CGA Ontario is the governing body of Ontario's Certified General Accountants and students in the CGA program. CGA Ontario protects the public interest by maintaining high standards of qualification and enforcing the CGA profession's rules of professional conduct. CGA Ontario works in partnership with the other provincial institutes of Certified General Accountants and with CGA Canada to maintain national standards and programs.

No, by law you do not have to be a CGA to work in an accounting position in Ontario. However, individual employers may require you to have the CGA designation or another accounting designation, particularly for mid- and senior-level positions. For some junior accounting jobs and for clerical accounting and bookkeeping jobs, you do not require an accounting designation.

As an alternative to qualifying as a CGA, you can qualify as a Chartered Accountant (CA) or a Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Yes, you can work in the accounting field. However, you can't use an accounting designation such as CGA (Certified General Accountant), CA (Chartered Accountant), or CMA (Certified Management Accountant) unless you are an accredited member in good standing of the Ontario accounting body that awards the designation.

Also, you cannot perform public accounting work in Ontario unless you have a CGA, CMA, or CA designation and, in addition, an Ontario licence to practice public accounting. Public accountants prepare financial statements for the use of third parties such as individuals, companies, and investors and give opinions on the reliability of these statements.

You cannot call yourself a Certified General Accountant or CGA in Ontario unless you are accredited as a CGA by Certified General Accountants of Ontario. However, you can work in the accounting field.

Yes, there are. You do not have to have an accounting designation to practise accounting other than public accounting (see earlier question). However, individual employers may require you to have the CGA designation or another recognized accounting designation, particularly for mid- and senior-level positions. 

CGA Ontario will evaluate your university transcripts and will let you know if you are eligible for any transfer credits in the program of professional studies. You may be granted transfer credits (recognition of your previous education) for up to 15 CGA courses. If you are granted a transfer credit, it means that you do not have to complete the corresponding CGA course.

CGA Ontario will evaluate your work experience in your home country. You may be allowed to count up to one year of your work experience at the intermediate or senior level outside Canada toward the CGA work experience requirement. You will still need to complete at least one year of practical work experience at the senior level in accounting or financial management in Canada.

If you are a member of an accounting association outside of Canada with whom CGA Canada has a mutual recognition agreement (MRA), you do not need to complete any additional work experience to meet the practical experience requirement.

No, you can complete an application for transfer credits and send your academic transcripts and accounting qualifications to CGA Ontario either before or after you become an Ontario resident. CGA Ontario may ask you to provide an official evaluation of your degree. To save time, you can request an evaluation of your degree from the Comparative Education Service at the University of Toronto and have them send their evaluation report to CGA. In addition, CGA may ask you to provide official course descriptions and/or your university syllabus. If these documents are not in English or French, you will need to provide notarized translations.

In 2010/2011, the fee for the application for transfer credits is $401.15 (this fee includes 13% Harmonized Sales Tax).

You must request that your educational institution send an official sealed transcript of your grades directly to CGA Ontario. Alternatively, you can bring an official sealed transcript with you when you come to Ontario and mail it or drop it off at the CGA office. CGA Ontario will not accept photocopies of your transcript.

You will get a response from CGA Ontario within three to four weeks.

Generally, no. You must be a permanent resident in Ontario before you can enrol in any CGA Ontario courses.

However, CGA Canada has partner offices in several countries. If you are resident in one of these countries, you can begin the qualification process to become a CGA before you come to Canada. Visit the CGA Canada website to learn more about CGA's partnerships programs around the world.

No, you don’t have to be employed in an accounting job in Ontario before you can enrol in a CGA course. However, CGA Ontario strongly recommends that when you begin the the program of professional studies you are already a full-time employee in a position that will allow you to progress towards acquiring sufficient experience in accounting and finance to meet the practical experience requirement. If you are not already employed in an accounting position when you enrol in a CGA course, you can use the CGA online employment referral service to help you find a job.

The cost to become a CGA depends on your educational and professional background. CGA will evaluate your university or college transcripts and your accounting qualifications to determine if you are eligible for any transfer credits. When you receive a transfer credit, you do not need to complete the corresponding CGA course. Review information about fees.

Review information about your individual path to becoming a CGA.

No, you don't have to pass an English language test to become a CGA in Ontario. However, to work in a senior accounting position and to complete the CGA program of professional studies you will require excellent communication skills in English.

www.nameyourneed.org