🇨🇦 Canada — IRCC / Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Canada Express Entry — Korean Documents Required
Canada's Express Entry system manages applications for three federal economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). An invitation to apply (ITA) is valid for 60 days only, so the application must reach IRCC within that window. IRCC's Express Entry guidance does not ask for an apostille or consular legalization on Korean documents. What IRCC asks for is scans of the documents, a translation of anything not in English or French (stamped by a certified translator, or accompanied by the translator's affidavit), police certificates, and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report for education completed outside Canada. Because the window is short, work out which documents you will submit, and in what form, before the invitation arrives.
Required Korean Documents
Criminal Background Check
범죄·수사경력 회보서RequiredKorea's police certificate is the 범죄·수사경력 회보서 (Criminal (Investigation) Records Check Report), issued for the purpose 외국 입국·체류 허가용 (entry to or stay in a foreign country). IRCC asks you and each family member aged 18 or over for a police certificate from every country where the person stayed 6 months or more in a row in the last 10 years (time in Canada and time before age 18 are excluded). Upload a colour scan of the original; certified true copies are not accepted. The certificate for the country where you currently live must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit your application; for any other country it must be issued after the last time you stayed there 6 months or more in a row. No apostille is required; if the certificate is in Korean, upload a translation with it.
How to apostille this documentMay Also Be Required
Basic Certificate (Birth Certificate)
기본증명서IRCC asks for a birth certificate when you declare dependent children. IRCC does not name the Korean document, so prepare it against the personalized document checklist you receive after the invitation. No apostille is required: upload a scan and, if the document is in Korean, a translation (stamped by a certified translator, or accompanied by the translator's affidavit).
How to apostille this documentFamily Relations Certificate
가족관계증명서IRCC's document list names document types such as a birth certificate or marriage certificate, not Korean documents. Prepare this when you declare dependent children or a spouse and a document showing the family relationship is requested, following your personalized document checklist. No apostille is required: upload a scan and, if the document is in Korean, a translation.
How to apostille this documentMarriage Certificate
혼인관계증명서IRCC asks for a marriage certificate if you declare that you are married, and divorce documents if you declare that you are divorced. No apostille is required: upload a scan and, if the document is in Korean, a translation (stamped by a certified translator, or accompanied by the translator's affidavit).
How to apostille this documentUniversity Diploma
학위증명서If you studied outside Canada, you need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-designated organization to qualify as the principal applicant under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or to earn points for that education, and the diploma is used for that assessment. The organization you choose tells you how to submit your documents. IRCC's guidance has no apostille requirement, so prepare only the format the assessment organization asks for.
How to apostille this documentAcademic Transcript
성적증명서Used for the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). IRCC says the designated organization you choose will tell you how to submit your documents. WES, one of the designated organizations, asks for transcripts to be sent directly by the school, so check the organization's instructions before you order and send anything yourself. Get an apostille only if the assessment organization asks for one.
How to apostille this documentStep-by-Step Process
- 1
Create an Express Entry profile in the IRCC online portal and receive a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score
- 2
While waiting for an Invitation to Apply (ITA), begin preparing Korean documents — for the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), choose an organization and check its current processing time and how it wants documents submitted first
- 3
Submit your diploma and transcripts as the assessment organization instructs and apply for the ECA — WES asks for transcripts to be sent directly by the school
- 4
Upon receiving an ITA, you have 60 days to submit a complete application — prepare scans and translations of police certificates, family documents and the rest against your personalized document checklist
- 5
Submit your complete application package to IRCC via the online portal within the 60-day window
- 6
IRCC reviews your application and may request additional documents (upfront medical exams are now standard)
- 7
Upon approval of Permanent Residence, obtain your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and travel to Canada
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Look into the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) as soon as you decide to pursue Express Entry — check the current processing time with the assessment organization you choose
- The assessment organization decides who sends your academic documents and in what form — WES asks for transcripts to be sent directly by the school, so check its instructions before you prepare anything yourself
- The 60-day ITA window is tight — decide which documents you will submit and who will translate them before the invitation, but there is no need to get apostilles in advance that IRCC does not ask for
- Police certificates are needed from every country where you or a family member aged 18 or over stayed 6 months or more in a row in the last 10 years — not just Korea; time spent in Canada is excluded
- A translation must be stamped by a certified translator (a member in good standing of a professional translation association in Canada or abroad) or accompanied by the translator's affidavit — your family members, your representative or your consultant may not translate
- Police certificates have an issue-date rule — the one for the country where you currently live must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit, so do not order it too early
Frequently Asked Questions
Does IRCC require apostille on Korean documents for Express Entry?
No. IRCC's Express Entry documents guidance, police certificate guidance and permanent residence application guidance do not ask for an apostille or consular legalization. What IRCC asks for is scans of the documents and a translation of anything not in English or French (stamped by a certified translator, or accompanied by the translator's affidavit). Separately from the IRCC application, if another body in Canada (a licensing or registration body, a school, an employer) asks for authentication of a Korean document, the method is the apostille, not consular legalization, because the Apostille Convention applies to Canada. In that case the Overseas Koreans Agency (OKA) issues the apostille for public documents and the Ministry of Justice issues it for notarized private documents.
Can I start my WES evaluation before receiving an ITA?
Yes — and you should. The Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report is already used at the profile stage, and it must be less than 5 years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and submit your application for permanent residence. An invitation is valid for 60 days only, so it is better to start the assessment before you receive an ITA. The assessment organization you choose tells you how to submit your documents.
My Korean degree is in a field different from my current occupation. Does WES still evaluate it?
Yes. WES evaluates the academic level and Korean institution, not whether your degree matches your occupation. The CRS points are based on your highest level of education — field of study affects which NOC codes you can claim, but WES will evaluate any Korean degree.
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