Do you always contact educational institutions in other countries to verify documents submitted for evaluation?
Our trained evaluation staff reviews all educational documents submitted to establish their authenticity.
We reserve the right to contact educational and other institutions to verify the authenticity of any documents received. In the limited cases in which we must contact institutions for verification, the evaluation process may be delayed, sometimes substantially.
Normally, we will wait a maximum of six months for a satisfactory response to our verification requests. During this period we will make two attempts to contact the issuing institution using the best contact information available to us, including email, post, and fax.
Because the verification of documents depends on the responsiveness of third parties in other countries, this process can significantly delay the preparation of our evaluation report and, in some cases, may prevent us from completing a report. We will not issue an evaluation report when substantial concerns about the documents submitted have not been satisfactorily resolved.
What are the verification and authentication services you use?
Many government-authorized agencies and educational institutions around the world provide services to verify or authenticate educational documents. These services include online databases, internet authentication services, or official institutions or agencies that send authenticated official documents directly to us by mail. Please see the Documentation Requirements for individual countries to determine whether or not a verification or authentication service is required in your case.
Can I provide you with my school's verification service even if it is not listed in your documentation requirements for my country?
Yes. We encourage the use of verification and authentication services and will determine in each instance whether or not it is acceptable.
Do I need to submit original documents if you also require a verification or authentication service?
You should review the Documentation Requirements by country to determine if original documents are required in addition to a verification or authentication service. In general, it is not necessary to provide original documents for information contained in a verification or authentication response. However, in some cases the verified information does not cover the complete set of documents. For example, if we can verify graduation online through the school but not the content or grades of the subjects studied, then an original grade report would be required along with a photocopy of the degree.