Canada · Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
Canada Credential Evaluation: WES, ICAS, IQAS, ICES and CES Compared
For Canadian immigration, your Indian education needs an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). Five bodies issue one, and each has its own rule on who sends your mark sheets and how. We get them from your university, board or council the way your body asks, follow them up and keep you updated on WhatsApp.
- University, board or council
- Fee confirmed before you start
- Updates on WhatsApp
Notice: Trueway provides independent documentation support and is not affiliated with any council, embassy or government authority.
Which body do you need?
Check what your immigration programme or regulator asks for. Nurses and pharmacists have their own first step.
Express Entry and immigration
Choose one ECA body. WES, ICAS and CES say on their own sites that IRCC designated them; IQAS and ICES also issue ECAs for immigration.
Nurses
Start with NNAS, which collects forms from your nursing school, your councils and your employers.
NNASPharmacists
PEBC's Document Evaluation comes first. After it, PEBC issues the pharmacist's ECA for Express Entry.
PEBC
How we handle it
The same for every body: we handle the university's part.
Step 1: Tell us your body and your university
YouWES, ICAS, IQAS, ICES or CES, and the university, board or council that issued your degree or diploma.
Step 2: We send your checklist and the fee
TruewayOn WhatsApp, for your body and your university. You decide after you have seen them.
Step 3: We take the request to the issuer
TruewayThe university, the board, or the nursing council for a nursing diploma, with the form your body gave you.
Step 4: It is sent the way your body asks
Authority / TruewayDirectly by the university, by post or email, or sealed for you to post where the body allows it. We follow it up and update you on WhatsApp.
Step 5: The body assesses it
AuthorityEach body states its own time, counted once it has every document. You apply to the body yourself.
The rules side by side
Where the five bodies differ for Indian documents.
Accept the sealed envelope posted by you
Only from the university or board itself
Also take records through a digital route
ECA valid for 5 years, as the body states
From each body's own site, read 13 Oct 2026. ICAS and ICES do not state the validity on the pages we read. Rules change: we check your body's current rule for your university before we start.
Documents we need from you
From Trueway's working checklist. Each body adds its own items: see its page. We confirm your exact list after your enquiry.
What does it cost?
Connect with the Trueway team for the fee. It depends on the ECA body and your university. We confirm it on WhatsApp, together with the expected time, before you decide.
Ask the team for the feeThe five bodies at a glance
From each body's own site.
WES
Designated by IRCC. The institution seals the records and sends them directly, or through a WES partner or NSDC. A master's needs the bachelor's degree too, with some exceptions. Valid 5 years.
WES verificationICAS
Designated by IRCC. Only the university or technical board sends, with ICAS's own form; a college's documents are not accepted. An average of 20 weeks, no rush service.
ICASIQAS (Alberta)
University or autonomous college, or the nursing council for a nursing diploma. You may post the sealed envelope. About 15 business days, rush 5 to 7. Valid 5 years for Express Entry.
IQASICES (BCIT)
Only the university or board sends, by mail or from a university email. No third-party transcript services. Affiliated college mark sheets are not accepted.
ICESCES (University of Toronto)
Designated by IRCC. Mark sheets of every year, signed by the Registrar or Controller of Examinations; you may post the sealed envelope. 40 business days, or 7 through an approved digital platform. Valid 5 years.
CES
Got questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers about the Canadian ECA bodies.
Which ECA body should I choose?
Check what your immigration programme or regulator asks for. WES, ICAS and CES say IRCC designated them, and IQAS and ICES also issue ECAs for immigration. Nurses start with [NNAS](/verification/nnas) and pharmacists with [PEBC](/verification/pebc). We handle the university part for each.
Which bodies let me post the sealed envelope myself?
IQAS, if the envelope is signed or stamped across the back flap, and CES, if it is the institution's original sealed envelope. ICAS and ICES take the records only from the university or board. WES asks the institution to send them directly, or through a WES partner or NSDC.
Can my affiliated college send my mark sheets?
Not to ICAS, IQAS, ICES or CES. IQAS and CES accept an autonomous college; CES also allows some years' mark sheets from the college for Gujarat University and the University of Mumbai. Otherwise the university sends them.
How long is an ECA valid?
WES and CES say 5 years, and IQAS says 5 years for Express Entry. ICAS and ICES do not state it on the pages we read.
How long does each body take?
ICAS gives an average of 20 weeks, IQAS about 15 business days (rush 5 to 7), and CES 40 business days (7 through an approved digital platform), each counted once it has every document. Getting the records from your university comes first: we tell you that time.
How long does the university part of a Canadian ECA take?
It depends on the ECA body and your university. We tell you the expected time for your case before you start, and send updates on WhatsApp.
What does the university part of a Canadian ECA cost?
Connect with the Trueway team on WhatsApp. The fee depends on the ECA body and your university, and we confirm it before you decide.
Is Trueway part of WES, ICAS, IQAS, ICES, CES or IRCC?
No. Trueway provides independent documentation support and is not affiliated with any council, embassy or government authority.
Need documents for a Canadian ECA? Tell us your university
We reply on WhatsApp with the checklist and the fee.