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WES gave your degree a lower Canadian equivalence? Members' options: only the top degree counts

Canada • Express Entry • immigration 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Documents Needed

  • ECA report

    Only the highest credential's equivalency matters for points — you don't need (or need to pay for) separate assessments of every degree.

Step-by-Step

An applicant's WES report downgraded their credentials — BS (Computer Science) equated to a 3-year Canadian diploma and MS (Computer Science) to a 4-year bachelor's, with no master's equivalence for 16+2 years of education. The thread's guidance:

  1. Understand what actually counts. Only the highest degree's equivalency feeds your points — members noted there's no need to pay for assessing both the bachelor's and master's separately.

  2. You're not alone — WES is known to be strict on this pattern. Another member reported the identical outcome (18 years of education equated to a bachelor's), and the thread's characterization was "very rigid behaviour of WES" for certain country/degree structures.

  3. The remedy members suggested: try a different designated body. Rather than fighting WES, contact one of the other IRCC-designated equivalency organizations (IQAS was named) and get reassessed — outcomes differ between bodies.

  4. On whether conflicting reports hurt: the poster asked if one body saying bachelor's and another saying master's causes immigration problems; the thread didn't flag an issue with using the more favourable report, but this specific question wasn't authoritatively answered — you submit the ECA you choose to rely on.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Do: If WES undervalues your credential, get reassessed by another IRCC-designated body (e.g., IQAS) — equivalency outcomes vary between organizations.
  • Tip: Only your highest credential's equivalency drives points — don't pay to assess every degree separately.

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