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Do you need an ECA for your first degree, or just your highest one?

Canada • Provincial Nominee Program • immigration 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Documents Needed

  • Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)

    Get the ECA for your highest qualification; OINP only requires the ECA-supported highest degree, not earlier degrees.

Step-by-Step

A member who only had their Master's assessed for their ECA asked whether they also needed to include their first (undergraduate) degree.

What the thread clarified:
  1. Get your ECA for your highest qualification — that's the general guidance for how ECAs should be obtained.

  2. For OINP (Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program) specifically, only the highest degree supported by an ECA needs to be mentioned — you don't need to separately include or assess your first degree.

  3. One member flagged that requirements can vary by the country you're applying from, so this isn't necessarily universal across every province or program (the thread didn't have someone confirm the equivalent rule for Manitoba's MPNP, for example).


Practical takeaway: for OINP, you generally only need the ECA for your highest degree — your first degree doesn't need separate assessment or mention. But since requirements can vary by province and by your country of application, confirm the specific rule for whichever provincial program you're applying to rather than assuming OINP's rule applies everywhere.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Tip: For OINP, only the highest degree supported by an ECA needs to be mentioned — earlier degrees don't need separate ECA assessment.
  • Do: Confirm the specific ECA rule for your target province's PNP program, since requirements can vary.

Have a question about this? Join the discussion.

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