I have an IT background and currently in the US. My fiancee is from a M.Com (Masters of Commerce) plus LLB (Bachelors of Law) background and currently working in India.
I plan to move in late 2020 to Canada with her after getting married. A couple of questions for those working in Accounting/Finance/Auditing:
i) What bridging courses or additional degrees/certifications should someone with Accounting (MCom) degrees from India do, in order to maximize their employment prospects after landing in Canada?
ii) I’m aware Canada has it’s own CPA exam for Accountants (which is 2 years long), but does US CPA have good acceptability in back-office roles in Canada?
Your response would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Job prospects are quite good right now. The labour market is hot. To answer your direct questions;
The Canadian professional accounting designation is also “CPA”, Certified Professional Accountant.
An American CPA qualification will be well accepted in Canada generally, although in order to practice publicly you must be certified in Canada by the Canadian CPA governing body. You don’t need to have Canadian certification to fill a general accounting role in industry.
The provincial CPA associations have programs to welcome foreign qualified CPAs and to guide them in securing Canadian certification. Here’s a blurb and a URL related to the Quebec CPA association, each province will have its own equivalent version.
As part of its efforts to help foreign-trained professionals integrate into the accounting profession, the Order recently implemented a number of tools to optimize its experience recognition process. The culmination of these efforts is the launch of an interactive site that allows applicants to learn what steps they must take by answering just a few questions.
This site was developed thanks to financial assistance from the Government of Quebec.