What you need to know about turnaround time.
CGFNS Application Processing Times
Impacting factors and considerations when applying to CGFNS programs.
Applicants to our credentials verification and evaluation programs often want to know how long it will take us to process their applications and issue a certificate or report.
A breakdown of our average turnaround time is offered below:
| Waiting for required documents | 14 Weeks (average) |
| Processing and evaluation | 2 weeks (average) |
| Total | 16 weeks |
The times provided above are averages and may be impacted by one or more of the following:
- Delayed documentation request. It is important to note that we do not begin our evaluation process until all primary source documentation has been submitted by the necessary issuing authorities. CGFNS cannot control how long it takes for an applicant to contact their academic institutions, credentialing organizations, and employers to request transcripts and authenticating documentation. For this reason, we encourage applicants to be proactive and avoid delays in requesting documents from their institutions.
- Delayed documentation delivery. Likewise, CGFNS has no control over the time it takes for the institutions noted above to process, mail and/or digitally upload all requested primary source documents. Waiting for required documents accounts for the greatest delays in our processing time. It takes 14 weeks, on average, for us to receive all necessary documents, but delays from educational or regulatory institutions may extend these times considerably. For this reason, we encourage these organizations to sign up for and use our Credential Transfer Portal. Digital verification/upload is not only more secure, but it can greatly accelerate our processing time.
- Variability by country. The processing times for documentation requests can be longer in certain countries, which CGFNS cannot influence or control.
- Rejected documentation. If any primary source documents are rejected for evaluation, the processing times will be extended.
Once all documentation is received, we can begin our rigorous evaluation and move purposefully toward certificate or report issuance. We encourage applicants to be both proactive and patient when navigating the process.
More information
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