Registration
If you decide to pursue the CA designation, you must first determine whether you qualify as a student or membership candidate (see Your Path to Becoming a CA) with the Institute. In addition to your registration form, student and membership candidates must to provide the Institute with documents relating to your qualifications. If documents are not in English, you must send original documents along with notarized translations.
If you have not already had your qualifications evaluated, the Institute will evaluate your background and determine what requirements you need to meet to get the CA designation.
A description of the registration process and required documents for membership candidates and student candidates can be found below.
Registration as a Membership Candidate
To register as a membership candidate, you do not need to be a resident of Ontario. However, you must:
- be a current or past member of a designated accounting body outside Canada
- have passed the final qualifying examination for membership in your accounting body
- have at least 24 months of work experience that is recognized for credit by your accounting body
If you are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who left Canada to complete an accounting qualification program outside of Canada, you also need to meet a residency requirement. This means:
- you must have lived in a country other than Canada for a period of at least three years, and
- you must have lived in the country where your professional accounting body is located for a period of at least three years, and
- you must have written the final qualifying exam for membership in the accounting body during this three-year period
Registration Process
Send a completed membership candidate registration form to the Institute.
Proof of Identity
- Include with your registration form a copy of your birth certificate, along with a copy of your passport, proof of Canadian citizenship, Permanent Resident Card, or Record of Landing in Canada
and
- If you have changed your name, a copy of your marriage certificate or other legal document relating to your name change.
Membership in Designated Accounting Body Outside Canada
- Your accounting body must complete and send directly to the Institute a Confirmation from Designated Accounting Body form.
Work Experience
- An Experience Certification Report must be completed by each of your past employers and submitted directly to the ICAO.
Residency Requirement
To show proof of residency, you may be asked to submit:
- a copy of your Record of Landing in Canada or Permanent Resident Card,
- a copy of your birth certificate, and
- a transcript of your final qualifying exam with your professional accounting body.
Registration as a Student
To register with the Institute as a student, you must:
- have at least three years of work experience in accounting, business, or related areas
- be a resident of Ontario
- be employed by an office in Ontario approved for training CA students
- be a member or past member of a non-designated or non-assessed accounting body outside Canada
or
- have at least three years of work experience in accounting, business, or related areas
- have a university degree
- be a resident of Ontario
- be employed by an office in Ontario approved for training CA students
Registration Process
Send a completed Student Registration form to the Institute.
Include with your registration form:
Proof of Identity
- a copy of your birth certificate, along with a copy of your passport, proof of Canadian citizenship, Permanent Resident Card, or Record of Landing in Canada
and
- if you have changed your name, a copy of your marriage certificate or other legal document relating to your name change.
Education
- an official transcript of all university courses you have taken as part of your degree. An official transcript has the official stamp or seal of your university. Photocopies of transcripts are not accepted.
- a university syllabus or course calendar from your university describing the courses you completed. If this document is not in English, you must send as well a notarized translation of course descriptions for all courses you completed.
Professional Membership
- If you are a member or past member of a professional accounting body outside Canada, you need to submit an original letter from your accounting body confirming that you are a "member in good standing" (see Glossary). If you are not currently a member, the letter should confirm that you were a member in good standing up to the point when you stopped being a member. Be sure to send an original letter and not a photocopy.
Work Experience
- a detailed résumé showing that you have at least three years of work experience in accounting, business, or related areas.