What's this report all about?

Dear Ms Powell,

I am a practical nurse and I heard before I can apply to migrate to Canada I need an ECA report. What is an ECA report and how do I get one? I've checked everywhere in Jamaica and can't seem to find out where to get that report. What is that report for? This application just seems so complicated and stressful. I hope you can help.

- KJ

Dear KJ,

An ECA report is an abbreviation of an Educational Credential Assessment report. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) introduced this need for the ECA report in May 2013. This new requirement must be met by all principal applicants under the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) class, if they have credentials from a foreign country. Before this date, there was no need for a principal applicant to submit an ECA report as a condition for the processing of the FSW application.

If you have qualifications from a Canadian institution, then you do not need the ECA report. However, if your studies have been completed in Jamaica, United States, and United Kingdom or anywhere in the Caribbean, you will need to submit an original ECA report with your application under the FSW programme.

It must be emphasised that this new requirement is to verify the authenticity of your educational credentials and to ensure that at a minimum, your foreign educational credential, diploma or degree is equivalent to a similar Canadian certification.

This ECA report will be used by CIC to give you points under the educational category, which goes towards your overall minimum of 67 points to qualify to apply under the federal skilled worker programme. Essentially the ECA report will show how your foreign training and education compares the Canadian qualifications. This is also to prepare you for the Canadian job market. It will not guarantee you a job if your application is approved, but will help you with your proof of qualifications.

You must pay attention to the schools that you choose to do your studies locally, as many of the local schools or institutions who offer practical nursing certification do not match up with the Canadian qualifications. The certification required for practical nurses in Canada is confirmation that you have completed the equivalent to a Canadian vocational, college, university or approved program for licensed practical nurses. You should also note you will be required to complete the Canadian Practical Nursing Registration Examination at a later date, if you plan to work in any province, except Quebec.

The ECA report should be your first step to determining if you qualify under the FSW programme. So it is imperative that you get an ECA report before incurring additional expenses to pursue the FSWP application.

If you received vocational training and certificate, college diploma, bachelor's, master's, PhD from a University outside of Canada, you must submit an application to one of the organisations approved by the Government of Canada to assess your foreign traditional against Canadian standards.

You will need to send your original transcript, a copy of the certification and other required documents directly to one of the designated foreign credential assessment organisations. There is a fee for this report and details can be found online.

The approved organisations are:

1. Comparative Education Service: University of Toronto.

2. International Credential Assessment Service of Canada.

3. World Education Service.

It takes time to process the application so you should act immediately. You should also note that your certificate will be valid for five years, so while the FSW programme in its current format closes soon, that same certification may be used to apply under the new express programme which opens in 2015.

The application process can seem very stressful especially with the changing rules, forms and requirement; therefore I would suggest that you consult with an immigration lawyer directly to ease some of the anxiety, guide you and to assist you with the preparation of the applications.

 Deidre S. Powell is a lawyer, mediator, and notary public who is a member of the Jamaican and Ontario, Canada bars, with main office located in Ottawa, Ontario. Her areas of practice are in immigration, personal injury, commercial, family, and administration of estates. Submit your questions and comments to: Email: info@deidrepowell.com. Subject line: Immigration. Tel: 613-695-8777. Find her on Facebook: jamaicanlawyer