Credential Evaluation in Canada (2026): Order the Wrong Report and Pay Twice
Two reports, similar names, similar price. Only one of them is the one you were asked for.
In short
A credential evaluation for immigration costs about $329 at WES and roughly $335 at ICAS, before delivery charges and applicable tax. Rush service at WES adds about $100.
Timing is the real cost. WES quotes about 35 business days after documents arrive, and total elapsed time is usually one to three months, because the slow part is your former institution mailing records. ICAS quotes around fifteen weeks.
And the mistake that costs the most: ordering a document-by-document report when the body asking for it wanted course-by-course, or the reverse. Same institution, same documents, different product — and you pay again.
Key facts
| WES assessment for immigration | About $329, plus delivery and tax |
| ICAS standard immigration assessment | About $335 |
| WES rush service | About $100 extra, evaluation in about 5 business days |
| WES processing | About 35 business days after documents received |
| ICAS processing | About 15 weeks after documents received |
| Realistic total elapsed time | 1–3 months, driven by your institution |
| Validity of a WES report | Five years from the date of issue |
Which report do you actually need?
Ask the body that wants it, before you order anything. But here is the shape of the answer.
| What it says | Usually wanted by | |
|---|---|---|
| Document-by-document | The Canadian equivalent of your credential, in a line or two | Immigration programs |
| Course-by-course | Every course, credit and grade, converted to Canadian equivalents | Professional regulators, universities, some employers |
The course-by-course report costs more and takes the same documents. If there is any chance you will later apply for a licence in a regulated profession, it is often worth ordering the fuller report once rather than the cheaper one twice.
Equally: if nobody has asked for an assessment at all, do not buy one. A great many people order a report because it feels like a step, and then discover their employer never wanted it and their profession is not regulated.
Which organisation should you use?
Whichever the receiving body names — and they do not all name the same ones.
Immigration programs designate a specific list of organisations. Professional regulators frequently have their own preferred or mandated service, and some do their assessment in house and accept nothing external. Universities often want their own review. These lists overlap but they are not identical.
So the sequence that saves money is always the same: find the requirement in writing, note the exact organisation and exact report type, then order. Choosing the provider first and hoping it fits is how people end up with two reports.
Why does it take so long?
Because the clock people quote and the clock you experience are different clocks.
The processing time starts when the evaluator has all required documents — and most of those must come directly from your issuing institution, not from you. A university registrar in another country, working to its own pace and its own postal service, is the actual bottleneck. Thirty-five business days of evaluation sits on top of however long that takes.
Which makes one piece of advice worth more than all the rest: start the institutional request first, before you pay for anything, and before you need the result. Rush service speeds up the evaluator. It does nothing to your former university.
What an evaluation does not do
Worth being clear, because the disappointment here is common and expensive.
Red flags
What to do next
Three steps, in this order. Find in writing which organisation and which report type the receiving body requires. Contact your former institution and start the document request today, because that is the part you do not control. Only then place and pay for the order.
If documents are not in English or French, line up the translation at the same time — our translation guide covers what counts as certified and who is not allowed to do it.
Compare professional services in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact translators, tutors and advisors directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not vet, certify or verify anyone. If someone is charging you to represent you on an immigration file, check who is allowed to do that first.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.
Frequently asked questions
A WES educational credential assessment for immigration runs about $329 before delivery charges and applicable tax, and ICAS charges roughly $335 for its standard immigration assessment. Rush service at WES adds about $100. Budget for courier fees from your institution on top.
WES quotes about 35 business days once documents are received, and total elapsed time is usually one to three months because the slow part is your former institution sending records. ICAS quotes around fifteen weeks after documents arrive. Start it before you need it.
A WES assessment is valid for five years from the date of issue. If your plans stretch beyond that, note the expiry rather than assuming the report keeps working.
Document-by-document states the Canadian equivalent of your credential and is what immigration programs generally want. Course-by-course lists every course and grade, and is what professional regulators and universities usually require. Ordering the wrong one is the most common and most avoidable mistake here.
Whichever the receiving body names. Immigration programs, professional regulators and universities each publish a list of accepted organisations, and they do not always overlap. Check the requirement first, then order — not the other way round.
No. It is required for some immigration programs and for many licensed professions, but plenty of employers hire on experience without one, and some institutions do their own internal assessment. Paying for a report nobody asked for is a common few hundred dollars wasted.
No. An assessment states what your credential is comparable to in Canada. Whether a regulator licenses you, or an employer hires you, is a separate decision that usually involves exams, supervised practice or language requirements as well.
Sources
Fees, processing times and validity are taken from the published 2026 pricing and service information of World Education Services and the International Credential Assessment Service, checked 17 September 2026; WES increased its evaluation prices by three per cent effective 1 January 2026. Prices exclude delivery charges and applicable tax. Which organisation and which report type are acceptable is set by the receiving body — an immigration program, a professional regulator or an institution — and those requirements differ and change, so confirm in writing before ordering. This is consumer information about a paid service, not immigration or licensing advice. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not assess credentials.