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ACCA-CGA/CPA Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA)

karachi-pakistan

Full Member
Apr 12, 2016
39
5
Edmonton, AB, CA
Hello fellow accountants :)

I recently got my PR through EE and have to land in Canada before 24th February 2017 (I plan to land no earlier than that.) I am an ACCA member with an under-grad degree, so meet all requirements under the MRA. If you guys are following the MRA story between ACCA and CGA (now CPA,) you would know that the MRA expires in June 2016.

I am confused whether to apply for CGA/CPA before the MRA expires, or wait until I land in February 2017. The risk, if I choose to wait, is that the MRA might not get renewed or even if it does, renews with tougher requirements (maybe requiring candidates to appear for more exams other than the Overview of Canadian Tax and Law.) However, if I choose to apply for it before the MRA expiry, will my membership continue to apply in future years or will it lapse with the start of a new year (2017) or when the MRA expires in June 2016.

I googled but couldn't find any developments on this concern, dropped an email to CGA/CPA, BC and they replied that they can't comment on the possibility of renewal as at now. Do any of you have any idea about the possibility of renewal?

Your responses and input would be highly appreciated.
 

murtazajaffri_cca

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karachi said:
Hello fellow accountants :)

I recently got my PR through EE and have to land in Canada before 24th February 2017 (I plan to land no earlier than that.) I am an ACCA member with an under-grad degree, so meet all requirements under the MRA. If you guys are following the MRA story between ACCA and CGA (now CPA,) you would know that the MRA expires in June 2016.

I am confused whether to apply for CGA/CPA before the MRA expires, or wait until I land in February 2017. The risk, if I choose to wait, is that the MRA might not get renewed or even if it does, renews with tougher requirements (maybe requiring candidates to appear for more exams other than the Overview of Canadian Tax and Law.) However, if I choose to apply for it before the MRA expiry, will my membership continue to apply in future years or will it lapse with the start of a new year (2017) or when the MRA expires in June 2016.

I googled but couldn't find any developments on this concern, dropped an email to CGA/CPA, BC and they replied that they can't comment on the possibility of renewal as at now. Do any of you have any idea about the possibility of renewal?

Your responses and input would be highly appreciated.
i hope u have applied, if not yes do it. :)
 

zohaib.bhagia

Newbie
May 31, 2016
1
1
hi Karachi pakistan

I would like to ask about some guidelines for canada immigration,

1 through which consultant you applied to canada
2 How many point you get for ACCA membership in CSR evaluation
3 May i have to apply online or i have to contact to any consultant for Canada Immigration, I am also ACCA Member, Master of Commerce and BSc OBU and my age is 30 and having 4 year of post study experience, Can you please guid me how to apply for Canada immigration,

Thanks

Best Regards

Muhammad Zohaib
 
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Temmy

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karachi said:
Hello fellow accountants :)

I recently got my PR through EE and have to land in Canada before 24th February 2017 (I plan to land no earlier than that.) I am an ACCA member with an under-grad degree, so meet all requirements under the MRA. If you guys are following the MRA story between ACCA and CGA (now CPA,) you would know that the MRA expires in June 2016.

I am confused whether to apply for CGA/CPA before the MRA expires, or wait until I land in February 2017. The risk, if I choose to wait, is that the MRA might not get renewed or even if it does, renews with tougher requirements (maybe requiring candidates to appear for more exams other than the Overview of Canadian Tax and Law.) However, if I choose to apply for it before the MRA expiry, will my membership continue to apply in future years or will it lapse with the start of a new year (2017) or when the MRA expires in June 2016.


Please apply. you never can tell. I hope it will be renewed but other conditions could arise. I await MR and have applied and got membership. it took me like 6months to complete. Apply to British Columbia.
I googled but couldn't find any developments on this concern, dropped an email to CGA/CPA, BC and they replied that they can't comment on the possibility of renewal as at now. Do any of you have any idea about the possibility of renewal?

Your responses and input would be highly appreciated.
 

youngcpa

Newbie
Jul 28, 2016
1
0
Hello ,

Just saw your post here, I am an Acca affiliate living in Canada as you can imagine i follow this Mra closely, it looks like the Mra won't be renewed quite frankly, i would suggest to apply for the Mra as u are a fully qualified member, they are still accepting applications for the time being but nobody knows until when.You would apply via cga /Cpa Bc if you live outside Canada, you will have more job opportunities as a CPA than just an Acca member

Kyle.
 

Alexander(manchester)

Full Member
Sep 29, 2012
27
1
Dear Youngcpa,
I am thinking of applying for canada immigration. I have got ACCA and recently took the advantage of MRA and obtained CPA,CGA.
My question is what are the prospects of securing a job with my qualifications and what city is better for me in terms of job?

youngcpa said:
Hello ,

Just saw your post here, I am an Acca affiliate living in Canada as you can imagine i follow this Mra closely, it looks like the Mra won't be renewed quite frankly, i would suggest to apply for the Mra as u are a fully qualified member, they are still accepting applications for the time being but nobody knows until when.You would apply via cga /Cpa Bc if you live outside Canada, you will have more job opportunities as a CPA than just an Acca member

Kyle.
 

karachi-pakistan

Full Member
Apr 12, 2016
39
5
Edmonton, AB, CA
Alexander(manchester) said:
Dear Youngcpa,
I am thinking of applying for canada immigration. I have got ACCA and recently took the advantage of MRA and obtained CPA,CGA.
My question is what are the prospects of securing a job with my qualifications and what city is better for me in terms of job?
Hi Alexander

Can you please share your experience and study tips for the Overview of Canadian Tax and Law Course, what's the smart way to go about it?
 

Alexander(manchester)

Full Member
Sep 29, 2012
27
1
Dear Karachi, Pakistan,
I replied you privately as i didn't see this post, I only got the private notification. You may want to share my private reply publicly so that others may learn and feel free to ask any question if you find anything confusing during the process. good-luck to you mate

karachi said:
Hi Temmy

I have registered for the Overview of Canadian Tax and Law Course. Can you please share your experience and study tips for it, what's the smart way to go about it?


Thanks.
 

AbiAbiAzam

Newbie
Aug 15, 2016
8
1
Upcoming proposed ACCA MRA with PBA-Canada (Professional Business Accountants) to be announced in the upcoming months.

I have been told by a reliable source that the MRA the ACCA has with the CGA will be cancelled. Any member of the ACCA who has the CGA from the MRA will need to tag their designation so employers know your education is not Canadian. Tagging will be CPAA-ACCA or CPAA (after the tagging period ends, where CPA is Chartered Professional Accountant, the extra "A" stands for Associate and will designate that you did not follow the CPA Process. CPA will have two classes of memberships one for members that actually worked for their CPA (including CA, CGA, CMA), and those that did not including ACCA. The Tagging will apply to MRAs that are dropping including the ACCA.

As well the reliable sources have also indicated ACCA-Canada is also in the mist of a new Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with PBA Canada (Professional Business Accountants) pba-canada.org to replace the current MRA with CGA. This will be announced once the current MRA with CGA expires. The PBA is an accredited accounting designation in Canada and has various networking activities that are of interest to foreign trained professionals you can contact them at 1-­855-541-4703.

If you contact ACCA-Canada Offices at 1-888-801-0011 they may be able to provide details of the very exciting new proposed MRA if the details are public. If no details are in the public domain we may need to wait for more information.
 

May2010applicant

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Very interesting development, although in my opinion unlikely to happen that any CGA will be asked to relinquish his /her designation.

AbiAbiAzam said:
Upcoming proposed ACCA MRA with PBA-Canada (Professional Business Accountants) to be announced in the upcoming months.

I have been told by a reliable source that the MRA the ACCA has with the CGA will be cancelled. Any member of the ACCA who has the CGA from the MRA will need to tag their designation so employers know your education is not Canadian. Tagging will be CPAA-ACCA or CPAA (after the tagging period ends, where CPA is Chartered Professional Accountant, the extra "A" stands for Associate and will designate that you did not follow the CPA Process. CPA will have two classes of memberships one for members that actually worked for their CPA (including CA, CGA, CMA), and those that did not including ACCA. The Tagging will apply to MRAs that are dropping including the ACCA.

As well the reliable sources have also indicated ACCA-Canada is also in the mist of a new Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with PBA Canada (Professional Business Accountants) pba-canada.org to replace the current MRA with CGA. This will be announced once the current MRA with CGA expires. The PBA is an accredited accounting designation in Canada and has various networking activities that are of interest to foreign trained professionals you can contact them at 1-­855-541-4703.

If you contact ACCA-Canada Offices at 1-888-801-0011 they may be able to provide details of the very exciting new proposed MRA if the details are public. If no details are in the public domain we may need to wait for more information.
 
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AbiAbiAzam

Newbie
Aug 15, 2016
8
1
Real CGAs will not be asked to relinquish their membership. ACCA who got their CGA via the backdoor are noted as second class CPA, CGA within the internal computer system of the association.

The CPAA - Associate membership would apply to those who received their CGA from the back door. The new CPA Canada Association views the ACCA as not equal to the Chartered Professional Accountant.

I know a few ACCAs who actually worked and passed CGA exams - thus having both designations in their own right. This does not apply to them. The associate membership applies to those who receive their CPA designation through the backdoor where MRAs are cancelled, and membership is allowed to remain members of CPA. As such ACCAs who receive their "CPA,CGA" via the MRA will be required to use "CPAA, CGA".

Those CGAs (non-MRA "real" CGAs) who have the ACCA via an MRA will be invited to become members of the ICAEW, and be asked to drop their membership in ACCA.

Because of ongoing talks, including a legal dispute between CPA-Canada and ACCA-Canada no official details have been released. As noted this information is from a reliable senior sources within the CPA-Canada and ACCA-Canada networking groups.

I do hope you are networking with those within your association? It is an invaluable tool for opportunities, job leads, volunteer opportunities etc.

The new proposed MRA with PBA Canada is an exciting new opportunity for ACCAs within Canada, it will offer some more opportunities for foreign trained professionals.



May2010applicant said:
Very interesting development, although in my opinion unlikely to happen that any CGA will be asked to relinquish his /her designation.
 

AbiAbiAzam

Newbie
Aug 15, 2016
8
1
karachi said:
...... dropped an email to CGA/CPA, BC and they replied that they can't comment on the possibility of renewal as at now. ......
The lack of comment from CPA regarding the renewal of the MRA is in line with the sources I have regarding that the MRA will be dropped. The Associate membership will apply to those who did not follow the merged CPA program, or CA, CGA, or CMA Canada programs. This is partly due to the demands from some of the associations that are merging including the CAs. It is meant to distinguish between real CPAs and those that did not work for the CPA.

The CPAA - Associate membership will apply to MRAs that are dropped. Please note that in the Province of Quebec MRAs with the ACCA, CPA-Ireland, CPA-Aust, CIMA-UK have been dropped. Those that are members of CPA via one of these dropped MRAs will require the associate tagging as well. It does not only apply to ACCAs.

I friend of mine who is a proper CGA, and has the ACCA via the MRA has verbally been told by senior CPA leadership to consider dropping the ACCA at the end of the year at the time when ACCA asks for their annual subsidies from their membership.

See this video as an example youtube.com/watch?v=lGhB0gn0YV0