Evaluation of Foreign Qualifications with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA Certificate of Evaluation)
What is a SAQA Certificate of Evaluation?
A SAQA Certificate of Evaluation or “SCoE” or otherwise known as “SAQA Certificate” , is a comparative certification of what your internationally obtained qualifications might translate to in South African standards, and places your qualification on the South African National Qualifications Framework
Why do I need a SAQA Certificate of Evaluation?
Qualification holders with international qualifications require a SAQA Certificate of Evaluation to utilise their qualifications within the borders of South Africa. HR Managers would likely require you to have your qualifications “recognised” with SAQA as part of your onboarding process.
Universities and colleges will not immediately be versed with your qualifications and require that they be evaluated by SAQA.
Visa applications for emigration to South Africa, for the following visa categories are a statutory requirement with the South African Department of Home Affairs:
- General Work Visa
- Critical Skills Work Visa
- Corporate Visa
If there is a statutory requirement to be certified or registered with a professional body as a legal requirement for your designation, as is the case with Doctors and Engineers, you will need a certificate of evaluation. Or a verification letter for your local qualifications.
For example, The Health Professions Council of South Africa requires that Doctors’ qualifications are recognised and the Engineering Council of South Africa requires that Engineers’ Qualifications are recognised.
Additionally, applying for a SAQA Certificate ensures that your qualifications will be authenticated and is proof that they are legitimate.
When Should I apply for my SAQA Certificate of Evaluation?
As soon as possible! Evaluations with SAQA, can take anywhere between two to six months. So, depending on your specific requirements, you should take long waiting times into consideration.
However, we are able to assist you in your application for evaluation in a period roughly 6-7 weeks. We achieve this with our knowledge of qualifications and South African mandatory requirements, SAQA policies and procedures and maintaining positive relations with our colleagues at SAQA to guide your application through the various phases of the evaluation process.
How do I apply for my SAQA certificate (SCoE)?
You can apply for the certificate on the SAQA website. There are various requirements depending on where your qualifications come from, whether your qualifications are secondary or tertiary qualifications, the level of your tertiary qualifications, whether you are submitting more than one qualification and also the region your issuing body resides in.
The majority of applications declined are due to incorrect material being submitted at the initial portion of the evaluation, sometimes adding months to the evaluation time as SAQA will only begin once all prerequisites are in line with their policies and procedures. We will smooth this process for you to ensure that your evaluation is carried out in the shortest possible time according to your needs.
Where do I get my Certificate when the evaluation is completed?
SAQA makes available your Certificate on their website and provides a verification QR code so that it can be digitally Authenticated.
As we monitor and manage your evaluation daily, we will send your certificate directly to you via email to ensure that there is no delay in communication ensuring that you can utilise your certificate in the shortest possible time.
For more information, feel free to contact us. Please fill in the form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Please note that Erudite does not facilitate admissions or employment
