Overview
International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) issues an Educational Pre-assessment (EPA) for recognized educational programs that you are currently enrolled in or planning to enrol in outside of Canada.
An EPA is not a formal credential assessment. It is advisory and for information purposes only, and it provides a general Canadian comparison of the programs of study you list according to information available at the time of the pre-assessment.
An EPA cannot be used for immigration, employment, further study, or professional licensing. IQAS may change decisions on recognition and comparability after the issuance of an EPA based on new information and discoveries impacting assessment of the programs of study.
An EPA is not eligible for reassessment, and duplicate copies are not available.
If an EPA cannot be completed, IQAS will inform you of the cancellation of your application. IQAS does not assess:
- anything below secondary or high school level – for example, primary or elementary level
- non-academic credentials – for example, Microsoft Excel training
- professional qualifications – for example, chartered accountant designation
- vocational or trades training – for example, diesel mechanics program
- credentials obtained in Canada
If you have completed a program and graduated with an international education credential that you would like formally assessed according to Canadian standards, you can apply for an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes.
If you already reside in Canada, you can apply for a basic assessment for employment, an educational institution assessment for further study, or a Specialized assessment for professional licensing. Get an IQAS assessment for employment, education or licensure.
Cost
The fee for an EPA is $200.
The fee allows up to 3 programs of study per application and it is non-refundable. Refund requests for fees will not be considered. The EPA fee covers the cost of processing your application and is required whether an EPA is issued or not.
Payment options include:
- Visa, MasterCard
- American Express
- Visa debit
- debit
If you apply and pay for an EPA and require another type of assessment afterwards, the fee for the EPA is not credited towards the cost of another assessment type. Each assessment type requires its own fees.
How to apply
No educational documents are required. If you submit documents, they will not be reviewed. To apply, you only need to fill out the EPA application form in the IQAS application portal.
Before you apply
Step 1. Decide which programs of study you want pre-assessed
IQAS evaluates formal academic or technical education from recognized institutions. It does not evaluate trades, vocational or professional training. You cannot apply for more than 3 educational programs to be pre-assessed on one application form.
If you require additional programs to be pre-assessed, you will need to apply and pay for a new EPA.
Step 2. Apply online and pay fees
- If you do not have one, create a portal account.
- If you applied to IQAS before and have a portal account log in using your username.
After you log in to the IQAS application portal:
- Click on the ‘Home’ icon located on the top-right corner, then select ‘Educational Pre-assessment’ on the portal main page.
- Complete all required fields in the application form (provide accurate and thorough information) and submit your application.
- Pay the application fee.
Instructions on how to pay your fees are in the IQAS application portal.
After you submit your online application form, you will receive an email from IQAS with your file number and a final PDF version of your application form containing your payment receipt. Print the payment receipt for your records.
After you apply
When an EPA is completed, it will be emailed to the email address you provided. You must ensure you provide an active and personal email address at the time of applying. The email you receive from IQAS is a “no reply” email. IQAS does not send a paper copy of the EPA through the post.
If you have questions about EPA, submit them using the IQAS contact form.
Processing time and status
The estimated processing time for an EPA is 15 business days. No rush service is available.
Processing time starts when your application is at the ‘In line for processing’ status in the IQAS application portal. Pre-assessment of applications that require extensive research take longer than the average processing time.
You can track the status of your application in the IQAS application portal.
Table 1. Definition of status for the Educational Pre-assessment.
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Fill out and submit application form. |
| Payment pending | Your online payment was not successful, or you did not make a payment. |
| Submitted | You completed an online application form and made online payment. |
| In line for processing | Your application form has been reviewed and all the information needed to start the pre-assessment has been provided. |
| Assessing | Your educational programs are being pre-assessed. |
| On-Hold | Your pre-assessment cannot be completed until additional research is finalized. |
| Final review | Your educational programs have been pre-assessed, and the pre-assessment result is undergoing final quality review. |
| Mailed | Your EPA was emailed to you. |
| Cancelled | Your application form was cancelled following your request or because a pre-assessment could not be completed. |