What diploma do you need to immigrate to Canada? From the bac to no diploma

There is no single diploma to hold: it depends on the Express Entry route. The Federal Skilled Worker Program requires a completed credential, from high school to doctorate, with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for anything earned outside Canada. The Federal Skilled Trades Program and the Canadian Experience Class require no diploma, but each asks for something else: a skilled trade plus a job offer or certificate for one, a year of work in Canada for the other. Rules read on IRCC pages on November 1, 2026.

What diploma does the Federal Skilled Worker Program require?

A Canadian secondary or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree, or a foreign credential with an ECA done for immigration purposes. The report must show that your completed credential equals a completed Canadian one. You then need 67 points out of 100. Education is worth up to 25: 25 for a doctorate, 23 for a master's or a professional degree such as medicine or law, 22 for two credentials with at least one of three years or more. A bachelor's degree or any program of three years or more earns 21, a two-year credential 19, a one-year credential 15, high school 5. The other five factors are covered here: Working out your 67 points and CRS score: how to use our free calculator

Work out your 67 points here: Calculate your chances

Can you immigrate to Canada with the baccalauréat?

The Cameroonian baccalauréat marks the end of secondary school. If the report rates it as a Canadian high school diploma, it earns 5 of the 25 education points. Leaving aside arranged employment and adaptability, the caps are 28 points for language, 15 for experience and 12 for age: 60 in total with a bac. The missing 7 points can only come from arranged employment in Canada or adaptability, each worth 10 points at most. In this program the bac alone is therefore not enough. IRCC has announced changes to job offers for November 3, 2026: check the current grid.

In the CRS, a high school diploma is worth 30 points for a single person and 28 with a spouse, against 120 and 112 for a credential of three years or more. Work out your CRS score here: Calculate your chances

Is a BTS enough to start the process?

It depends on the report. The program requires a completed credential equal to a Canadian high school diploma or better, and IRCC does not decide what a BTS or a DUT is worth: only the assessing organization's report, based on your documents, says whether it reaches that level. If the report rates your BTS or DUT as a two-year credential, IRCC gives 19 of the 25 points, and 98 CRS points for a single person, 91 with a spouse. Rated as a one-year credential, it earns 15, and 90 in the CRS (84 with a spouse). How to choose the organization is explained here: Credential assessment: choosing your agency with the site’s free tool

Do you need to assess both diplomas (BTS + licence)?

Not to get in: IRCC says that in most cases you only need an assessment for your highest level of education. For two credentials to count, each one needs a valid ECA, and at least one must be for a program of three years or more. The order in which you earned them makes no difference. In your profile, each credential gets its own row.

On IRCC's grids, the second assessment moves education from 21 to 22 points out of 100 with a licence alone: one point. In the CRS, for a single person, it gives 128 education points instead of 120. Skill transferability, which combines education and language, goes from 13 to 25 points with CLB 7 or higher in all four abilities without reaching 9 across the board, and from 25 to 50 with CLB 9 across the board. At best that is 1 point out of 100 and 33 CRS points. Weigh that against the price and delay of a second assessment, detailed here: WES Educational Credential Assessment from Cameroon: Costs in CFA Francs, Timelines and Pitfalls

How do you immigrate to Canada without a diploma?

Without a completed credential, not even high school, the Federal Skilled Worker Program is closed, and the CRS gives 0 points for less than secondary school. Two routes remain where IRCC requires no diploma.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program asks for at least two years of full-time paid work, or 3,120 hours, in a skilled trade within the last five years, in a country where you were qualified to practise it. You also need either a valid full-time job offer of at least one year or a certificate of qualification issued by a Canadian authority. On language, CLB 5 in speaking and listening, CLB 4 in reading and writing. IRCC adds that most trades require an apprenticeship.

The Canadian Experience Class asks for at least one year of work, or 1,560 hours, in Canada within the last three years, paid and done while authorized to work, in a job in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3. On language, CLB 7 for TEER 0 and 1, CLB 5 for TEER 2 and 3. Accepted tests are TCF Canada or TEF Canada for French; IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General or PTE Core for English.

The hard part is not the diploma but the first Canadian job and the work permit. Finding an employer from Cameroon is covered here: Job Bank and employer-specific work permits: looking for a job in Canada from Cameroon

For both routes, the ECA only matters if you want your foreign education to count in the CRS. Provinces also run their own programs with their own requirements: IRCC sends you to each province's website.

What is the credential assessment for, and how long does it last?

IRCC does not read the name of your diploma, it reads the report of a designated organization. Without an ECA, a credential earned outside Canada earns no education points, and you are not eligible as a principal applicant to the Federal Skilled Worker Program. The report must be less than five years old when you complete your profile and when you submit your application. If it has expired, the application is refused.

Who to ask for an assessment, with timelines and prices: Credential assessment

The exact list of documents to gather: Document checklist

Only the report says what your diploma is worth. To see which route fits your profile, start with the free assessment: Get my profile assessed

Then book an appointment with an advisor: Book an appointment