How to choose a designated organization?
1. If you are applying: as a specialist physician (NOC 3111) or general practitioner/family physician (NOC 3112), the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) must do an ECA for your primary medical diploma, as a pharmacist (NOC 3131):
- if you need a license to practice (for example, providing patient care in a community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, long term care facility or other practice settings) the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC) must do your ECA,
- if you are in a position where you do not need a license (organizations such as the pharmaceutical industry and government which require a pharmacy degree because of the education or skill set, but may not require a licence to practice pharmacy), you can have your credentials assessed by one of the other designated ECA organizations. Contact the regulatory authority in the province where you plan to live to find out if you need a licence to practice your intended occupation.
Under any other occupation, check the websites of the other CIC-designated organizations or contact them directly to find which one best suits your needs.
Consider:
Some designated organizations partner with certain regulatory bodies or large employers. In that case, the ECA you get for applying to CIC might also help you later on.
For each one, you should check to find out what other organizations recognize their assessments.
2. Find out what documents you need.
3. Find out how much it will cost.
4. Costs may vary by organization.
Find out how long an assessment will take.
Note: CIC uses assessments done by the MCC or the PEBC for immigration purposes. They are also used in the process of licensing for those professions. Please contact the regulatory authority in the province where you plan to live for more information about getting a licence.