The governments of both the US and Canada have taken numerous steps to contain the COVID-19 virus. These include declaring temporarily shuttering immigration offices, stricter travel restrictions, and closing the US-Canada border to non-essential traffic. Mail services and deliveries have been affected. WES has temporarily suspended most in-office operations in the U.S. and Canada and transitioned to remote working. A small, dedicated team ensures that physical documents are handled secure.
Some of the most frequently asked questions have been answered about WES credential evaluation process
1. Are WES offices open?
WES has remained open for business throughout the pandemic. While physical office locations were temporarily closed in compliance with local safety regulations, our staff was able to work remotely to process thousands of documents (with support from a small, essential team in the mail room). Currently, the standard operations have almost fully recovered.
2. My school is on lockdown due to the pandemic. All efforts to have my transcripts sent to WES have been unsuccessful. What should I do?
If you’ve already completed and submitted your application, reach out to your school to see what options you have. The school may be able to submit documents electronically to WES on your behalf. WES will begin the evaluation process upon receipt of required documents.
3. I cannot obtain my transcripts from my university because of lockdown. What will become of the payment I have already made? How long is my payment valid?
WES does not delete applicant files due to inactivity. Therefore, your WES application will not be eliminated from our system. Your required documents can be sent whenever it is feasible. In the meantime, WES will keep your payment and application on file until they receive all of your required documents.
4. How do I know if my school can submit electronic documents to WES?
First check the Required Documents page to see the requirements for your country and institution. If specific guidelines are not outlined on this page, your school may still be able to send us your documents electronically. WES is frequently adding institutions and their respective digital transmission options to the Required Documents page on a continual basis.
5. WES sent my university a verification request while it was closed due to the pandemic. Now my university has reopened, but they need a new verification request from WES. What should I do?
You don’t need to do anything. WES automatically sends verification requests every seven weeks, via email, until we receive a response from the institution.
6. I’m calling customer service and cannot get through, what should I do?
If call volume is high, WES encourages you to reach out using Contact Us form.
7. My documents have arrived at WES, but have not been processed. What’s the status?
Check the delivery date provided by your courier or mail service to determine when you should expect your next status update in My Account. Documents received in WES Canada office by July 20, 2020, will be processed by July 31, 2020. Documents received in WES U.S. office are now being processed within 2-3 business days.