If you are an internationally educated accountant interested in becoming a CGA in Ontario, your first step is to have your post-secondary (college or university) transcripts and other accountant qualifications evaluated by CGA Ontario. The cost of this evaluation is $401.15 (this fee includes 13% Harmonized Sales Tax). You can have your qualifications evaluated before or after you come to Canada. You will receive a response from CGA Ontario within three to four weeks.

Step One: Submit Official Transcripts and Accounting Qualifications

• Request your college or university to send an official sealed transcript of your grades directly to the CGA Ontario office. Alternatively, you can bring an official transcript in a sealed envelope with you when you come to Ontario and drop it off or mail it to the CGA Ontario office.
• If you are a member of an accounting body or professional organization, ask this organization for a letter stating that you are a member in good standing.
• If you completed post-secondary courses in accounting or business through your accounting association, you must also have this organization send an official sealed transcript of your grades directly to CGA Ontario.

If any of these documents are not in English or French, you also need to provide CGA Ontario with notarized translations. To find a certified translator in Ontario, contact the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO). Alternatively, you can use a certified translator in your country. CGA requires the original translations and proof of the translator's certification.

CGA Ontario may ask you to provide an official evaluation of your academic credentials. 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.

Step Two: Submit Application for Transfer Credits

After you have arranged for your academic transcripts to be sent directly to CGA Ontario, you should print out and complete an Application for Transfer Credits [PDF]. Mail your completed application to CGA Ontario together with your résumé and the confirmation letter from your accounting association.

Note:  Do not send letters from your employers with your Application for Transfer Credits. Your work experience in your home country will not be reviewed by CGA Ontario until you enrol as a CGA student.

Transfer Credit Evaluation Report

CGA Ontario will review your qualifications and send you a Transfer Credit Evaluation Report within three to four weeks. This report will advise you if you are eligible for any transfer credits. If you are granted transfer credits, you will be exempted from completing specific courses within the CGA program of professional studies. You may be granted the option of writing a challenge examination.

CGA Ontario will also let you know if your university degree satisfies the degree requirement for accreditation as a CGA.

Time Limit

Once CGA has evaluated your qualifications and determined your eligibility for transfer credits, you have two years to enrol in the CGA program of professional studies. If you delay your enrollment beyond this two-year period, your qualifications must be evaluated again for eligibility for transfer credits.

Appeals Process

You can appeal CGA Ontario’s decisions with regard to your eligibility for transfer credits. You need to send a typed, signed, and dated letter by fax or mail to the attention of the Registration Management Appeals Panel at CGA Ontario. This letter should:

• state which transfer credit(s) you are appealing
• provide all relevant details
• be accompanied by supporting documents such as course descriptions, a syllabus, etc. If your transcripts are not in English or French, you need to have them translated by a translator who is certified in Ontario. To find a certified translator in Ontario, contact the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO)

Enrolling in the CGA program of professional studies