How to Get Your Foreign Degree Recognized in the USA and Canada

Holding a degree from a respected university in your home country doesn’t automatically translate to recognition in the United States or Canada. Employers, licensing boards, and universities in both countries typically require formal proof that your foreign credential is equivalent to a local qualification before you can work in regulated professions, pursue further education, or even list your degree confidently on a job application.

This guide walks through exactly how foreign degree recognition works in both countries, which organizations handle the process, what it costs, and how to avoid the common mistakes that delay applications by months.

Why Foreign Degree Recognition Matters

Degree recognition, often called credential evaluation, serves several distinct purposes depending on your goals:

• Employment: Many employers, especially larger companies and government agencies, require formal credential evaluation as part of the hiring process for roles requiring a specific degree level.
• Professional licensing: Regulated professions such as nursing, engineering, teaching, accounting, and law require formal recognition before you can sit for licensing exams or register with a professional body.
• Further education: Universities in both countries typically require credential evaluations from international applicants to determine admission eligibility and appropriate program placement.
• Immigration purposes: Certain visa and permanent residency categories in both countries use credential evaluations to assess points-based eligibility or confirm qualifications match a job offer.

How Credential Evaluation Works in the United States

Unlike many countries, the United States does not have a single centralized government body responsible for evaluating foreign degrees. Instead, evaluations are conducted by private credential evaluation services, several of which are members of recognized professional associations that lend credibility to their assessments.

Choosing an Accredited Evaluation Service

Look for evaluation services that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). Membership in one of these associations signals that the service follows recognized standards, which matters because many employers, universities, and licensing boards will only accept evaluations from member organizations.

• Document-by-document evaluation: Confirms your credential’s US equivalent (such as “equivalent to a Bachelor of Science degree”) without a detailed course-by-course breakdown. This is typically sufficient for employment purposes.
• Course-by-course evaluation: Breaks down individual courses and assigns US semester credit hour equivalents and grade point conversions. This is usually required for graduate school admissions or professional licensing.

Steps to Get Your Degree Evaluated in the US

• Step 1: Identify why you need the evaluation (employment, licensing, or further study), since this determines which type of report to request.
• Step 2: Choose a NACES or AICE member evaluation service.
• Step 3: Request official transcripts and diplomas directly from your issuing institution, since most services require documents sent directly from the school rather than personal copies.
• Step 4: Submit certified translations if your documents aren’t in English.
• Step 5: Pay the evaluation fee, which typically ranges depending on the service and report type chosen.
• Step 6: Receive your evaluation report, usually within a few weeks, though expedited options are often available for an additional fee.

How Credential Evaluation Works in Canada

Canada’s system is somewhat more centralized at the provincial level, with recognized designated organizations handling evaluations depending on your province and profession.

World Education Services (WES)

WES is the most widely used credential evaluation service in Canada and is specifically designated to provide evaluations for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) purposes, including Express Entry applications. A WES Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is often the first document employers and immigration officers request from applicants with foreign degrees.

• ECA for immigration: Required for many Express Entry applicants to prove their foreign education is equivalent to a completed Canadian credential, directly affecting Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.
• ECA for employment: Employers frequently request a WES evaluation as part of the hiring process to understand where a candidate’s qualification fits within the Canadian system.

Regulated Professions in Canada

For regulated professions, general credential evaluation services like WES are not enough. You’ll need to go through the specific provincial regulatory body governing your profession:

• Engineers: Provincial engineering associations (such as Professional Engineers Ontario) assess foreign engineering degrees against Canadian standards, often requiring supplementary exams.
• Nurses: The National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) coordinates the initial assessment for internationally educated nurses before provincial licensing boards make final decisions.
• Teachers: Provincial teacher certification bodies evaluate foreign teaching credentials, often requiring additional coursework or practicum hours to meet local certification standards.
• Accountants: CPA Canada has a defined pathway for internationally trained accountants, including mutual recognition agreements with several countries that can significantly streamline the process.

Cost Comparison: US vs. Canada

Costs vary depending on the service and evaluation type, but as a general pattern:

• United States: Document-by-document evaluations tend to be less expensive than course-by-course evaluations, with graduate-level and professional licensing evaluations typically costing more due to the added detail required.
• Canada: WES ECA reports for immigration purposes carry a standard fee, with additional charges for expedited processing or extra copies sent to multiple institutions.
• Regulated professions in both countries: Expect significantly higher total costs once you factor in licensing exam fees, supplementary coursework, and provincial or state registration fees on top of the initial credential evaluation.

How Long Does the Process Take?

Processing times depend heavily on document availability and the complexity of your evaluation request.

• Standard evaluations (US and Canada): Typically a few weeks once all required documents have been received by the evaluation service.
• Expedited processing: Often available for an additional fee, reducing turnaround to as little as a few business days in some cases.
• Regulated profession assessments: Can take several months to over a year, particularly when supplementary exams, bridging programs, or supervised practice hours are required.

The single biggest factor affecting your timeline is usually how quickly your home institution can provide official transcripts. Some universities process these requests within days, while others, particularly in regions with less digitized record-keeping, can take months.

Documents You’ll Typically Need

• Official transcripts sent directly from your issuing institution
• Copy of your diploma or degree certificate
• Certified translations for any documents not issued in English or French
• Proof of identity matching the name on your academic records
• Course syllabi or descriptions, particularly for course-by-course evaluations or licensing board reviews

Common Mistakes That Delay Recognition

• Requesting the wrong evaluation type. Applying for a document-by-document evaluation when a course-by-course report was required (or vice versa) wastes both time and money.
• Sending personal copies instead of official transcripts. Most evaluation services require documents sent directly from the issuing institution, and personal copies are frequently rejected.
• Using an uncertified translator. Both US and Canadian evaluation services generally require translations completed by certified or officially recognized translators, not informal translations.
• Not researching provincial or state-specific requirements early. Licensing requirements for regulated professions can vary significantly between US states and Canadian provinces, and choosing where to settle can meaningfully affect your timeline.
• Assuming one evaluation covers all purposes. An ECA used for Express Entry immigration purposes may not automatically satisfy a professional licensing board’s separate requirements.

Bridging Programs: A Practical Path for Regulated Professions

For many internationally trained professionals, particularly in healthcare and engineering, bridging programs offer a structured path to full local licensing. These programs, often run through community colleges or universities, combine coursework with supervised practical experience designed specifically to fill gaps between a foreign credential and local licensing standards.

• Bridging programs typically take less time than starting a new degree from scratch, since they build on your existing qualification rather than replacing it.
• Many programs include job placement support and mentorship specifically for internationally trained professionals.
• Some Canadian provinces and US states offer targeted funding or reduced tuition for bridging program participants as part of broader efforts to address workforce shortages in healthcare and skilled trades.

State-by-State and Province-by-Province Variation

One of the most confusing aspects of credential recognition, particularly in the United States, is that requirements can shift significantly depending on where you plan to work. Because professional licensing is regulated at the state level in the US and the provincial level in Canada, there is no single national standard for many professions.

• United States: A nursing license recognized in Texas does not automatically transfer to California; each state’s board of nursing has its own credential review process, though some states participate in reciprocity compacts that simplify the process for candidates already licensed elsewhere in the US.
• Canada: Similarly, an engineering credential accepted by Professional Engineers Ontario must go through a separate review if you later relocate to British Columbia, although some provinces have streamlined mutual recognition agreements with each other.
• Practical takeaway: If you have flexibility in where you settle, research the specific requirements of your target state or province before beginning the evaluation process, since some jurisdictions are considerably more efficient than others for foreign-trained professionals in your field.

How Credential Recognition Affects Immigration Points Systems

For applicants pursuing Canada’s Express Entry system, a WES Educational Credential Assessment directly affects your Comprehensive Ranking System score, since points are awarded based on your assessed education level rather than simply your foreign degree title. A foreign master’s degree assessed as equivalent to a Canadian master’s degree earns significantly more points than one assessed at a bachelor’s-equivalent level, making the accuracy and timing of your ECA a meaningful strategic factor in your overall application.

In the United States, credential evaluations play a somewhat different role, more commonly required for employer-sponsored visa categories where the job requires a specific minimum education level. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may request a credential evaluation as supporting evidence that a foreign degree satisfies the educational requirement for certain employment-based visa categories, particularly when the degree comes from an institution or country where equivalency isn’t immediately obvious.

Working While Your Credential Is Being Evaluated

A common concern among newly arrived immigrants is whether they can begin working before their credential evaluation is complete. In most cases, the answer depends on the type of role:

• Non-regulated professions: Many employers in fields like general business, marketing, and technology will hire based on your resume and interview performance, sometimes requesting a credential evaluation only after an offer has been made.
• Regulated professions: Roles requiring a license, such as nursing, engineering (for certain functions), teaching, and law, generally cannot be performed until your credentials are fully assessed and, where required, licensing exams are passed.
• Interim options: Many internationally trained professionals in regulated fields take related but unlicensed roles, such as a foreign-trained nurse working as a healthcare aide, while completing the credential recognition and licensing process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a US or Canadian credential evaluation legally binding?
Credential evaluations are advisory assessments used by employers, schools, and licensing boards to make their own decisions. They are not government certifications, though they carry significant weight when produced by a recognized member organization.

Can I use the same evaluation for both a job application and immigration purposes?
Sometimes, but not always. It’s best to confirm with both the employer and the relevant immigration authority whether they’ll accept the same report, since requirements can differ.

What happens if my degree isn’t recognized as equivalent?
Evaluation services will indicate the closest equivalent level, which might be lower than your original credential (for example, a four-year foreign degree evaluated as equivalent to a US associate degree). In these cases, bridging programs or additional coursework can help close the gap.

Final Thoughts

Getting your foreign degree recognized in the United States or Canada is rarely instant, but it’s a well-established process with clear steps once you understand which organization handles your specific situation. Start by identifying your exact purpose for the evaluation, choose a recognized evaluation service, and request official documents from your home institution as early as possible. For regulated professions, budget extra time and expect additional steps beyond a basic credential evaluation, but know that bridging programs and provincial or state-specific pathways exist precisely to help skilled immigrants put their qualifications to full use.