What is an “Entry-to-Practice Professional Degree” Under Express Entry?

When calculating your score under Express Entry, a degree which is considered to be a “professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession” is given the same amount of points as a Master degree.

For those looking to immigrate to Canada who are unsure if their qualification is considered to be a “professional degree needed to practice in a licensed profession” by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, please see the list of accepted degrees below:

Medicine
Veterinary Medicine
Dentistry
Optometry
Law
Chiropractic Medicine
Pharmacy

If you possess a degree in an area other than those listed above then it will not be considered a “professional degree needed to practise in a licensed profession”.Many individuals believe that being a Chartered Accountant means that they are in possession of a “professional degree needed to practise in a licensed profession”. Unfortunately , this is not the case. This qualification cannot be assessed by the bodies responsible for issuing Educational Credential Assessments. Their websites even state they do not assess occupational qualifications, non-formal, non-academic qualifications as follows:

Apprenticeships, Competency based/Vocational qualifications/Training (e.g. City and Guilds Certificates, Trade certificates, National Vocational Qualifications, Massage or Shiatsu Therapy Training, Caregiver training, Personal Support Worker Training, Montessori Training, Microsoft Training)
In-company training
Professional licenses, memberships in professional bodies/associations and learned societies (e.g. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants [ACCA] – examinations or fellow or Member of the Association, Institution of Engineers, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Royal College of Surgeons, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan [ICAP], British Computer Society)
Short-term, non-formal, non-academic programs
Board of Examination in General Nursing and Midwifery diplomas (e.g. Pakistan Nursing Council)
Second-language training programs (e.g. ESL)
Work experience
In-progress academic programs
Certificates issued for professionally-oriented studies in conjunction with academic studies (e.g. Certificat de Absolvire(Graduation Certificate) from the Teacher Training Department or Pedagogical Seminar)
Canadian post-secondary qualifications

When calculating your Comprehensive Ranking System Score for the Express Entry program be sure you are calculating your estimated score correctly as assigning yourself incorrect points can drastically alter your realistic view of your chances of successfully immigrating to Canada under the Express Entry System.

For example being in possession of a Bachelors degree vs a Bachelors Degree needed to practise in a licensed profession can cause a 14 to 15 points difference on your education score, up to 25 points difference on your skills transferability score and up to a 2 point difference on your spouse’s educational level (if applicable). That can add up to a miscalculation of up to 42 points.

It is imperative you have a realistic view of your Comprehensive Ranking System Score in order to give yourself a realistic view of your chances of immigrating to Canada.