Member of an Accounting Body Outside Canada - Specified

CPA Ontario has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with specific accounting bodies in India and Pakistan. If you are a member in good standing and have a university degree recognized by the body, you are eligible to apply for registration and admission to membership in CPA Ontario under the terms of the MOU.

MOUs have been agreed upon with:

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI); and

CPA Ontario continues to accept applications under this registration category, even if the MOU has expired, until a new agreement is signed.

CPA Ontario offers a pathway to achieve the CPA designation:

• CPA Certification Program: students completing the CPA certification program are awarded the CPA designation upon admission to membership. 1 Exam is written, called the CFE. It's a 3 day paper, written in Canada (any major city).

Eligibility requirements for this category are:

• Be a member in good standing with an accounting body listed in Schedule C of Regulation 6-4: Legacy CA Student Registration or in Schedule C of Regulation 6-1: Student Registration; and
• Meet the conditions for registration contained in the MOU, having an ICAI designation in good standing.

Please submit the following:

• A Letter of Good Standing (LGS) from the ICAI certifying membership in good standing in that body and of having been conferred with a recognized university degree. CPA Ontario will accept this LGS provided that it is on official letterhead, signed by an authorized official of the ICAI or ICAP and bears the official seal or stamp of the ICAI or ICAP. The ICAI or ICAP member may submit the LGS as long as they provide the original LGS by mail.
• International Candidate Application Form
• International Candidate - Application for Registration
• Fee Remittance - see details below
• Sign and date CPA Ontario's Academic Code of Conduct and abide by it;
• Proof of legal name – satisfactory evidence of legal name includes a copy of any one of the following: birth certificate or equivalent government-issued documentation, passport, both sides of a Canadian citizenship certificate card, both sides of a Permanent Resident card, or landed immigrant papers. If the name under which you are applying to register is different from that which appears on the document submitted as proof of legal name, a copy of the document supporting the change of legal name, endorsed with "this is a certified true copy" signed and dated, is required;
• Chronological résumé listing all work experience; and
• Letter(s) of good standing from all other professional accounting bodies in which you hold membership.

All documentation must be provided in English. You are responsible to have documents officially translated if necessary. Your application will not be considered complete until all information and documentation has been received. It is your responsibility to ensure the application is complete and accurate and is received by the Registrar.

Submit your application via email or regular mail. Information completed via affidavit and containing a notary or commissioner stamp or seal must be submitted in original form by regular mail.

Email: support@prepformula.com

Students in both pathways are required to successfully complete the following:

• Capstone 1 Module (OPTIONAL)
• Capstone 2 Module (OPTIONAL)
• Common Final Examination (CFE); and
• Fulfill or be exempted from the prescribed practical experience requirement. FULL EXEMPTION through PrepFormula.

Students in the legacy CPA pathway are encouraged to successfully complete the admission requirements by February 1, 2022. 

New CPA students are required to complete a period of prescribed practical experience during which time specific competencies must be met. Students registered in the new CPA Certification Program are required to complete 30 months of experience and can choose to complete this experience in either an organization pre- approved by CPA Ontario to train students or through the Experience Verification Route, a flexible route allowing students to choose their employer if that employment will allow them to obtain the competencies required for admission.

By registering under the ICAI MoU,  new CPA students registered in the new CPA Certification Program may apply for a full or partial exemption from the prescribed practical experience requirement by submitting a Practical Experience Certificate for Internationally Trained Candidates for each of your former employers and your current employer. Appropriate third-party verification is required.

Please note that the MOU governs admission to the profession. The MOU does not provide for eligibility to qualify for a public accounting licence in Ontario, for which specific requirements have been established under the Public Accounting Act, 2004 and the Bylaws and Regulations including Regulation 9-1: Public Accounting Licensing.

Individuals who become members of CPA Ontario on the basis of completing the Member of Accounting Body Outside Canada – Specified membership pathway will need to:

Successfully complete the successor requirements prescribed by Council and the Public Accountants Council; and

All requests for exemption from the practical experience requirement are reviewed after the application for student registration is approved by the Registrar. You will receive a decision within eight to twelve weeks.

If you are applying to register as a student, you are required to submit fees with your application. The fee is prorated based on when your application is submitted and includes HST. The fee can be paid by credit card or by cheque made payable to Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.

If you submit your application between January 1 to June 30:

If you submit your application between July 1 to December 31:

*The Initial Administration Fee Fee plus applicable taxes is non-refundable.

Please note that the Annual Student Fee is an annual fee covering the period of January 1 to December 31 each year. All students are required to pay the fee in order to maintain their student registration in good standing

A decision of the Registrar not to register or register an individual as a student or to register a student may be appealed by the individual or student to the Membership Committee. The parties to an appeal are the individual appealing and the Registrar. The appeal shall be conducted in accordance with the Rules of Practice and Procedure. The decision of the Membership Committee is final.

You will be required to file a declaration of acknowledgement of, and agreement to abide by, CPA Ontario's Academic Code of Conduct.

For more information please contact support@prepformula.com.