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Filipino CPAs to Canada, What are your plans?

isarog

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Feb 23, 2011
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Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng nagcontribute and nagshare ng kanilang experience! Iba talaga ang pinoy! Napaka-matulungin! :D :D

As part of my preparations, marami-rami na rin po akong web sites na napuntahan (which for me is not comprehensive) at naka-attend na rin po ako ng CIIP (pero they just refer you to the provincial website ng CA, CMA and CGA, which I said, is not comprehensive). ??? Dito ko lang po pala makikita ang aking hinahanap! Imagine, you were all kind enough to post the email replies to your queries. Nareinforce po talaga yung mga alam ko na at napawi ang aking mga agam-agam. Salamat po ulit! :D ;D :)

I beg for your indulgence. Although it has already been discussed here, please allow me to share what I have learned from all of you so that you may correct if I misinterpreted anything.

"There are fewer requirements to be a CA for us PICPA members but it is very hard become a student CA and enter their program due to be employed first by a CA Training Office (CATO); It is easy to become a student CGA and enter their program but we need to take more subjects and, as a result thereof, more expensive".

In CA, we just need to take up business law. No more evaluation of transcripts of records, no more other subjects to take up. We just have to take up a very, very hard UFE (kung CPA exams nga kinaya natin, di naman po siguro sila nagkakalayo). :p Pero, pero at pero...mahirap pong pumasok sa program at maging CA student dahil kailangan makapasok sa CA training office…which is difficult dahil maraming competition with other university students all over Canada as well as other immigrants from other countries. Pero its all worth it naman daw talaga. Pinakamabangis daw talaga ang mga CAs pagdating sa salary. Although CGA students would always beg to disagree and say that CGA is catching up with CA. Kesyo very comprehensive ang CGA dahil “GENERAL” nga daw….Siguro parang PMA vs. PNPA lang ito sa atin. Iba talaga pag alumni ng PMA kaysa PNPA (syempre may kokontra). :eek:

In CGA naman, we can easily get into the program after we have our transcript assessed pero madami pa tayong subjects na kailangan i-take kaya mas magastos. Assessment pa lang we already have to pay $400++. Pagkatapos ng assessment dun pa lang natin malalaman kung what level tayo, pag level 3 ang binigay, kailangan natin magrequest for reconsideration kasi dapat level 4. Nakita ko po yung mga fees and wala akong masabi… ang mahal! Although, maganda din naman siguro syang preparation…pero, pero at pero ulit…over nama, ang mahal talaga! Mag at least $10,000. Tapos aside from the money, we have to spend time (at least 25 hours a week ba yun?) to study and study hard dahil bawal bumagsak…sayang ang pera (not unlike sa CA pwede na siguro tayong magself study for the UFE). It is so taxing daw that our dear friends here in this forum say that it is not advisable to take the subjects one after the other. Pero in fairness, may mga on-line courses naman daw (ewan ko lang if it will make a difference)

After all that’s been said and done, ano na po? CGA or CA? May nabasa ako somewhere na there was once a CA student who got pregnant so nagshift sya ng CGA. What does it mean? Mas mahal ang CGA pero mas flexible kaysa CA? Pag family oriented ka CGA. Pero bakit parang mas madaling tapusin ang CA granting na may makuha kang CATO. Hay naku. ??? :eek: 8) :p :-\

Haba na nito. Your thoughts on my thoughts please. Anyone?

TIA for you inputs
 

CPA2CANADA

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Hi Isarog....very well said!

I would say it is still dependent on the circumstances of the applicant and your plans in the future. Like me, I am taking CGA now because it fits my schedule. I enrolled for Tax this Spring Session, it will start on March 14-June 6.
10 modules which will cover Income/Corporate/Excise Taxes. Overwhelming as the tax here is really complicated unlike in the Phil. They said that the exam which is 70% of your grade is a mixture of Multiple Choice and computation, 3 hours and mind you OPEN BOOK. No need to memorize tax rates. Am not sure if that is good as we used to always have a closed book exam. 30% of your grade will come from Quizzes and Assignments which you will submit online. Note that there are MP3 lectures and video podcast in the internet. Students will have 24 hrs access on those materials and I think it is good. THis is my first time in the online learning. Hoping it would be fun.

I have officemates here who are CGA students and they said it is really an advantage even if you are still a student in landing on a good job related in accounting.

If you really want to pursue CA, as you said, Business Law nga lng ang itatake natin but we have to be employed by CA training office or CATO (Big Four or any other firm registered by CA).

My girlfriend got a job in PWC as a Senior Auditor, they did not asked for the Canadian Experience but recognized her previous experience in Deloitte. She will be arriving here in the next two months and she plans to take the CA exams.

Guys, referrals are great. We can land on a job related to the previous work we had as long as we know somebody on that company.

isarog said:
Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng nagcontribute and nagshare ng kanilang experience! Iba talaga ang pinoy! Napaka-matulungin! :D :D

As part of my preparations, marami-rami na rin po akong web sites na napuntahan (which for me is not comprehensive) at naka-attend na rin po ako ng CIIP (pero they just refer you to the provincial website ng CA, CMA and CGA, which I said, is not comprehensive). ??? Dito ko lang po pala makikita ang aking hinahanap! Imagine, you were all kind enough to post the email replies to your queries. Nareinforce po talaga yung mga alam ko na at napawi ang aking mga agam-agam. Salamat po ulit! :D ;D :)

I beg for your indulgence. Although it has already been discussed here, please allow me to share what I have learned from all of you so that you may correct if I misinterpreted anything.

"There are fewer requirements to be a CA for us PICPA members but it is very hard become a student CA and enter their program due to be employed first by a CA Training Office (CATO); It is easy to become a student CGA and enter their program but we need to take more subjects and, as a result thereof, more expensive".

In CA, we just need to take up business law. No more evaluation of transcripts of records, no more other subjects to take up. We just have to take up a very, very hard UFE (kung CPA exams nga kinaya natin, di naman po siguro sila nagkakalayo). :p Pero, pero at pero...mahirap pong pumasok sa program at maging CA student dahil kailangan makapasok sa CA training office...which is difficult dahil maraming competition with other university students all over Canada as well as other immigrants from other countries. Pero its all worth it naman daw talaga. Pinakamabangis daw talaga ang mga CAs pagdating sa salary. Although CGA students would always beg to disagree and say that CGA is catching up with CA. Kesyo very comprehensive ang CGA dahil “GENERAL” nga daw....Siguro parang PMA vs. PNPA lang ito sa atin. Iba talaga pag alumni ng PMA kaysa PNPA (syempre may kokontra). :eek:

In CGA naman, we can easily get into the program after we have our transcript assessed pero madami pa tayong subjects na kailangan i-take kaya mas magastos. Assessment pa lang we already have to pay $400++. Pagkatapos ng assessment dun pa lang natin malalaman kung what level tayo, pag level 3 ang binigay, kailangan natin magrequest for reconsideration kasi dapat level 4. Nakita ko po yung mga fees and wala akong masabi... ang mahal! Although, maganda din naman siguro syang preparation...pero, pero at pero ulit...over nama, ang mahal talaga! Mag at least $10,000. Tapos aside from the money, we have to spend time (at least 25 hours a week ba yun?) to study and study hard dahil bawal bumagsak...sayang ang pera (not unlike sa CA pwede na siguro tayong magself study for the UFE). It is so taxing daw that our dear friends here in this forum say that it is not advisable to take the subjects one after the other. Pero in fairness, may mga on-line courses naman daw (ewan ko lang if it will make a difference)

After all that's been said and done, ano na po? CGA or CA? May nabasa ako somewhere na there was once a CA student who got pregnant so nagshift sya ng CGA. What does it mean? Mas mahal ang CGA pero mas flexible kaysa CA? Pag family oriented ka CGA. Pero bakit parang mas madaling tapusin ang CA granting na may makuha kang CATO. Hay naku. ??? :eek: 8) :p :-\

Haba na nito. Your thoughts on my thoughts please. Anyone?

TIA for you inputs
 

carladavid16

Newbie
Jan 25, 2011
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Question po


Nung nagpa-assess po kayo sa CGA, is your accounting degree in Philippines fully credited as a bachelor degree? Kasi nabasa ko po na a prospective CGA student needs to have a degree to become CGA. If hindi po kasi credited ng CGA as bachelors degree pwede naman na kumuha ng courses in CGA but concurrently you need to enroll to a college/university to earn your degree. Mas malaki ang gastos.hmmm... If you will permit, please share your CGA evaluation. Thank you po.
 

mimi0713

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carladavid16 said:
Question po


Nung nagpa-assess po kayo sa CGA, is your accounting degree in Philippines fully credited as a bachelor degree? Kasi nabasa ko po na a prospective CGA student needs to have a degree to become CGA. If hindi po kasi credited ng CGA as bachelors degree pwede naman na kumuha ng courses in CGA but concurrently you need to enroll to a college/university to earn your degree. Mas malaki ang gastos.hmmm... If you will permit, please share your CGA evaluation. Thank you po.
hi,

i was granted exemption for 7 subjects out of 14 that I applied for. currently, my appeal is in process. hopefully, madagdagan yng exempt para di gaano magastos sa schooling ;)
 

lizz

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CPA2CANADA said:
Hi Isarog....very well said!

I would say it is still dependent on the circumstances of the applicant and your plans in the future. Like me, I am taking CGA now because it fits my schedule. I enrolled for Tax this Spring Session, it will start on March 14-June 6.
10 modules which will cover Income/Corporate/Excise Taxes. Overwhelming as the tax here is really complicated unlike in the Phil. They said that the exam which is 70% of your grade is a mixture of Multiple Choice and computation, 3 hours and mind you OPEN BOOK. No need to memorize tax rates. Am not sure if that is good as we used to always have a closed book exam. 30% of your grade will come from Quizzes and Assignments which you will submit online. Note that there are MP3 lectures and video podcast in the internet. Students will have 24 hrs access on those materials and I think it is good. THis is my first time in the online learning. Hoping it would be fun.

I have officemates here who are CGA students and they said it is really an advantage even if you are still a student in landing on a good job related in accounting.

If you really want to pursue CA, as you said, Business Law nga lng ang itatake natin but we have to be employed by CA training office or CATO (Big Four or any other firm registered by CA).

My girlfriend got a job in PWC as a Senior Auditor, they did not asked for the Canadian Experience but recognized her previous experience in Deloitte. She will be arriving here in the next two months and she plans to take the CA exams.

Guys, referrals are great. We can land on a job related to the previous work we had as long as we know somebody on that company.
I'll be taking cma thru athabasca, since youre into online learning? athabasca ka rin po?
 

danzob

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Nov 17, 2010
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hi sa lahat at salamat sa mga posts nyo..at least I got ideas na about the three designations..

i am working presently in the cayman islands..sa caribbean ito..maliit na isla..pero maraming pinoys!
my visa office is Jamaica, Kingston..about 10 months na since I passed the full documentation..based dun sa mga nakikita kong parang mas mabilis yata kung sa Manila..anyway, hintay na lang ng 4 months pa..14 months daw processing time ng VO..hopefully soon makatanggap na kami ng asawa kong nurse ng medical request..praying hard..

im planning to take the reciprocity exam..CARE..hindi recognized ang PICPA kaya im doing my best to become US CPA..
isang exam na lang ako to pass and complete the US CPA designation..currently reviewing and will be taking REGULATION (US Taxation) exam on 9th of April..please pray for my success ha..ito kc pinakamahirap sa lahat (3 others - FAR, BEC, AUD)..

i will try to contact a friend who is already in Vancouver. kasamahan ko dati sa PWC Pinas who worked in the US. Nabanggit nya sakin dati nagkita kami sa airport sa Miami na mahirap daw talaga ang CA exam..

ganunpaman, im looking forward to the best that is yet to come..just pray pray pray unceasingly..
 

jaysite

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Pachochay said:
Congrats, konti na lang kukunin mo! At me work ka na agad:)
Sana kami rin makakuha agad work pagpunta dyan....but before that visa muna pala:)

By the way, exempted ka na rin sa CM1 & BC1? Sa CGA-Alberta sabi nila klangan pa-evaluate ka pa separately sa IQAS (di ko alam ang equivalent na body dyan sa lugar nyo) bago ma-exempt yung 2 subjects na yun.
hi pachochay, im also planning to take CGA in alberta. How much was your total evaluation fee? I've read in their website its 95cad but valid for 1yr only. Is my understanding correct? When are u planning to land in alberta? :-*
 

Pachochay

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Hi Jaysite,
Ang pagkaalala ko less than 100 nga yung assessment fee, by Septembar expired na yung sa akin (1 year lang talaga. Waiting for MR pa rin kami:-(
Ikaw, klan mo plano start CGA mo?
 

jaysite

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Pachochay said:
Hi Jaysite,
Ang pagkaalala ko less than 100 nga yung assessment fee, by Septembar expired na yung sa akin (1 year lang talaga. Waiting for MR pa rin kami:-(
Ikaw, klan mo plano start CGA mo?
mga July siguro kami mag-land sa Alberta. di ko pa po kasi tapos i-browse ung CGA website. Pano po ba malalaman kung kelan and what subject to take 1st after evaluation? di ko padin alam kung kelan ako magpa-evaluate kasi sayang ung fee. hehe! :) buti nalang meron ako nahanap na kukuha din ng CGA sa alberta dito. ;D
 

Pachochay

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Nasa website naman scheds lahat and if you need advise which subjects to take first you can email them.
 

jaysite

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Pachochay said:
Nasa website naman scheds lahat and if you need advise which subjects to take first you can email them.
sige, kelangan ko tlga mag-focus dun kasi hindi basta2 ung gagawin natin. malaking pera din ang katapat. hehehe! busy lang tlga ngayon ang mga accountants kasi tax season. ;D super thank you pachochay! ;D
 

danjo

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carladavid16 said:
Question po..Is there a way to request PICPA by e-mail or by phone to send a letter of good outstanding to CGA? Thank you..
Hi,

Ako rin nagrerequest kung pwedeng isend abroad ung letter. picpa manila replied the below e-mail to me. send ka na lang din ng query dyan.


Good Day!



PICPA MMR doesn’t process the mailing of certificate of good standing in abroad. Try to email Ms. Gregcie or Mr. Gener of PICPA National at picpamsd.gregcie@gmail.com, picpamsd@pldtdsl.net



Thank you,



PICPAMMR.COM moderator
 

isarog

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Hi Fellow CPAs! Kamusta na kayong lahat?

I have started to prepare for the assessment. Nagpunta na ako sa PICPA, may amnesty nga sila. I paid 1k for the certificate and they gave me envelopes. Ako na lang daw magseal. Pwede ba yun? :'(

@Mimi0713 and CPA2CANADA RE: PICPA: Did you just seal the PICPA certificate yourselves and then send it with your application for transfer credits? or were you able to request PICPA to send it for you?

@Mimi0713: Would it be ok if you posted here the subjects that were credited and what are those particular subjects that you are appealing? I was looking at their syllabus and parang 9 subjects lang talaga yung swak na swak sa pinagaralan ko dati. :eek: :) :p :-[

@CPA2CANADA: Kamusta schoolboy? Hope that everything's ok. Good luck! :D

A little help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 

mimi0713

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isarog said:
Hi Fellow CPAs! Kamusta na kayong lahat?

I have started to prepare for the assessment. Nagpunta na ako sa PICPA, may amnesty nga sila. I paid 1k for the certificate and they gave me envelopes. Ako na lang daw magseal. Pwede ba yun? :'(

@ Mimi0713 and CPA2CANADA RE: PICPA: Did you just seal the PICPA certificate yourselves and then send it with your application for transfer credits? or were you able to request PICPA to send it for you?

@ Mimi0713: Would it be ok if you posted here the subjects that were credited and what are those particular subjects that you are appealing? I was looking at their syllabus and parang 9 subjects lang talaga yung swak na swak sa pinagaralan ko dati. :eek: :) :p :-[
hi isarog,

ito yng result ng assessment nila sa akin. lahat sa baba exempted

Course Code Desc Status CGA Academic Level
EM1 Micro and Macro Economics EXempt 1
FA1 Financial Acctg Fundamentals EX 1
FA2 Financial Acctg: Assets EX 2
QU1 Business Quantitative Analysis EX 2
FA3 Fin Acctg: Liabilities and Equities EX 3
MS1 Managing Information Systems EX 3
FA4 Fin Acctg: Consolidations and Adv Issues EX 4

i am appealing for the ff to be exempted as well:

Managing Accounting Fundamentals
Business Communication
Corporate Finance Fundamentals
Advanced Management Accounting
External Auditing
Accounting Theory and Contemporary Issues
Information Systems Strategy

im hoping they will inform me of the result in 2 weeks time kasi Feb 9 ko pa napadala sa kanila ang supporting dox ko, and they replied 6-8 weeks ang appeal process.

if i were u, maximize mo application mo ;D ;D ;D hanggat kaya ng blank spaces at nandun din naman sa TOR mo ang equivalent course, go for it, kasi wlang mawawla sa u. ang mahal kaya ng assessment fee nila, whether u apply for lesser subjects, still d same ang amount due.

re: PICPA cert, may dry seal naman sila ah,i think yun lang ang important kasi my note sa baba ng cert na NOT VALID WITHOUT SEAL yng picpa cert. yun lng nirequest ko, not necessarily in a sealed envelope. ;) ako nagpadala sa CGA with the rest of my dox.

good luck!