Credentialling Assessment Times
It is important to review the application steps and wait times associated with Credentialling Assessment before you submit your application. Click the button below to view an infographic illustrating the steps that occur before a Credentialing Officer begins the assessment of your file.
Click here to view the Credentialling Application Steps and Processing Times
Please note the Credentialling Assessment Stage begins after your application has been checked for completeness and all required documents have been received. CAPR will notify you once this step has been completed.
We are Committed to Meeting your Needs
The Canadian standard for the length of time to assess a foreign credential is 26 weeks, as set out in the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. Our goal is to surpass this standard, which we have done for almost 10 years. Our internal goal is 10-12 weeks to assess precedent applications and 16-18 weeks to assess non-precedent applications, after all required documents are received.
We are striving to achieve these processing times, however, due to the significant increase in applications and the intricate nature of our credentialling process, we are experiencing a backlog. Measures have been put in place to reduce the backlog and staff are working diligently to review each application to provide applicants with a fair assessment.
We are committed to continuous quality improvement and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
To ensure applications are processed fairly and within a suitable time frame, please review the information on this page thoroughly before submitting your application.
Current Credentialling Assessment Times:
| Files with precedent established (Precedent files) | Files without a precedent* (Non-precedent files) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual: 15 weeks (as of October 16, 2023) |
Actual: 18 weeks (as of October 16, 2023) |
||
*The majority of files without a precedent are being processed within this time however some applications may take longer due to variations in education assessment agency response times.
Precedent and Non-Precedent Files – All required documents
**Precedent files = approximately 15 weeks from the date your application is received
**Non-precedent files = approximately 18 weeks from the date your application is received
Precedent and Non-Precedent Files – Missing and/or incorrect documents
**Precedent files = approximately 15 weeks from the date your final required document is received + at least 11 weeks to review any resubmitted or missing documents
**Non-precedent files = approximately 18 weeks from the date your final required document was received + at least 11 weeks to review any resubmitted or missing documents.
Important things to consider
Read the below carefully before submitting your application for credentialing assessment.
You will receive email communication from CAPR at these stages
- Fee processing
- Initial Preliminary Review
- Additional Assessment Decisions
You will not be notified when your documents have been received, we appreciate your understanding while we direct resources to processing your application
The top 3 reasons for delayed processing of an application
- Declined payment
- Missing or incorrect documents
- Incomplete applications (will be returned by mail)
Please check your application for completeness and ensure all required documents are submitted in the correct format.
Important: CAPR is aware and understands that some required documents must be submitted by external parties (marks, degrees, language tests, etc.). Please contact the relevant institutions at least 90 days in advance of submitting your application to avoid delays in processing your application.
Some applicants will receive their ‘initial decision’ in a shorter time-frame if their submitted application includes all required documents in the correct format.