IQAS Evaluation for Indian Degrees: Documents & Fees

IQAS is an evaluation body which is operated by the Government of Alberta and is one of the organisations IRCC approves for an ECA. As Alberta lists it today, an ECA costs a C$ 25 administration fee and courier. For Indian degrees, IQAS mandates transcripts from your degree-awarding university or an autonomous college. We can request them.

In this guide:

• IQAS’s current fees
• The documents it wants for Indian degrees
• Which Indian records it won’t accept

The most common IQAS mistake for Indian applicants is a sensible one. Your records come from your college, so that’s where you ask. But IQAS says it only accepts transcripts, mark sheets, and result cards from the degree-awarding university or an autonomous college, not from affiliated colleges. This guide covers IQAS’s current fees, the documents it wants for Indian degrees, how long it takes, and where applicants lose time. Worldwide Transcripts has delivered 175,000+ orders in 15+ years procured from 850+ Indian universities. We checked Alberta’s pages recently, but fees and rules change, so confirm before you apply and pay.

What IQAS is, and Which Assessment You Need

IQAS, the International Qualifications Assessment Service, is run by the Government of Alberta. For Canadian immigration, you need its ECA, which IRCC accepts. IQAS also offers assessments for work, study, and licensing, but those can’t be used for immigration, so choosing the right reason when you apply matters.

The ECA certificate shows your degree, the institution, the country, the year awarded, the length of the programme, and a general comparison with Canadian education. It doesn’t list the language of instruction. If a programme asks for that, you’d need a separate MOI certificate. Only your highest completed credential may be required to be assessed. An IQAS ECA is valid for Express Entry for 5 years from the date it’s issued.

New to the term? What Is ECA? explains it from the start, and our IQAS page covers how we work with it.

Source: Alberta.ca, IQAS assessment for immigration.

IQAS Options at a Glance 

IQAS offers great credential evaluation options with the option to add more educational credentials to the same application. Your IQAS evaluation report can also be delivered physically by courier to a Canadian or an international address if opted for. Rush service is optional, with a couple of business-day turnaround. You can also request a reassessment or an ECA report duplicate later. These details are as listed on IQAS official website ‘Alberta.ca’, and they can change, so check the current terms before you apply.

Documents IQAS Asks For

You upload some documents yourself in the IQAS portal. 

You upload:

• Your passport or any Indian government-issued ID
• Proof of a name change or dual name, if your name differs from your educational documents
• A clear colour scan of your degree or diploma, all pages front and back
• A word-for-word English translation of anything not in English

The university sends:

• Your transcript, mark sheets or result cards, from the university that awarded your degree or from an autonomous college. IQAS says records from affiliated colleges are not accepted.
• The transcripts must arrive in a sealed envelope that’s attested, dated, and stamped across the back flap to Worldwide Transcripts, so that it can be sent electronically to IQAS via a dedicated secure portal bearing the unique reference number.

IQAS’s India section also lists ‘Worldwide Transcripts’ as a way to securely transmit electronic documents from India for evaluation. It has a few university-specific notes too. Magadh University graduates need documents attested through RTI. Sikkim Manipal University graduates need centre details, and IQAS says it won’t assess SMU distance education credentials. I.K. Gujral Punjab Technical University so visit the official IQAS website before application submission. If your university isn’t named, the general rules apply.

Source: Alberta.ca, IQAS country-specific document requirements (India), October 2026.

If you hold a degree that isn’t issued yet, ask us about a convocation certificate, and about our marksheet transcripts for the records themselves.

How Long It Takes

IQAS says an ECA takes about 15 business days or more once your file reaches “In line for processing.” That’s an estimate, not a promise, and cases needing extra research take longer depending on the existing load and pending evaluation backlog. You can also opt for rush service, which is around 5 to 7 business days excluding the document transit time.

The clock only starts when everything has arrived, so the Indian university’s records decide the real timeline. If IQAS is still waiting on documents, it holds the file for 6 months and then reviews it or may be cancelled. Plan to have the records on their way before you pay.

Apply Yourself or Go Through Worldwide Transcripts?

You do apply to IQAS yourself. You create the application, upload your own documents, and pay IQAS. The records from your Indian university are a different matter, and that’s where applicants usually run into trouble.

Getting the records directly. Each university has its own process and its own timing. You may need to follow several steps, submitting an application at the university office in person and visiting a couple of times for status updates. Tracking is often limited, so it can be hard to know where a request is. The records have to meet IQAS’s rules: the right institution, a sealed and attested envelope, or an accepted electronic channel partner. One missing marksheet or a name that doesn’t match can leave the request waiting. And if your documents also need an apostille or attestation, that’s more to arrange.

Going through us. We handle the university side from start to finish. We submit the request, handle the communication with the university, do in-person follow-up, collect the records, digitise them, and send them securely to IQAS within 24 hours of receipt, and you just follow progress on the app. We check your documents before anything is submitted, so the common slips get caught early. You send your details once and pay online.

If that sounds easier, start your request or talk to our team.

Where Indian Applicants Lose Time

The classic slip is asking the affiliated college for the transcript. IQAS won’t accept it, and the whole request starts again.

The next one is timing. The IQAS file number has to be on the records, so it’s worth having the application started before the university application step. Names are another: if your degree and passport differ, IQAS wants proof of the change. Choosing the wrong assessment type at the start is costly, since a work or study assessment can’t be used for immigration and fees aren’t refunded. Lastly, if you’re posting the sealed envelope yourself, it can further delay your application, as it requests official transcripts or e-transcripts from its authorised delivery channels like Worldwide Transcripts from India.

What We See at Worldwide Transcripts

With IQAS, the application itself is usually straightforward. The records step is where Indian applicants stall: the wrong institution, an incomplete set of marksheets, a name that doesn’t match, or a file number that wasn’t on the transcript. We work with 18+ affiliated ECA bodies, for example CES (University of Toronto),  IQAS, and we check for these issues before anything goes out.

Are You Ready to Apply to IQAS?

Source: Alberta.ca, IQAS assessment for immigration, checked currently

• ☐ I’ve chosen the ECA reason, not work or study
• ☐ I know which institution awarded my degree, and it isn’t just my college
• ☐ I have every marksheet and my degree scan
• ☐ My name matches across documents, or I have proof of the change
• ☐ I have, or will get, my IQAS file number before I apply for university transcripts
• ☐ I’ve checked the current fees on Alberta.c