Overview
OCAS Verify is a web-based tool that helps Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials quickly and easily authenticate an international student's offer letter (Letter of Acceptance), and payment status when trying to enter the country on a Canadian study permit.
Institutions Benefitting From OCAS Verify
Benefits to Institutions
A Hands-off Solution – OCAS Verify can reduce phone calls and emails between CBSA/IRCC and college admission staff – potentially reducing that institution’s operating costs.
Reduces Fraud – OCAS Verify is an early indicator of a suspicious applicant or payment information and can prompt further investigations to catch fraudulent activity.
IRCC LOA Verification Integration – OCAS Verify facilitates the IRCC status reporting requirement by automatically mapping applicants to the pre-defined IRCC validation statuses. This process eliminates the need for manual verification, cutting the average time required to complete verification by 90% – to under two minutes.
Detailed reports – Partners have access to the full history of IRCC LOA Verification status mapping – including additional applicant parameters, such as Citizenship and Agency – to run analyses and identify trends.
Benefits to Students
Quick and Effective – OCAS Verify helps international students by minimizing any processing delays at the Canadian border.
Less Risk – OCAS Verify has the potential to reduce financial loss among unsuspecting applicants who unknowingly work with deceitful agents.
Benefits to IRCC/CBSA Officials
Easy to Use - The OCAS Verify web portal simplifies the verification process by providing the CBSA/IRCC with instant access to admission and payment status, eliminating the need to speak with college admission staff.
Available 24/7 – Online access enables IRCC and CBSA officials to verify acceptances outside of standard office hours.
Fast and Efficient – OCAS Verify’s self-serve approach yields result in seconds – rather than hours or days – and in doing so reduces the manual effort required of the IRCC and CBSA while helping them verify more students than previously possible.
Reduces Backlog - The rapid speed of OCAS Verify has the potential to reduce backlogs at the border or ports of entry during peak student processing periods.
OCAS Verify Screenshots
“St. Lawrence College was eager to embrace OCAS’s pilot project for OCAS Verify. The process that OCAS has developed within the IAS portal has reduced staff time required to respond to IRCC and CBSA inquiries to authenticate the veracity of both LOAs and tuition receipts. In each of the intakes since onboarding with OCAS Verify, SLC has received fewer than 10 (usually less than 5) queries per term. This is a significant reduction in queries each term during a peak period.”
– Marlynne Ferguson, Associate Registrar, Admissions and Enrolment Planning
"The OCAS Verify tool provides valuable real-time information to IRCC and to Canadian Border Service Agents and quickly authenticates our international applicants upon arrival to Canada. Access to this information greatly improves the service we provide to CBSA and our future students. It's a positive time-saving experience for everyone."
– Denis Gravel, Manager, Admissions and Registrar’s Office
We’d love to hear from you
OCAS Verify is currently only available to institutions using the OCAS International Application Service (IAS). If you are interested in OCAS Verify as a standalone solution, we’d love to hear from you to learn more about your requirements, processes, and needs.
