DDay

Hi everyone, I got my visa sorted out couple of weeks back (well... after a 4 years wait) and have been preparing for my short landing, and utimately for long landing in Canada. Needless to say, this forum has been extremely useful for me.

I have a bachelor in Business (marketing major) from an Australian Uni and I need to know if it is accepted in the job market and uni in Canada. The confusing part is that its a 3 year course and I got into 2nd year directly as I have exemption from a previous diploma course. Added to the confusion, I studied 2.5 years part time distance learning and 0.5 years full time on campus.. So is it still counted as a 3 year degree course?

I read the wiki on equivalency of qualification and also went to canadian information centre for international credential but its seems to be more geared towards professional in the regulated industry. So, I am still confused

Anyone has any idea??? Thanks in Advance.

Butch Cassidy

You and me both

None at all. But then again I'm still trying to work out what you were asking

Atlantic Xpat

Do you bring a Bachelor of Business and little actual work experience to Canada or is it a question of 'I have a Bachelor of Business and 5 years experience of doing x.'? If the latter then your degree will be less important than your experience and ultimately 'fit' into an organisation. The degree is merely a door opener. If your largest USP is your Bachelor of Business then life might be a bit tougher.

Judy in Calgary

The daughter of a member of this forum used one of the organizations on the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials website to assess the equivalency of her high school diploma from a foreign country. I have read several reports here of people using International Qualifications Assessment Service in Alberta, for example, to establish that their diplomas or degrees were equivalent to ones they could have obtained here. The organizations that assess the equivalency of a qualification do not do it only for the professions.

Canadian employers probably won't care whether your degree was a three-year degree or a four-year degree. Just name your degree on your resume, don't say how long you took to get it, and leave it at that.

The equivalency of your bachelors degree would matter if you wanted to do a masters degree. University admissions offices care about these things.

If you want the extra comfort of an assessment from one of the Canadian credentialling organizations, then get one done. Just a couple of caveats. It would help if you knew the province to which you were going, as it would be better to get an assessment from the credentialling organization in the relevant province. But if you don't know your destination province, I recommend using the credentialling organization in Ontario. The other tip is that it will cost you some money.

But for the most part, I think this is a non-issue. It sounds as if you'll have a permanent residence visa, so Canadian employers won't have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to hire you. That's a point in your favour.

Yes, there will be some credibility issues, and you'll have to work to overcome them. But the credibility issues won't be because you have a three-year degree versus a four-year degree. The same credibility issues would be there if you had a four-year degree. The credibility issues will arise because you're a foreigner, you're untested, they don't know what to make of you, you don't have local experience, they're not sure of your commitment to sticking around, etc., etc., etc. These are the same issues that we've all faced, and they are not insurmountable.

All the best with your move.
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Judy in Calgary

DDay, I went to the Wiki article on Equivalency of Qualifications, and felt that the information on Degrees was inadequate. I beefed up that section to reflect what Atlantic Xpat and I have told you in this thread.

When a Wiki article already exists on a given topic, when a newcomer to the forum has read the article, and when he/she still has questions, it tells me that there is a gap in the article. So your question was helpful.

I hope the expanded information will make more sense to future readers.
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DDay

Hi everyone, thanks for the response. I am sorry if my question was not clear. I guess I was rather overwhelmed with all the information overload.

I have 8 years of relevant working experience so from the posts, I believe employers would not really bother about the duration of degree. In any case, I will still approach the International Qualification assessment centre service in Vancouver to process my qualification.

Hi Judy, thanks for beefing up the info. I am sure many others will benefit from your action.