How to Send Documents to WES from India: DigiLocker vs Physical Copies

The part most applicants underestimate is not the WES application form — it is getting their Indian institution to send documents in a format WES will actually accept. A wrong submission type, a broken seal on a transcript envelope, or a mismatch between your autonomous college and its affiliating university can stall your evaluation for weeks or restart it entirely.

Here is exactly how document submission from India works, including the distinction that trips up the most people.

Two Submission Paths: Electronic and Physical

WES accepts Indian academic documents through two distinct channels, and which one applies to you depends entirely on your institution.

Path 1: Electronic Verification via DigiLocker or NAD

The National Academic Depository (NAD) and DigiLocker allow certain Indian universities to send academic records directly to WES in electronic form. This is faster, eliminates the risk of a broken seal, and is increasingly supported by major Indian universities.

To find out if your institution supports this route, log into your WES account and search for your institution by name. WES's institution database will indicate whether electronic verification is available. If it is, you initiate the request through your WES application and your institution transmits the records directly — you do not handle the documents at all.

Institutions known to support NAD/DigiLocker electronic transmission to WES include many centrally-chartered and larger state universities. Coverage is expanding but is not universal. If your institution is listed as supporting electronic verification, use it — it is faster and less likely to result in a verification failure.

Path 2: Physical Sealed Documents

If your institution does not support electronic transmission, you must submit physical sealed documents. WES has specific requirements for how these are packaged and sent.

What WES requires:

• Original or certified true copy transcripts and mark sheets
• Degree certificate (provisional or final, clearly showing conferral)
• All documents enclosed in a sealed envelope with the institution's stamp across the flap
• No student handling of the contents after sealing — the seal integrity is verified

Who sends the sealed envelope: The sealed envelope must be sent directly from the institution (registrar's office) to WES's mailing address. Some institutions will give the sealed envelope to the student for onward forwarding; WES permits this as long as the inner envelope seal is intact when WES receives it. Others require direct dispatch only. Clarify this with your registrar before submitting.

WES mailing address (India submissions):

World Education Services
Attention: [Your WES Reference Number]
2 Carlton East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M5B 1J3
Canada

Always include your WES reference number on the outer envelope. This is the tracking identifier WES assigns when you start your application — without it, documents may be delayed matching to your file.

The Autonomous College vs. Affiliating University Distinction

This is where a significant number of Indian applicants run into problems, and WES's requirements here are strict.

Many Indian colleges are autonomous — they set their own curriculum and conduct their own examinations — but they are affiliated to a larger affiliating university for the purpose of degree conferral. The degree certificate is issued by the affiliating university (e.g., Mumbai University, Pune University, Anna University, Osmania University), even though the college ran the program.

WES's rule: They may require transcripts and documents from both the autonomous college and the affiliating university — not just one of them.

Specifically:

• From the autonomous college: Semester-wise mark sheets, attendance records, internal assessment breakdowns
• From the affiliating university: The official consolidated marks statement and the degree certificate

If WES requests documents from both and you only submit the college's records, your evaluation will be placed on hold. Check your WES document checklist carefully — it will list the required source for each document type based on the institution you entered.

Step-by-Step Process for Physical Submission

1. Create your WES account and start the application. You will receive your WES reference number at this stage — note it immediately.

2. Identify your institution type. Is your college autonomous? Affiliated? A deemed university? This determines which documents WES will ask for.

3. Download and print the WES document checklist. WES generates a specific checklist based on your institution and the type of evaluation you ordered. Follow it exactly.

4. Contact your registrar or examination department. Explain that you need sealed official transcripts for WES Canada. Most registrar offices are familiar with this request. Expect processing time of 2–4 weeks at most institutions; some take longer during convocation periods.

5. Arrange for sealed dispatch. Confirm with the registrar whether they will dispatch directly to WES or hand you the sealed envelope. If the latter, do not open it.

6. Use a trackable courier. If forwarding the sealed envelope yourself, use a service with tracking (DHL, FedEx, or India Post Speed Post). Keep the tracking number.

7. Upload your academic documents to your WES portal. Some document components (degree certificate scans, for example) are uploaded through the WES portal directly by you; physical originals are the institutional submission. The WES checklist will distinguish which is which.

8. Monitor your WES account. Once WES receives your documents, they update your application status. Processing begins when all required documents have been received and verified.

Processing Time After Documents Are Received

WES processes standard evaluations in 20–35 business days after all required documents are received and verified. Rush options (7 business day turnaround for USCIS immigration cases) cost more but are available.

The 20–35 day clock starts from verified receipt — not from when you shipped the documents. If WES flags a document issue (broken seal, wrong institution source, incomplete transcripts), the clock resets. Getting the submission right the first time matters.

Common Reasons WES Puts Indian Applications on Hold

• Sealed envelope arrived with the seal broken or tampered
• Documents came from the college only, but WES required the affiliating university's statement too
• Consolidated marks statement missing (only semester mark sheets submitted)
• Degree certificate not included (applicants sometimes submit marks sheets only)
• Documents not in English and no certified translation provided
• WES reference number not on the package, delaying matching to the file

What Happens After the Evaluation

WES sends the completed evaluation report digitally (to your account) and optionally in hard copy to a designated recipient — such as a university admissions office or immigration attorney. For Canadian immigration (Express Entry, PNP), the ECA report is sent directly to IRCC through your WES account.

The Credential Evaluation (WES/NACES) Guide covers the full evaluation process including document requirements by institution type, how to handle holds, and what to do if WES's equivalency finding does not match your expectations.