About the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC)



Established in 1990, the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC):
  • provides information and referral services to individuals and organizations on the recognition of academic and occupational credentials for working and studying in Canada and abroad;
  • provides information on Canada's education systems and quality assurance to assist in the recognition of Canadian qualifications, in collaboration with provincial and territorial ministries of education;
  • contributes to policy dialogue and analysis on academic credential assessment issue management in Canada, including building awareness of the impact of developments in related areas such as immigration and labour market policies, and of the need to facilitate mobility by reducing barriers to students and workers moving to, across, or outside Canada;
  • develops tools and resources to support the community of academic credential assessors to improve consistency of and capacity for academic credential assessment in Canada.

CICIC is Canada's National Information Centre and fulfills Canada's obligations under UNESCO conventions to facilitate the mobility of talent. As such, it is Canada's representative in the ENIC-NARIC Networks, and held the presidency or vice-presidency of the ENIC network from 2004 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2014.

CICIC is an integral part of a growing pan-Canadian and international network of people and organizations concerned with the assessment and recognition of academic and professional qualifications.

Our role within the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)

CICIC is a unit of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC). Founded in 1967, CMEC is the collective voice of Canada's ministers of education. It provides leadership in education at the pan-Canadian and international levels and contributes to the exercise of the exclusive jurisdiction of provinces and territories over education.

CICIC was established in 1990, after Canada ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Studies, Diplomas and Degrees concerning Higher Education in the States belonging to the Europe Region, to assist Canada in carrying out its obligations under the terms of this convention.

At the request of provincial and territorial governments, Canada became a signatory to the Lisbon Recognition Convention on November 4, 1997, which is an updated version of the 1990 convention.

The convention promotes international mobility by advocating wider recognition of higher-education and professional qualifications.

For detailed information, consult CMEC's Web site and our section on the Lisbon Recognition Convention.