Problem with My WES Evaluation Report

University and College Education
1

Hi,

There are 3 mistakes I see in my evaluation report. I have sent WES Canada my bachelors & Postgraduate diploma to evaluate , in the month of November 2017 and received my report December 2017.


Mistake number one: I have done my bachelors of commerce with major being commerce but in my report WES changed the major/ Specialization to Business Administration


Mistake number Two: I have done Postgraduate Diploma with major being Finance & Marketing and it was changed to Business Management.

Mistake number three: The Status of my Postgraduate Diploma says that it is a Non-recognized Program, and the Canadian Equivalency is Two years of post-secondary study at a non-recognized institution.

My Institution is AICTE recognized , WES considers Postgraduate Diploma from an institution with AICTE approval as recognized Program,the reason I am sure about this because my friend with Postgraduate Diploma with AICTE recognition ,who got his credential evaluated from WES, has been considered as recognized Program & given Bachelor’s degree (four years) Canadian Equivalent.

My institution is one of the best business schools in India whereas my friend`s is limited.

I have emailed them already but no reply yet. So, what else can I do to make them fix this asap.

Thank you.

2

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We can appreciate that you would be concerned about this situation.

We have contacted WES and they have provided us with the process.

Here it is:

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

=====
Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org

3

Dear Moderator,

I am writing to you regarding my Educational Credential Assessment for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (ECA number: 3******7)
WES assessed my Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Law degree from The Supreme Attestation Commission as master’s degree (at minimum).

It was also added that academics in the field, upon examination of the dissertation, may in some instance consider the credential comparable to an earned doctorate in Canada.
I sent an objection letter to WES. But, they disregarded my argumentation stated below and did not reviewed their approach.

Azerbaijan started the reform of its higher education system by joining the Bologna Process in 2005, followed by the adoption of the new Law on Education in 2009. This law formally introduced the European Credit Transfer System: three-cycle system of study.
According to the law, Bachelor’s Degree is the first level of higher vocational-professional education that trains a broad range of specialists in respective majors (Clause 1.0.8.).
The Clause 1.0.34 stipulates that Master’s Program is the second level of higher education.

Further, the law highlights that Doctor of Philosophy – a scientific degree conferred during the first phase of doctorate programs by the respective field of study (Clause 1.0.18).[1]

So, as European Commission, Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency stated in their report, higher education in Azerbaijan is divided into three levels:

  •   First level (Bachelor Studies), 

  •   Second level (Master Studies), and 

  •   Third level (PhD Studies).[2]

You can find the same differentiation in World Data on Education, UNESCO International Bureau of Education’s Report.[3]

Upon graduation bachelor (4 years) and master (2 years) programs, in 2005 I was admitted as a doctoral student at the Civil Law Department of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences[4] on the basis of contest. Admission commission, chaired by the Head of the Institution of Law, determined the conformity of my major with doctoral studies. To-be scientific supervisor hold an interview with me to doctoral studies and submitted his positive decision on accepting me to the Admission Commission.

I started to work in accordance with individual work plan approved by the Academic Council of National Academy of Science during my time in doctoral studies. I took examinations in Administrative, Financial and Information Law, Foreign Language (English) and Information Technologies. I delivered reports in the meetings of Civil Law Department from time to time on the implementation of individual work plan.

A doctoral student shall complete a dissertation, undergo approbation and defend it in accordance with the determined rules in the course of doctoral studies to obtain a “Doctor of Philosophy” scientific degree. In February 2014, I was allowed to defend my completed scientific research work to obtain my degree. I defended my dissertation before the ad-hoc Academic Council of The Law Division at Baku State University, comprised of the prominent local and regional scientists from Russia, Ukraine and Poland in April 2016. The defended dissertation passed through the Expert Council of The Supreme Attestation Commission and I was awarded the relevant certificate in February 2018.

As you may see, it was a long and very challenging journey from 2005 to 2018 (about 13 years) to get my PhD degree. You may also find more detailed description of the processes in doctoral studies in Azerbaijan through reviewing EC Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency’s report.[5] Furthermore, I hold a huge volume of the proper documentation to back above statement. However, I need to have them translated from Azerbaijani or Russian into English for your review. If you are interested in any stage of my time in doctoral studies, would you please let me know and I can arrange the notarized translation.

In Azerbaijan, only the applicants with a master degree are admitted to Doctor of Philosophy program.[6] Therefore, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Law degree should definitely be placed in third level (PhD Studies) in ECA and not second level (Master Studies). In other hand, as emphasized above, you need to pass the second level (master studies) to be able to continue your studies in the third level (PhD studies). Therefore, PhD in Law degree should not be equivalent to master.

Moreover, you may see, the Clause 1.0.18 of the Law on Education clearly indicates that doctor of philosophy is a doctorate program. In this regard, Doctor of Philosophy is identified in Article 23 which is dedicated to doctoral education (please refer the clause 23.3.1).[7] May I ask you to review the extract from the mentioned clause Law for your better understanding:

Article 23. Post-graduate (doctoral) education
23.1. Doctoral level education is the highest level of higher education which develops scientific and scientific-pedagogical staff and offers advanced professional and scientific degrees.
23.2. The post-graduate education is provided through doctorate programs at the institutions of higher education and scientific establishments (or adjuncture programs at the military schools) and leads to the relevant scientific degree. The scientific degrees are conferred by the dissertation boards within the institutions of higher education and scientific establishments.
23.3. The following scientific degrees are established in the Republic of Azerbaijan:
23.3.1. Doctor of Philosophy – indicating the field of science;
23.3.2. Doctor of Science - indicating the field of science.

Please note that I need the ECA assessment for Express Entry Profile. PhD degree will enhance my points while calculating points via CRS. Therefore, this issue is very crucial for me, because going forward with the current assessment will deprive me from the points granted to doctoral level university degree (Ph.D.)
WES neither addressed my argumentation, nor explained my appeal options. Would you please advise my next steps in this regard.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Kind Regards,
Anar

[1] Education Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan, http://edu.gov.az/en/page/72/5244

[2] Overview of the Higher Education System: Azerbaijan, European Commission, Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, February 2017, https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/countryfiches_azerbaijan_2017.pdf

[3] World Data on Education, VII Ed. 2010/11, UNESCO, International Bureau of Education, http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Azerbaijan.pdf

[4] Azerbaijan National Academy of Science, http://www.science.gov.az/

[5] Overview of the Higher Education System: Azerbaijan, European Commission, Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, February 2017, https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/countryfiches_azerbaijan_2017.pdf

[6] Overview of the Higher Education System: Azerbaijan, European Commission, Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, February 2017, https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/eacea-site/files/countryfiches_azerbaijan_2017.pdf

[7] Education Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan, http://edu.gov.az/en/page/72/5244

4

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We can appreciate that you would be concerned about this.

You may want to try and follow the process as listed above.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

=====
Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org

5

Dear Moderator,

I am writing to complain about the unprofessional services I have gotten from WES.

I started my Application in March 2019, and till date (November 2019)my Report hasn’t been evaluated.

As at September 2019, I went to my institution to confirm that my Verification letter has been sent successfully to WES and I saw that it already has been sent weeks ago. WES finally updated my status on my account that they had received all my documents and my Evaluation was in progress this was on 22nd October,2019.

Expecting to see progress on completion as is the norm with my report. WES sends me an update 22nd of November, 2019. (That’s a whole month) telling me again that my status is on hold. That they have sent my documents to my institution for verification, that they are waiting for my institution to reply them.

This is highly frustrating, because it took me three months to make my institution send them my documents and also verify my documents. Also, I paid my institution some fees to verify my documents before they finally replied and sent my Verification to WES.

My question is, does WES require double verification from institutions?, I have never heard of it. Especially when they acknowledged to have gotten the first verification. I have tried to contact them on their phone lines but the never pick up. I have sent mails no response.

I will really appreciate if there is something that can be done. The year is drawing to a close and my institution will soon close for the year and anything academic will be till next year.

6

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation with us.

We have had some other users with similar situations as you can read through above.

You may be able to find some helpful information regarding this process in our previous Settlement.Org Complaint Regarding An Evaluation Service - Help Discussion Forum Thread.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

We hope this information is helpful.
Settlement.Org Team

7

Dear Moderator,
My credential of Masters of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade which is a 2 year Masters program has been reported with Canadian Equivalency of Postgraduate diploma (one year).
For the same program, two other alumni from my school have Canadian Equivalency of Master’s degree. There seems to be a grave mistake and this will affect my PR application.
I urge you to take this matter up immediately and resolve. I can provide you with their WES reports as well.

8

Hello There,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We appreciate that you would be interested in this type of information. We understand that the outcome of your report may cause concern. You may want to read and follow the steps in the thread above to appeal your case with WES.

Here is an excerpt:

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

We hope this information is helpful.

Settlement.Org Team

9

Hi,
I have faced the exact same issue and have queried WES.
What I would like to know weather, this was resolved for you?

10

Dear Moderator,
My PGDBM Institute has sent an email directly to WES because my report showed them as “non recognised”
Will WES accept their email or should i raise a query myself?

Thanks

11

Hello There,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We appreciate that you would be interested in this type of information. We understand that the outcome of your report may cause concern.

It is best that you contact WES directly for information specific to your case. Be prepared with your WES reference number and call the (+1) 800-361-6106 or use their contact form.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

We hope this information is helpful.

Settlement.Org Team

Hello There,

12

Dear Moderator,

I hold 3 years bachelors + 2 years masters of university education from a recognized university in India. The field of study in both Under-grad and Masters is different, and both are degree programs (as opposed to diplomas). However, WES has evaluated my credentials and in their report they have considered this as a year graduation. in regards to this, i have the below queries:

  1. Can I appeal this evaluation?
  2. How often does WES change its evaluation based on these appeals?
  3. What is the success rate of the appeals?
  4. Does appealing the WES report have any negative repercussions on my prospects of migrating to Canada?

Thank you!
Gauri

13

Hello There,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

You can appeal your evaluation with the World Education Services (WES). You may want to follow the steps above and contact WES for more detailed information regarding your specific situation. Have your reference number ready so that the operator can assist you with this inquiry.

We hope that other users will be able to share their experience with you regarding status changes.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

We hope this information is helpful.

Settlement.Org Team

14

Dear Moderator,
My credential of Masters of Art from Universityof Dhaka in Apllied Linguistics and ELT is a 1 year Masters program has been reported with Canadian Equivalency of Postgraduate diploma (one year).
For the same program, two other alumni from my school have Canadian Equivalency of Master’s degree. There seems to be a grave mistake and this will affect my PR application.
I urge you to take this matter up immediately and resolve.

Thanking you

15

Hi guys
My documents were delivered to WES on 19th July. Since then evaluation status hasn’t changed. Still shows “on hold awaiting your documents”. I’ve phoned them 2 weeks ago and they promised to escalate the case but still no change. I’ve sent few emails regarding my case and none were responded to. This is quite worrying considering that in 6 weeks no one even bothered to open my file.
please advise.
thanks

16

hi
I am facing an issue with my WES evaluation report.
My highest qualification is master of dental surgery (MDS).
I have sent both my BDS and MDS transcripts from universities respectively to WES.
My BDS university has done online submission of my transcript but MDS university has sent it through the post which is still with customs in Canada.

so WES has generated my report only for BDS and status shows - completed.
I am trying to call the WES help center but no response.
What should I do now?
Please advise.

Thanks and regards

17

Hi,
Since March 12, 2020, I have opened a file with WES for the evaluation of my DSCG diplomas obtained from France since 2018. After obtaining the documents and after analyzes my status is always this: We are awaiting your document . I then wrote to my university which confided to me that the requested document had been sent for more than three (3) months. Unfortunately, all attempts to obtain confirmation of the document by WES were unsuccessful. I left them a message using the form that appears on my page of my file, but still without action about a month ago. I don’t know what to do anymore. In a few days it would be one (1) year since I submitted my file.
What to do ? Please help me.

18

Dear Moderator,
I have completed a 2-year full time degree course in MBA from an AICTE and UGC approved institute and my course is also accredited by NAAC.
But WES has awarded my MBA degree a four year’s bachelor’s degree equivalency /3 year bachelors+ 1yr diploma equivalency in the Canadian ECA assessment report simply because my consolidated mark sheet and degree certificate does not mention that the course is AICTE/UGC approved.

My institute does not follow the practice of mentioning the approvals on the mark sheet or degree certificate. My institute is a well-established Deemed to be University which falls in the purview of AICTE , UGC and NAAC based on the status awarding parameters laid down by the regulating body viz. the Ministry of Education.

This is unbecoming of WES Canada. I have requested for more clarity on this aspect and would like to know as to why my master’s degree credential has been downgraded to a bachelor’s level equivalency?

Also if there is any way to obtain a letter from my institute ascertaining its Master’s level equivalency as per AICTE and UGC norms?

Unfortunately WES Canada hasn’t addressed my concern yet. It has crossed 3 weeks now.

Request your kind support and intervention in this matter.

Regards
Mark Richard.

19

My original diploma is taken hostage at WES.
They haven’t returned it, they’ve just sent me their evaluation report after 3 months of waiting and that’s all and marked my status fully completed.
And now I am stuck: I can’t apply for new job outside my current position, nor in Canada nor in anywhere else. I don’t have my diploma!
It is my diploma with honour in computer science and mathematics which was with me since 2007 and now their irresponsible staff just decided that I don’t need it.
Their service is horrible, you can’t get them at all, they do not answer by phone, they do not answer by “contact us”, they do not answer in facebook.
BEWARE of this company! Search other complaints in web, there are tons of it, I wish I read them before sending anything to them, was just hoping that it is respectful company of developed country. Ha-ha.

20

Hello There,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We appreciate that you would be interested in this type of information. We understand that the outcome of your report may cause concern.

It is best that you contact WES directly for information specific to your case. Be prepared with your WES reference number and call the (+1) 800-361-6106 or use their contact form.

For information about contacting WES, you may find the Settlement.Org discussion thread Problem With My WES Evaluation Report useful.

Here is an excerpt:

For more information, visit Settlement.Org for articles on credential evaluation. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

We hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team