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While You Are Still Abroad (Before You Immigrate to Ontario)

If you have any post-secondary course credits, or if you have accountant qualifications from other jurisdictions (such as a CPA from the U.S., or a CA from India, or CIMA from the U.K. etc.) you can begin the process of requesting transfer credits for the knowledge you have already attained. To this end, you must complete and forward an Application for Transfer Credits, resume and have your institution forward an official sealed transcripts of marks to the CGA Ontario office. You may also be requested to provide a course descriptions or program syllabus. These evaluations will be valid for two years.

On December 18, 2006, a global mutual recognition agreement (MRA) was signed between the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada). For further information, visit the ACCA website www.accaglobal.com.

In addition, if you have attained intermediate and/or senior-level on-the job financial management or accounting experience, gather together third-party confirmation, written by your employer, on company letterhead, confirming:

  • your experience
  • your position title(s) while employed at that organization
  • the start and end dates of your employment
  • your major responsibilities/accomplishments in that position, described under the following categories (it is not necessary that your experience cover all these areas):
    • Accounting
    • Financial Management
    • Information Systems Management
    • Taxation
    • Non-financial management (such as human resources, corporation restructuring, feasibility studies)
    • Auditing

Once you move to Ontario and become a student in the CGA program, you will need the letters from your employers attached to completed EPAS forms. Please do not send these forms in advance of becoming a student in the CGA program, as they will not be kept. You will only need this documentation once you become a student in the CGA program. At that point, CGA Ontario may be able to count up to one of your years of practical experience in your home country toward your practical experience requirement. If any letters are missing or forms incomplete, your form will not be evaluated once you arrive in Ontario. You will still have to gain a minimum of another year's Canadian experience in an acceptable accounting, auditing, taxation, financial management or systems position once you arrive in Ontario.

When You Arrive in Ontario

Language Proficiency Requirement

You will need appropriate English writing skills at the Grade 12 English level. You will be expected to use appropriate vocabulary and correct grammar, spelling and punctuation in all written work. If you are not proficient in English writing skills, you should consider taking upgrade courses available at local secondary or post-secondary educational institutions prior to applying for admission to the CGA program of professional studies.

It is also advisable that you possess mathematical aptitude at least equivalent to the high school grade 12 level.

Step 1 – Assess Your Academic Qualifications

You can enter the CGA program of professional studies at a level that is consistent with your educational background or if you are a mature student who has completed high school and are over the age of 21 with two years of work experience. Your educational background can include business or accounting credits, in the form of certificates, diplomas, or degrees, from other countries.

If you have been educated outside Canada , CGA Ontario will perform an assessment of your courses to determine your transfer credits towards the CGA program of professional studies. CGA Ontario may also evaluate international degrees, to determine whether they meet the degree standard. In some cases, CGA Ontario must require that you have your degrees assessed by an outside agency. If your education does not meet the CGA degree requirement, you will be required to obtain a Bachelor’s degree prior to certification.

If you have not been a post-secondary student for a long time, you should consider taking a course or seminar in effective study skills at a post-secondary educational institution to prepare you for the CGA program of professional studies.

a) CGA Program of Professional Studies Requirements

The following 19 courses and the accompanying national examinations (or their equivalent) are compulsory for CGA certification:

  • Foundation Studies
    • Level 1 (three courses): Financial Accounting Fundamentals (FA1); Micro & Macro Economics (EM1); Business Law (LW1)
    • Level 2 (four courses): Financial Accounting: Assets (FA2); Business Quantitative Analysis (QU1); Management Accounting Fundamentals (MA1); Business Communications (CM1)
    • Level 3 (three courses plus a business case): Financial Accounting: Liabilities and Equities (FA3); Corporate Finance Fundamentals (FN1); Managing Information Systems (MS1); plus Accounting Business Case (BC1)
  • Advanced Studies
    • Level 4 (five courses plus a business case): Advanced Management Accounting (MA2); Personal & Corporate Taxation (TX1); Accounting Theory & Contemporary Issues (AT1); External Auditing (AU1); Financial Accounting: Consolidations & Advanced Issues (FA4); plus Public Practice Audit Case (BC2)
  • Professional Applications and Competence Examinations (PACE Level). These courses, each of which requires passing four 4-hour certification examinations, represent your final phase of academic preparation prior to certification as a CGA.
    • Compulsory (two courses): PA1: Issues in Professional Practice; PA2: Strategic Financial Management
    • Plus two courses in one of the following financial management career options:
      • Option 1: Corporate & Small-Medium Enterprise: Advanced Corporate Finance (FN2) plus Information Systems Strategy (MS2) or Internal Auditing Controls (MU1)
      • Option 2: Information Technology: Information Systems Strategy (MS2); Internal Auditing Controls (MU1)
      • Option 3: Government and Not-For-Profit: Public Sector Financial Management (PF1); Information Systems Strategy (MS2) or Internal Auditing Controls (MU1)
      • Option 4: Public Practice: Advanced Personal & Corporate Taxation (TX2); Advanced External Auditing (AU2)

The program syllabus, which provides detailed information about course content, is available online.

If your previous education satisfies program course requirements for courses from Level 1 through Level 4, you may:

  • Receive transfer credits that allow you to enter the program at a more advanced level. You will need to provide proof that you have successfully completed the substantial equivalent of a course or courses at an approved post-secondary institution, and that the course content and standards is equivalent and acceptable by CGA Ontario. To this end, you must complete and forward an Application for Transfer Credits, plus official transcripts of marks and a resume, to the CGA Ontario office. Work experience is not accepted as a basis for granting transfer credits, but may be considered in assessing CGA Ontario’s practical experience requirement. The Association may deny transfer credits for courses that are deemed to be out of date. The Association will review the date when you took the course to confirm that the content is still relevant to current practice standards. In addition, the Association reserves the right to prescribe a special program of studies for students who have been granted transfer credits. Where doubt exists about course content or educational standards completed, you may have to take the challenge examination. Your eligibility for transfer credits is only valid for two years from the initial evaluation date. If you postpone your enrolment beyond that two years, your transfer credits must be re-evaluated. The Association may deny transfer credits for courses that are deemed to be out of date.
  • Need to write a Challenge Examination if CGA Ontario grants you this privilege in one of your courses. In other words, if you have passed an advanced course which CGA Ontario has assessed as equivalent to one of its advanced courses, you have to pass the CGA Challenge Exam in that course to get a credit for the course. You can write it within one year of enrolling in the CGA program of professional studies. If you are unsuccessful, you will have to enroll in and pass the course.

To appeal CGA Ontario's decisions with respect to transfer credits, you will need to send a word-processed, signed, and dated letter, by regular fax or mail, to the attention of the Registration Management Appeals Panel. This letter should:

  • state which additional transfer credit(s) you are appealing
  • clearly and concisely provide all pertinent detail
  • be accompanied by supporting documents (course descriptions, syllabus, etc.)

The Registration Management Appeals Panel reviews appeals on a monthly basis and will forward its decision letter by regular mail to you within six to eight weeks of your submission.

You are allowed a maximum of two appeals relating to the same course, but you have to provide additional information or documentation for the second appeal.

The CGA program of professional studies is designed to let you study part-time while working full-time. There are four sessions annually (fall, winter, spring and summer), and you can take only one course per session.

b) Post-Secondary Requirement

You are required to obtain a Bachelor’s degree. The degree may be from any approved post-secondary degree-granting institution and may be obtained in any field. The degree requirement is an exit requirement, not an entrance requirement.

Step 2 – Attain Your Academic Qualifications

All courses in the CGA program of professional studies use computer-integrated delivery and business software. You will need to have technology available to be able to access all course content and study resources including audio lectures, online comprehensive course reviews, audio-streamed exam reviews and multiple choice testing. This technology will enable you to find a study partner in your course anywhere in Ontario through CGA Ontario’s "Find a Study Partner" resource if you need in-person assistance. In addition, course experts are available online via CGA Ontario's course director program, where you can submit academic course content questions to your tutor.

CGA Ontario students must therefore own, have the owners' permission to use on their system, or purchase recommended Windows and Microsoft Office software. To find out exactly which software versions are required for CGA Ontario courses, go to technological requirements.

You can either study to become a CGA concurrently with attaining your Bachelor’s degree, or attain a Bachelor's degree or college diploma on your own, then take courses to complete the CGA certification requirements. It all depends on your academic qualifications when you enter the program of professional studies.

Option A: Study to become a CGA concurrently with attaining your Bachelor’s degree

The Association administers the admission and course delivery processes for the following post-secondary partnerships, which allow you to study entirely on-line (via distance education):

  • The Honours Bachelor of Commerce (H.B.Com) degree through Laurentian University provides you with management education and core business skills that compliment the CGA program of professional studies. You are eligible for admission once you have completed Levels 1 through 3 of the CGA program of professional studies (or their equivalent by way of transfer credits). LU will accept transfer credits for Level 4 courses where they are granted as transfer credits by CGA Ontario.
  • The Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.) through Laurentian University for those who want to continue their studies once attaining their H.B.Com degree and are in the senior level of the CGA program of professional studies.

Option B: Attain some or all of the Bachelor's degree or college diploma credits on your own, then take courses to complete the program certification requirements.

If you have obtained an accounting or business related degree from a recognized Canadian university, you will most likely begin the CGA program of professional studies at an advanced level. This is because you will likely be granted a number of transfer credits. If your degree or diploma is in accounting, you may receive 15 transfer credits – the maximum number available towards the CGA program of professional studies. If you already have a university degree, you may be able to complete your CGA program of professional studies in as little as one to two years.

If you have obtained a business or accounting related diploma from one of Canada 's recognized colleges, you will most likely begin the CGA program of professional studies at an advanced level. This is because you will likely be granted a number of transfer credits.You will be able to complete your CGA course requirements, plus obtain a Bachelor's degree through part-time studies, while working full-time in a financial management related field.

If you obtained a degree or diploma in a field of study other than accounting, you will likely begin the CGA program of professional studies at Level 1. However, some of the courses you have taken may qualify for transfer credit. If you have a non-business related degree, it may meet the CGA degree requirement. If you have a diploma, you will be required to meet the CGA degree requirement.

If you have obtained some courses toward a post-secondary business degree or diploma, CGA may still grant you transfer credits for some or all of these courses, or they may supplement skills you will develop within the CGA program of professional studies. You must still meet the degree requirement of the CGA program of professional studies.

The number of years you are allowed to complete the academic portion of the program depends on how many transfer credits you were awarded and whether you are completing one of CGA's integrated degrees:

  • If you have two or fewer transfer credits, you have 10 years
  • If you have three or four transfer credits, you have nine years
  • If you have five or six transfer credits, you have eight years
  • If you have seven or eight credits, you have seven years
  • If you have nine or 10 credits, you have six years
  • If you have 11 or 12 credits, you have five years
  • If you have 13 credits, you have four years
  • If you have 14 credits, you have three years
  • If you are required to obtain a university degree, you are allowed an additional two years.

You can complete the entire program by distance learning. Alternatively, CGA Ontario provides limited in-class lectures in some advanced courses of the CGA program of professional studies at a number of colleges and universities throughout Ontario, as itemized on the CGA Ontario website.

You can apply for enrolment by downloading and completing the Application for Enrolment Form.

Step 3 – Meet the Employment Experience Portfolio Assessment (EPAS) Practical Experience Requirement

Once you begin the academic program, you should be concurrently employed in a position that can provide you with fulltime practical experience in intermediate and senior accounting and financial management positions, commensurate with your level of studies. Most students need 36 months of experience to achieve the appropriate breadth and depth of competencies for certification, with at least one of those years at a senior level. Some can, however, achieve the requirement in as few as 24 months of full-time work.

After you complete your entire academic component, if you have not yet met the experience requirement, you have up to three additional academic years in which to upgrade your experience.

Students are required to find their own employment while in the program. CGA Ontario offers an online job find service for employers, and allows students and members the opportunity to make their qualifications known to employers who post jobs on its site.

You will be required to submit, by a required due date, an EPAS form – signed by your current employer – once you have five or less courses to complete the CGA program of professional studies. Any past experience, both Canadian and non-Canadian must be verified by third-party confirmation, written by your employer, on company letterhead, confirming:

  • your experience
  • your position title(s) while employed at that organization
  • the start and end dates of your employment
  • your major responsibilities/accomplishments in that position

This is also the time when you can submit any letters from your home country.

CGA Ontario will assess your experience from time to time through the program to give you every opportunity to ensure that you are progressing satisfactorily towards this certification requirement.

Your position should reflect a substantive degree of responsibility, have an impact on the company’s entire financial function and demonstrate professional competency in accounting/financial management. At least one year of this experience should be at a senior level.

You would typically begin in an entry or basic level position in accounting while you are in the first two levels of the program, to acquire skills in such areas as clerical work, bookkeeping, tax preparation, accounting maintenance, procedures implementation; and use of computer tools/packages. You would then progress to an intermediate level position while you are in the third and fourth levels of the program, working at activities such as interpretation of financial statements; financial analyses; annual budgeting; investment management; procedural recommendations; small organization audits; and systems analysis. You would then advance to a senior stage, acquiring experience at the management, policy or long-range planning levels, with greater responsibilities. Typical senior stage activities include complex financial analyses; senior management presentations; complex budgeting; long-range financial planning; forecasts; complex consolidations; audit planning; strategic planning; policy recommendations; project team leadership; client relations/contacts; and corporate audits.
 
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