1

Toolkit for
Recognition
of Refugees’
QualificationsFirst aid kit for staff looking for ways to evaluate
inadequately documented qualifications

Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programmeof the European UnionNOKUT and Norway
have many years of experience withrecognition procedures for refugees
after setting up a national recognition
procedure for persons without verifiable
documentation in 2013. In September
2015, NOKUT and UK NARIC proposed
the establishment of a European
Qualifications Passport for Refugees.
In 2016-2018, NOKUT has had the honourof leading an Erasmus+ project withthe aim of establishing a toolkit for therecognition of refugees’ qualifications, thevery document you are reading now.
This collaborative project brought
together the ENIC-NARIC centres of
Norway, Armenia, France, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, the United Kingdom,
Germany, Sweden and Armenia in a joint
effort to assist ENIC-NARIC centres in thedevelopment of practical approaches tocredential evaluation and recognition of thequalifications held by refugees, displaced
persons and persons in a refugeelike situation, even in cases of missing
documentation or where the qualifications
are scarcely documented.
Effective processes for the recognitionof refugees’ qualifications, also for those
without proper documentation, is an
important measure to help refugees
integrate in a new society through work or
further studies. This is a win-win situation,
as better integration also makes it possible
for society to profit from the refugees’competences and skills.

The project addressed the need for
identification of a set of common principles,
best practices and workable tools for therecognition of refugees’ qualifications.
The methods used in the project have beentested and included in formal recognition
processes in several countries, andthe toolkit also presents models for thepractical implementation of the toolkit.
The toolkit which has been compiled
and tested in the project is intended asa practical and easy-to-use inventory oftools and recommendations for credential
evaluators and other professionals involved
with evaluating the qualifications held byrefugees, to help address the challenges
they face.
On behalf of the project’s consortium,
NOKUT is proud to present the Toolkit for
Recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications.
We would like to express our gratitude to
the European Commission for making thisproject possible, and we thank our partners
for their contribution to the project.

NOKUT (the Norwegian Agency for
Quality Assurance in Education) is anindependent expert body under the
Ministry of Education and Research.
We work to enable people with aforeign education to make effective useof their qualifications in Norway, andensure that employers and educational
institutions have a good understandingof foreign qualifications.

1 TOOLKIT4The Toolkit consists of three parts:
Developed by ENIC-NARIC centres of Norway, the United Kingdom,
the Netherlands, Italy, France, Armenia, Germany and Sweden

8 PRINCIPLES

7

Guiding the process

10 TOOLS

12

Identified, developed and tested to constitutethe parts of the procedure

2 APPROACHES

16

Demonstrate two disctinct ways of combining the tools in actual
recognition procedures, depending on which type of final statement /background document is to be issued

RELEVANT WEBSITES 19

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1 TOOLKITThe Toolkit is intended for:Staff looking for ways to evaluate qualifications which are
inadequately documented – credential evaluators, admission
officers at higher education institutions, and immigration
officers or integration advisers for newly arrived refugees
and migrants.

DEFINITIONSWhen we speak of recognition of refugees’ qualifications, we usually use theterm refugee to refer to refugees, people in a refugee-like situationand displaced
persons, as defined in Article VII of the Lisbon Recognition Convention
The common feature for all these groups of people is that they often haveinadequately documented qualifications.
WHO IS A REFUGEE?

A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of
persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution forreasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particularsocial group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so. War andethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing theircountries (UNHCR).
WHO IS A DISPLACED PERSON?

Displaced persons are people who are forced to flee their homes, in order toavoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violationsof human rights or natural or human-made disasters, but never cross aninternationally recognized state border.

WHO IS A PERSON IN A REFUGEE-LIKE SITUATION?

A person in a refugee-like situation is any person who is de facto in a situation
similar to that of refugees or displaced persons regardless of their legal status(UNHCR).
THE TERM “REFUGEE”

We will use the general term “refugee” to designate refugees, internally displaced
persons, and persons in a refugee-like situation. The common feature for all thesegroups of people is that they often have inadequately documented qualifications.
INADEQUATELY DOCUMENTED QUALIFICATIONS

An inadequately documented qualification is a qualification obtained by theholder, but which cannot be proven through relevant and necessary documentary
evidence (Recommendation on Recognition of Qualifications held by Refugees,
Displaced Persons and Persons in a Refugee-like Situation)

The Toolkit consists of three parts:
8 PRINCIPLES
Based on the Recommendation on Recognition of Qualifications held byRefugees, Displaced Persons and Persons in a Refugee-like Situation and EAR
manual , the eight outlined principles provide the basis for the implementationof the adequate systems for recognition of refugees’ qualifications. This partaddresses the main most common challenges and provides practical advice on
the steps of implementation

10 TOOLS
This part describes ten practical tools, which can be useful in implementationof adequate systems for the recognition of refugees’ qualifications

2 APPROACHESThis part provides two practical examples on how to combine the elements into fullrecognition procedures to achieve the relevant outcome.

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Getting started
IDENTIFY THE TARGET POPULATION• Applicants with missing documentation• Applicants with insufficient documentation• Applicants with non-verifiable documentation
IDENTIFY THE PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT• Admission• Transfer of credits• Recognition for other purposes
CLARIFY MANDATE AND RESOURCES• What services can you provide within the scope of your institution’s mandate?
• What resources do you have at your disposal?
IDENTIFY STATUS OF THE FINAL STATEMENT• Formal/legally binding decision• Advisory statement• Diploma
IDENTIFY END-USERS• Employers• Admission officers (also at other institutions)• Applicants themselves, immigration authorities
TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE MAIN PRINCIPLES /THE GUIDELINES• If necessary, follow the suggested steps for application as shownin 8 Priniciples.
USE THE EXAMPLE APPROACHES AS INSPIRATIONFOR YOUR OWN PROCEDURES• Learn about 2 Approaches: What can be implemeted at your institution?
DESIGN THE PROCESS USING THE NECESSARY TOOLS• Taken into consideration the main principles and the status of the final
statement, design the process, using the necessary tools, described in
10 Tools.

8 PRINCIPLES
Identified to provide the basis for procedures for therecognition of refugees’ qualifications in accordancewith the Lisbon Recognition Convention (Article VII),
Recommendation on Recognition of Qualifications held
by Refugees, Displaced Persons and Persons in a
­Refugee-like Situation and the recommendationsof the EAR manual

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P1 Accessibility
OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATIONTo ensure that everyone
who enters the European
Higher Education Area
will be provided witha real opportunity forevaluation of his or her
educational backgroundand that no applicant isprevented from seeking
assessment of his or her
foreign qualifications• Costs which may be
involved (assessment
fees, translation fees etc.)• Be aware and clarify thepolicy at your institution• Lack of information
on how to access theassessment opportunities• Lack of real opportunities
for those with insufficientor lack of documentation• Lack of proficiency inthe language(s) of thehost country and/or hostinstitution• Review existing services
and search for options• Ensure your institution iscompliant with the Lisbon
Recognition Convention(Article VII), theRecommendations andEuropean Recognition
Area Manual• Apply the tools in the
toolkit to support existing
service provision

P2 Information provision
OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATIONTo ensure sufficient
information provisionon how to access theservice, information on
the process, informationon the outcome,information on the statusof the decision / outcome
and advise on the way
ahead• Information about theassessment opportunities
should be given at theearliest possible stage
after arrival in a new
country• Ensure that the
information developedby your institutions isavailable and updated• Lack of or inaccessible
information about theassessment opportunities• Lack of proficiency inthe languages of thecountry of arrival, theinformation in common
spoken language and thelanguage of the countryof origin is always anadvantage• Lack of information on
the status of the final
assessment statement
and the way ahead• Examine the mostsuccessful ways to reachthe potential applicants
and assisting authorities• Ensure that your institution
is available for inquires
before, under and after
the assessment process• Ensure that the final
statement of theevaluation you provide
is known by the mainstakeholders and that the
information you provide
is understood by the end
users

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P3 Equal treatment
OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATIONTo ensure equal treatmentof everyone who comes
within the scope of thesystem• To dismantle
geographical, language,financial, social barriers• Identify the obstacles
and provide appropriate
solutions within theframework of your­institution• Ensure that also
applicants with insufficientor lack of documentation
will be given the realopportunity to get thequalifications assessed• Stipulate rules and­procedures at your­institution, with thereference to the Lisbon
Recognition Convention(Article VII), theRecommendations andEuropean Recognition
Area Manual

P4 Competent treatment
OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATION

Refugees, displaced
persons or persons in
a refugee-like situation,even in cases withinsufficient or lack of
documentation shouldhave a right to have their
qualifications assessed by
a competent recognition
authority• To develop applicants’ andstakeholders awarenessabout the importanceof the evaluation andrecognition of thepreviously achieved
qualifications, even if they
are scarcely documented• Build stakeholders’awareness of the­importance of theprofessional treatment /credential evaluation• To build awareness about
the role of the professional
credential evaluator andstatus of the assessment
in society at large• To ensure that eachapplication is dealt with by
an appropriately trained
and informed credential
evaluator• Ensure that your institution
provides opportunity fortreatment by professionalcase officers / credential
evaluators also forapplicants with insufficientor missing documentation• Employ case officers with
the necessary language
proficiency• Ensure that case
officers get training
in methodology forevaluation of insufficiently
documented qualifications
and cases with lack of
documentation

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P5 Effectiveness
OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATION

Applications should beprocessed as promptly
as possible

The complexity of the caseand lack of informationand difficulty in obtaining
information within a sensibleor realistic timeframe.

• Ensure that the process isclear and well-defined

OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATION

Transparent and clear
procedures for the evaluation of inadequately
documented qualifications• Capacity to apply acoherent sustainable
scheme• Establish a clear process
at your institution:• Ensure that the case
officers are trained inmethods for evaluation of
inadequately documented
qualifications

P6 Transparency• Identification of trusted
sources of up to date
information• Identify the principles andcriteria for the procedure• Identify the main steps
and the guidelines forapplication of the tools in
the procedure• Identify the status of the
final decision and informthe applicant about thestatus of the document

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P7 Relevance
OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATIONTo ensure that the final
statement / result of theassessment process
is accepted both in thelabor market, in relation
to further studies andother types of recognition/ authorization throughout
the European Education
Area and that themethodology used in theassessment is suitable
for the population of
newly arrived refugees,
including those without
sufficient proficiency inEnglish or local language.

• To ensure that theresult of assessment ispresented in a manner
which is understood,
accepted and made useof by the applicant andsociety• Ensure the output isunderstood by therelevant stakeholders• To ensure that there put inplace special evaluation
methods to support
refugees’ access toqualified assessment• Ensure the individual
understands and knows
how to use the output• If possible track
individuals / gather
feedback fromstakeholders to be able
to measure the impactof the output and makeadjustments as necessary.

P8 Portability
OBJECTIVE

MAIN CHALLENGESSTEPS OF APPLICATION

It is crucial to secure thatthe final statement is astandardized document
accepted by the end
users in all States party
to the Lisbon Recognition
Convention, so thatpublic authorities are
not required to repeat
the assessment alreadyundertaken by competentauthorities of other States
Party.

To ensure that the result of
evaluation is presented in astatement which is easy tounderstand and make useof across educational levels,
institutions and nationalboarders• Examine the existing
options and their impact
on the career and study
opportunities of theapplicants

The document should be
issued in a widely spoken
language (in addition to a
local language)• Identify the opportunities
you can offer at yourinstitution• Include relevant
information into the final
statement• Issue the final statementin the common spoken
language12

10 TOOLS
These tools were put together in three steps:
1. IDENTIFICATION AND COLLECTION OF THE BEST TOOLS THATWERE ALREADY DEVELOPED BY THE ENIC-NARIC CENTRES
2.	IDENTIFICATION OF THE NEEDS THAT ARE NOT SATISFIEDBY THE EXISTING TOOLS.
3.	DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOOLS WITH THE EXPERTISE
OF THE PARTNER CENTRES.

T1 Collection of databases with the information
on educational systems and status of theeducational institutions
NUFFIC-foreign education systems
UK NARIC (login required)
NOKUT - foreign education systems
Anabin - foreign education systems and education institutions
UHR NARIC portal (in Swedish, login required)
IAU - World Higher Education Database
ENIC-NARIC - country profiles and other tools

T2 Refugee country briefings
The country briefings provide the orientation on the education systems in the
countries where significant number of refugees are coming from – Afghanistan,
Eritrea, Iraq, Libya and Syria. The briefings present a systematized overview ofthe higher education systems and links to the available information sources thatare useful for the evaluation of qualifications of refugees, even in cases where
candidates present insufficient or lack of documentation.

• Afghanistan• Eritrea• Iraq• Libya• Syria
T3 Collection of databases with the lists of thegraduates from the educational institutions
Afghanistan
Ministry of Education, possible verification of certificates issued in dari
Iraq
List of graduates, Foundation of Technical Education.
University of Baghdad
Al-Mansour University College
Libya
University of Benghazi
Syria
Arab International University
Syrian Virtual University
Al-Baath University
Syrian Private University
Hama University
Aljazeera University
University of Damascus (only degrees with a security code).

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T4 Verifications• Verification is the process aiming to confirm that the qualification is correctly
issued.

• The fact that the qualification is correctly issued can be confirmed by theissuing authority.

• In cases where verification is not possible due to destroyed archives, lack ofrecords or insecure information sources, the documentation is classified as
non-verifiable.

• In cases with non-verifiable documentation, interview-based tools can beapplied in order to substitute the fact that the qualification is correctly issued tothe applicant.

T5 Questionnaire / self-evaluation template• This tool allows credential evaluators to gather relevant information about

applicant’s qualifications, language proficiency and work experience provided
by an applicant him/herself in a systematized way.

• The information provided in the questionnaire might be especially useful incases with insufficient or lack of documentation.

• The template can be found in Annex 1.
T6 Check list for the credential evaluators• Check list for the credential evaluators provides structured overview over themain points one has to address while doing the assessment of the qualification.

• The template can be found in Annex 2.
T7 Level placement template• Level placement template provides the structured overview over the main
characteristics of the qualification being assessed.

• The template can be found in Annex 3.

T8 Interview / interview template• The template for the semi-structured interview contains the questions to be
asked during the face-to-face interview.

• The template can be found in Annex 4.
T9 Report template• The report template provides the structure and content of the final statement.

This can and will be based on the information provided through questionnaire /interview / any supporting documentation / references.

• The template can be found in annex 5.
T10 Example 1: Template for the final statement –Qualifications Passport for Refugees
1. Assessed qualifications
Highest achieved qualification
Other qualifications

2. Relevant information provided by the applicant
Job experience
Membership in professional organisations
Language proficiency
Courses, MOOCS

3. Advice on the road ahead
The template can be found in Annex 6

T10 Example 2: Template for the final statement –Background Report• ION, implemented by NUFFIC in the Netherlands“Ms xxx has declared that she has obtained the above-mentioned qualification.
She was unable to provide any documents to support this (or: she was unable
to provide document xxx). The qualification can be compared to the level of …
in the Dutch education system“• The template can be found in Annex 7

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2 APPROACHESThe Qualifications Passport for Refugees andBackground Report present just two different ways ofapplying the tools. Consideration of the status of yourinstitution, the status of any statements made and theresources and processes in place, will determine the mostsuitable application for your organization.

Qualifications Passport for Refugees step by step
STAGES
I. Preliminary mapping

TOOLS

DOCUMENTATION

T5 Questionnaire /• Candidate’s own
Self-evaluation• Eligibility• Requirements• What information is available?
• How can your institution assist the candidate?
II a. Evaluation of available documentation

T1 Databases with


the information
on educational
systems and statusof the educational
institutions•• What kind of documentation is usually expected
Which documentation is available?
for this type qualification?

•

Status of the documentation

II b. Identifying of missing
documentation/information• What is lacking and why?
• Is documentation verifiable?
• How to compensate the lacking part?
III. Level placement•

T2 Refugee country
briefings

description ofqualification(s)• Information on educational
systems, institutions,
qualifications• Information about thesituation in the country
in the period whenthe qualification is
obtained• Is verification possible?

T3 Databases with thelists of the graduatesfrom the educational
institutions

T7 Level placement
template ade by the credential evaluator and providesM
the structured overview over the main
characteristics of the qualification being assessed• Structured overview of
the qualification being
assessed

IV. Completing the file• The evidence collected through mapping,T6 Check list for thecredential evaluators

documentation evaluation and, finally, level
placement, provide the ground for planning thestructured interview, prepared by the credential
evaluator

V. Strucutred interview with the credential
evaluator• The purpose of the structured interview is

to substantiate the connection between
the applicant’s identity, available identity
documentation and educational documents, andthus form as complete an image as possible of
the applicant’s educational background, work
experience and language proficiency, as well as
to confirm information obtained through the initial
documentation evaluation

VI. Issuing of the Qualifications
Passport for Refugees• Evidence collected in the previous steps form thebasis for issuing the Qualifications Passport for
Refugees

T8 Interview template• As complete as possible
case file• Questions to be asked

during the face-to-faceinterview;

T9 Report template• Overview over the

information to be includedin the overheadsof the final statement

T10 Template for the final
statement• Assessed qualifications• Relevant information

provided by the applicant• Advice on the road ahead

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Background Report /example from the Netherlands (ION)
MIGRANTS MAY APPLY FOR:

• Credential evaluation• Opleidingswaardering – for unfinished learning trajectories• Education Level Indicator (ION) – no documents available
MIGRANTS COMPLETE A WRITTEN APPLICATION:• Education and professional background• Download form online• Include information on:–– Schools / universities–– Qualifications Obtained–– Work Experience–– Supporting documentation

Background Report /example from the Netherlands (ION)
The outcome of the evaluation is the Background Report(ION – Indicatie Onderwijsniveau)
ION contains information about the qualification the applicant claims to have andits comparison with the level of education in the Dutch system
More information about the project, its outcomes and report can be found at
the website of the project coordinator

RELEVANT WEBSITESDefinitions
Lisbon Recognition Convention: www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/165
UNHCR: www.unhcr.org
Recommendation on Recognition of Qualifications held by Refugees, Displaced Persons
and Persons in a Refugee-like situation: www.coe.int/en/web/education/-/new-recommendation-on-recognition-ofqualifications-held-by-refugees
European Area of Recognition Manual: www.eurorecognition.eu/manualCollection of databases with the information on educational
systems and status of the educational institutions
NUFFIC: www.nuffic.nl/en/subjects/education-systems/
UK NARIC: www.naric.org.uk/naric/
NOKUT: www.nokut.no/en/surveys-and-databases/nokuts-country-database/nokuts-country-database/Anabin: https://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/institutionen.html
UHR NARIC Portal: www.uhr.se/en/naricportal/publika-sidor/login/
IAU – World Higher Education Database: www.iau-aiu.net/World-Higher-Education-Database-WHED
ENIC-NARIC country profiles and other tools: www.enic-naric.net/educational-systems-country-profiles-and-other-tools.aspx

Refugee Country Briefings
www.nokut.no/en/about-nokut/international-cooperation/erasmus-projects/refugees-and-recognition

Collection of databases with the lists of the graduatesfrom the educational institutions
AFGHANISTAN
Ministry of Higher Education: www.mohe.gov.af/en
IRAQ
Foundation of Technical Education: http://www.fte.edu.iq/index.php?name=Pages&op=page&pid=274
University of Baghdad: http://www.graduation.uobaghdad.edu.iq
Al Mansour University College: www.muc.edu.iq
LIBYA
University of Benghazi: http://uob.edu.ly/pages/page/53
SYRIA
Verification of exam results acheived in secondary education: http://moed.gov.sy/site/
Arab International University: www.aiu.edu.sy
Syrian Virtual University: https://svuis.svuonline.org/SVUIS/grad_chk.php
Al-Baath University: http://albaath-univ.edu.sy/h.php?f=modules/albaathuniv/Mhoshrat_Statistics/2013-2014/index.htm
Syrian Private University: http://www.spu.edu.sy/alumni/index.php?page=all&ex=2&dir=graduated_students&lang=2&act=301
Hama University: http://213.178.227.226/mosdakat/
Aljazeera University: http://www.jude.edu.sy/index.php
University of Damascus: http://damasuniv.edu.sy/?lang=1&set=3&id=695

19ANNEX 1: Questionnaire

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ANNEX 2: Check list

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ANNEX 3: Level placement template30

ANNEX 4: Structured interview template

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3

4

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5

ANNEX 5: Report template

ANNEX 6: Template for final statement – Qualifications Passport for Refugees

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ANNEX 7: Template for final statement – Background Report35´Grafisk design: KORD • Produksjon: 07 Media

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