Get foreign credentials recognized in Canada
Separate immigration assessment from professional recognition. An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) compares your education for immigration; a school, employer or regulator decides what it lets you do in Canada.
Updated August 12, 2026
- Immigration
- ECA
- Regulated jobs
- Licence
- Other jobs
- Employer
- Best start
- Before moving
Educational comparison
Regulator decides
Hiring decision
Collect originals early
Three decisions that are often confused
| Decision | Purpose | Who decides |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) | Compares completed foreign education to a Canadian credential for an immigration program | An organization designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada |
| Academic recognition | Decides admission, transfer credit or prerequisites | The Canadian college or university |
| Professional recognition or licensing | Decides whether you may use a protected title or practise a regulated occupation | The provincial or territorial regulator |
An ECA does not grant a professional licence
Use the assessment required for its stated purpose. An immigration ECA can award Express Entry education points, but it does not authorize engineering, nursing, medicine, teaching, accounting, law, pharmacy or another regulated practice.
How common diplomas and degrees compare
These are planning categories, not promised outcomes. Canadian equivalency depends on the institution, program, documents and the organization making the decision.
| Foreign credential | Possible Canadian comparison | Decision-maker | What can change the result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary school diploma | Canadian secondary-school completion | Admissions office, employer or designated assessment service | Course prerequisites may still be assessed separately. |
| Diploma / higher technical qualification | College diploma or post-secondary certificate | School, employer, regulator or assessment service | Length, level and field matter more than the translated title. |
| Bachelor's degree | Canadian bachelor's degree | Designated ECA organization for immigration; school, employer or regulator for the actual purpose | An ECA states a Canadian comparison; it does not guarantee admission or a licence. |
| Master's degree | Canadian master's degree | Assessment organization plus the decision-maker | The underlying bachelor's degree and program structure may affect the result. |
| Doctorate / PhD | Earned Canadian doctorate | Assessment organization plus university, employer or regulator | Professional doctorates and research doctorates can be treated differently. |
Your recognition path
- 01
Identify the occupation and province
Search the Canadian occupation title and confirm whether it is regulated where you plan to work. Regulation is provincial or territorial. - 02
Ask the actual decision-maker
Use the regulator for a protected profession, the school for admission, the employer for a non-regulated job, or an IRCC-designated organization for immigration. - 03
Collect source documents
Request degrees, diplomas, transcripts, course descriptions, licences, registration status, employment references and certified translations before leaving the issuing country. - 04
Complete gaps strategically
If required, schedule language tests, exams, bridging courses, supervised practice or Canadian-law and ethics requirements. Confirm cost and sequence before enrolling. - 05
Prepare the job evidence
Translate the result into a Canadian resume, portfolio, references and a clear explanation of your authorized scope.
Major regulated professions and international accords
Recognition accords help systems understand comparable education. They do not remove Canadian licensing, experience, language, exam or provincial-law requirements.
| Field | Canadian decision-maker | Typical requirements | Accords and practical meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | Provincial or territorial engineering regulator | Academic review, experience, ethics/law requirements and language or exams where required | Washington Accord (professional engineering), Sydney Accord (engineering technology), Dublin Accord (engineering technician) support substantial academic equivalence among signatories; the Canadian regulator still licenses practice. |
| Nursing | Provincial nursing regulator, commonly after an assessment pathway | Identity, education, registration history, language, competency and exam requirements | Recognition pathways are regulator-specific; an immigration ECA is not nursing registration. |
| Medicine | Provincial college of physicians and surgeons with national assessment/exam bodies | Source verification, exams, postgraduate training assessment and provincial registration | A medical degree alone does not authorize independent practice. |
| Teaching | Provincial or territorial teacher-regulation authority | Degree, teacher education, practicum, language and suitability documents | Certification is provincial; school-system hiring is a separate step. |
| Accounting | CPA provincial or regional body | Transcript assessment, prerequisite learning, professional program/exams and experience | International agreements can streamline parts of the CPA pathway for qualifying members. |
| Law | Provincial or territorial law society, often following National Committee on Accreditation assessment | Academic assessment, assigned exams/courses, licensing process and experiential requirements | Common-law and civil-law pathways differ, especially in Quebec. |
| Pharmacy | Provincial pharmacy regulator, with national examining steps | Document evaluation, exams, practical training, language and jurisprudence | Registration requirements and permitted scope vary by province. |
Prepare before paying
Credential file
- Official transcript and graduation certificate
- Course descriptions and practicum records
- Professional licence and good-standing letters
- Detailed employment references
- Certified translations where required
- Name-change evidence
- Direct document-delivery instructions
- Written regulator or school requirements
Build a Canadian-ready resume
Turn recognized education and international experience into evidence Canadian employers can scan quickly.
Also read employment basics in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
Is an ECA enough to work in my profession?
No. An Educational Credential Assessment supports an immigration application by comparing education. A regulator decides whether you may practise a regulated occupation, and an employer decides whether to hire for a non-regulated role.
What do recognition accords do?
Accords such as Lisbon and the engineering accords create shared recognition principles or substantial-equivalence frameworks. They improve portability, but they do not replace Canadian regulator, school or employer decisions.
Sources
- IRCC — Educational credential assessment · Reviewed August 12, 2026
- CICIC — Qualifications recognition in Canada · Reviewed August 12, 2026
- CICIC — Lisbon Recognition Convention · Reviewed August 12, 2026
- International Engineering Alliance — Accords · Reviewed August 12, 2026