A physiotherapist, who would need to pass written and clinical exams to be licensed to practice in Canada, asked whether they could apply for Express Entry using just an assessment of their bachelor's degree, or whether full licensing was required first.
What the thread clarified:- You can apply for Express Entry without being licensed — your degree can be assessed for CRS points purposes without needing to have completed the licensing exams. Points for education are separate from professional licensing to actually practice.
- WES (World Education Services) is the standard, most popular organization used to assess degrees, including for claiming education points on Express Entry, though other IRCC-recognized bodies also handle these assessments.
- Licensing is a completely separate process, handled by specific professional colleges or regulatory boards (not WES), and is only needed if you actually intend to practice as a physiotherapist in Canada — it's not a prerequisite for the Express Entry points themselves.
The practical takeaway: you don't need to be licensed to apply for Express Entry — get your bachelor's degree assessed (commonly via WES) to claim education points, and pursue actual professional licensing separately, later, only if and when you intend to practice physiotherapy in Canada.