can log in to track the status of your assessment using your ICAS File Number and your Date of Birth.

Your on-line file status will be updated when documents are received and processed by our office, and as your file moves through the assessment process. Due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 closure, the gradual re-opening of our office, and the volume of mail we are currently receiving, it may take 3-4 weeks for mail that has physically arrived in our office to be processed by our Document Control Unit. 

The file status contains the most up-to-date information about your file. Customer service staff are not able to provide any additional information by phone or e-mail.

How long will it take to receive the 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 & Updates sidebar on our website. Please note that this processing time is only an estimate, not a guarantee, and is dependent on the volume of applications we receive.

Rush services are not available. In the interest of fairness to all applicants, all files are handled in the order in which complete documentation was received.

After You Have Received Your Report

How many education points will I receive?

Education points are awarded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Please see IRCC’s website for information about the comprehensive ranking system. 

Will I be able to use my report after I arrive in Canada?

Certainly.  The report you receive can be used for immigration, but also for employment, for admission to educational institutions and as part of the licencing process with some regulatory bodies.  

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, fax or e-mail).  Your enquiry will be forwarded to the Assessment Officer who is responsible for your file.  He or she will review your assessment and send a formal, written response by mail.

 

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, fax or e-mail) within one year of the date on which ICAS issued the report. A Senior Assessment Officer 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.

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