It all starts with becoming a member
Becoming a CA in Canada means becoming one of the country’s business leaders, a recognized and respected professional helping Canada’s foremost organizations succeed through your role as a policy-maker, an advisor and a strategist. The CA designation is the standard of excellence in accounting – no other designation carries the same weight, no other designation is valued as highly, and no other designation can offer you as many career opportunities.
Canada’s Chartered Accountancy profession is organized both nationally and provincially. Each of the 10 provincial Chartered Accountants institutes/ordres has the responsibility and authority to admit members and student members, and to determine practice requirements and the discipline of members and students.
The laws of all provinces prohibit the use of foreign CA designations in Canada. Once you are a Canadian CA, however, your designation is fully portable across Canada by applying for membership in the provincial institute in which you wish recognition. In Quebec, members also must meet provincial government French-language proficiency requirements.
In addition to setting admission standards, the provincial institutes/ordres are responsible for the education and examination of their candidates. The admission standards of the provincial institutes/ordres are uniform in general, but differ in detail. You must be a member of the CA institute/ordre of a Canadian province or territory in order to represent yourself as a Chartered Accountant in that Canadian province or territory.
If you are an internationally trained accountant who wants to join the CA in Canada program, you should contact the appropriate provincial institute/ordre where you live or intend to live to apply directly, or get more information. We’ve provided links below.
Rights and Responsibilities
Once you are a member, you must:
- Conduct yourself at all times in a manner which will maintain the good reputation of the profession and its ability to serve the public interest, in accordance with your province’s Code of Conduct
- Perform professional services with integrity and due care
- Maintain your professional skills and competence by keeping informed of, and complaint with, developments in your professional standards
- Exercise your duty of confidentiality in respect of information acquired as a result of professional, employment and business relationships and do not disclose to any third party, without proper and specific authority, any such information, nor exploit such information to your personal advantage or the advantage of a third party
- Not allow your professional or business judgment to be compromised by bias, conflict of interest or the undue influence of others
Your Canadian CA designation will be recognized across Canada and around the world.
There are multiple benefits to belonging to your provincial institute/ordre. Membership:
- allows you to make the right connections and opportunities to network through chapters and committees
- gives you access to CA-focused publications, such as CA Magazine, that educate, inform, and entertain
- provides you with professional support available when you need it
- offers valuable discounts for both professional education and products and services, such as group insurance.
All reflect the value and advantage of belonging to your provincial institute/ordre. Members can also volunteer to help charitable organizations as treasurers, chairs of boards, presidents of organizations and leaders of committees, thus acquiring further networking and community service opportunities.
Links to Provincial Institute/Ordre Membership Information
About The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA)
The CICA is the national body and conducts research into current business issues and supports the setting of accounting, auditing and assurance standards for business, not-for-profit organizations and government. It issues guidance on control and governance, publishes professional literature, develops continuing education programs and represents the CA profession nationally and internationally. The CICA is a founding member of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA).
The CICA:
- provides financial and staff resources to support Canada’s independent process for setting auditing and accounting standards;
- conducts research;
- coordinates the qualifying Uniform Evaluation (UFE) administered in the provinces and territories;
- develops conferences and training for the continuing education of Chartered Accountants; and
- publishes material on auditing, accounting, and business matters.
The CICA does not admit members and students. You receive your membership in the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) automatically from your membership in one of the provincial institutes/ordres.
Foreign Credential Recognition Program.
Earning my Canadian CA gave me a globally recognized designation that bridges the gap between theory and practice, enhancing the value I can provide Read more
- Abbas Barodawalla, CA, BC Housing, Home country: India
With my Canadian CA, I can be whatever I want to be in the future. Read more
- Jannet C. Taruc, CA, Grant Thornton, BC, Home country: Philippines
Becoming a Canadian CA has allowed me to bridge from my previous working experience given me ways to leverage my background, and opened the doors to an exciting career progression in Canada. Read more
- Joe Lai, CA, Senior Manager, Assurance Services, Ernst & Young LLP, Calgary, AB, Home country: Singapore
The strong reputation of the CA designation, both in Canada and internationally, meant a lot of doors were open to me Read more
- Daniel Labarca, D+H Group LLP, Home country: Venezuela
Government, academic and other resources
For more resources for immigrants, click here
