Why Your Credential Evaluation Might Be Placed on Hold

After your documents arrive at WES, our team checks to ensure that they have been sent from the official source and include all required information. If the documents are not in the correct format or are missing information, you will receive an email and a message in your WES account with a status update outlining the issue and the steps needed to resolve it. 

In this article, we’ll discuss reasons your credential evaluation might be placed on hold—and what you can do to resolve these issues.  

WES received your document; however, it is not legible.

This means the evaluators could not read important details, such as course titles, grades, your name, or your date of birth. It’s crucial that all information in the documents is legible so we can produce an accurate evaluation report.  

To address this, you must have your documents resubmitted by the issuing institution and ensure they are in the format specified in the “Required Documents” section in your WES account. 

The document received contains only a partial record of the work completed in your academic program. 

To proceed with the evaluation, WES requires a complete record of all courses and grades for each year of your academic program. Send this document to WES according to the requirements for your country of education. Log in to your WES account and refer to your Required Documents list for specific instructions.  

WES received your document in an envelope that was NOT stamped or signed across the back flap by the appropriate official.

If your institution does not have an established digital partnership with WES, the institution will need to send your document in a sealed envelope that is stamped or signed by the appropriate official. This helps us determine that your document was issued directly by your institution and is authentic. Please refer to the Required Documents identified in your WES account to confirm the appropriate official for your country of education. To learn more about sending documents in a sealed envelope, refer to our blog article. 

The document sent to WES was in an open envelope.  

If your institution sends your documents to WES by postal mail, they must arrive in a sealed envelope that is stamped or signed across the back flap by the appropriate official. WES cannot accept the document if the envelope is open upon arrival. The only exception to this rule is if a customs officer has opened your envelope for a security check. In such cases, a note confirming this was done will be provided. However, if the envelope arrives open without a reasonable explanation, you will need to ask your institution to reissue the document.  

WES will notify you if this happens, and it is your responsibility to request your institution to reissue the document. 

WES received your translations, but they are not precise word-for-word translations. 

If you are required to submit a translation of your documents, they must be exact word-for-word versions of the originals. If the originals and translation do not match, we cannot proceed, and you will be required to provide corrected translations.  We accept any word-for-word translation from your academic institution or a certified translator.  

You may need to request new versions of academic documents to ensure that the translator can provide an accurate, literal translation. To learn more about translation requirements, read our blog.  

WES received your translations, but they are missing information.  

We need a complete word-for-word translation of your documents to proceed with your evaluation. If any pages are missing, you must resubmit the complete translation that matches the original language document for us to proceed with your evaluation report.  

Your document requires additional research and verification from its issuing institution.  

If you receive a message regarding document verification, this indicates we’re in the verification phase and will contact the issuing institution to ensure the document’s authenticity. There is nothing you need to do at this stage, and we will update your account once the verification is complete. Learn more about why document verification is essential to the credential evaluation process in our blog post. 

Key Takeaways

Submitting documents is a mandatory step in the credential evaluation process. It is important that you monitor your email and WES account for updates about your documents. If you receive a message from our team about any of the issues discussed in this article, please follow the instructions and act as soon as you can.  

All documents, information, verification, and payment must be received and accepted before we can issue an estimated completion date for your report. Your file will be held until everything is submitted. 180 days after the payment date, the file will become inactive, and a reactivation fee will be charged to reopen it. See our Terms and Conditions for more details.  

If you need further assistance, please contact our Customer Support team via the Help widget in your WES account. You can also visit our FAQ page and the Help Center to find answers to common questions. 

Related Readings 

Translation Requirements for a WES Credential Evaluation 

How to Send Your Documents to WES in a Sealed Envelope 

What You Need to Know: Answers to Questions About WES Credential Evaluation Reports