sjl1971

I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland and have been working in public practice for 15 years.

Is this qualification relevant in Canada? Any suggestions on how to get a job in Canada based on this?

Thanks to anyone who replies.

JAJ

Maybe start at http://www.cica.ca

Did you train in public practice?

And unless you're a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you need to think about visas/immigration: start at http://www.cic.gc.ca

sjl1971

Thanks for this.

I think my main option is the skilled worker route, but clearly this requires getting a job first. The problem I am experiencing is how to get a job in Canada in this field in my circumstances.

sjl1971

Yes I did train in public practice (KPMG)

JAJ

In that case, look into mutual recognition of your Scottish CA qualification.

However the visa situation in Canada is quite difficult now and most people have to consider temporary work permits first with permanent residence later (not for everyone).

Have you looked at Australia?

Hellboy663

In my opinion, Canada is not a very good place. The opportunities are not that many and in most cases, securing your first job could be a real challenge. As such, migrating to Canada is not going to be a good idea unless you're intending to use it as a stepping stone to move to the US. I think Australia is a lot better.

Hellboy663

However the visa situation in Canada is quite difficult now and most people have to consider temporary work permits first with permanent residence later (not for everyone).

Really? This is something new I'm hearing here. Does that mean Canada is no longer giving out PR immediately but temp visa first just like NZ & UK?

sjl1971

What are the reasons you say this about Canada and why do you think Aus is better?

Thanks

Hellboy663

Hi there:

The job market in Canada is not as buoyant as Australia and opportunites in Australia are a lot better as compared to Canada. Most immigrants struggle to gain a foothold in Canada and many of them are doing blue collar jobs despite being armed with prestigious qualifications and years of good experience. Local experience and local qualifications are regarded as very important in Canada, if you don't have these, securing a decent job could only be a dream. Even temp or contract job is hard to find in Canada without local experience.

The market in Australia is booming due to the mining boom with more and more immigrants coming in, especially from the UK. There are many good jobs available and if you are a Chartered Accountant, you may have a very good future here. You get direct entry into Australian CA if you are an ICAEW member, you don't even have to do Australian law and tax. However, you should have gotten your qualification through the normal route of exams and experience and not through substantial exemptions or mutual recognition as a result of being a member of another body. You could find more information here: http://www.icaa.org.au/

Though employers here regard local experience as important, many people do very well for themselves after staying for a few months in a temp or contract job. For me, I managed to secure a decent, permanent job 10 days after coming to Australia. My situation is a little rare but nevertheless, opportunities are abundant. I've not come across any accountant nor professional in Australia driving a taxi or doing blue collar jobs (unless maybe they have 3rd world country qualifications or experience that are not recognized here) but in Canada, its very common. Canada has a reputation for bringing in highly skilled migrants and dumping them after that.

The professional associations in Canada are also very difficult when it comes to recognizing foreign credentials. In Australia if I'm a member of say ICAEW, American CPA or any other recognized professional body and if I've gotten my qualification through the normal route, I'll be given membership. Howeever in Canada, you should have been a resident in the country where you've got your qualification. For example, If I've done my ICAEW while holding a South African passport and am not a British citizen nor permanent resident, the membership in ICAEW would not qualify for the purpose of gaining admission in Canadian Chartered. Understand that they might want to restrict Canadians from doing American CPA exams to gain membership in Canadian CA but this is ridiculous. The CGA association is also very difficult, changing rules randomly according to their own whims and fancies. There was a case with one of my friends where they told him that haivng an American CPA will entail him doing only 2 subjects in CGA. He went ahead and did his CPA and once he had finished (only after about 6 months) they told him that he had to do 5 papers and that it'd take about 3 years. Though they have a mutual agreement with ACCA, I'm not sure how it would be at the individual state level. Plain and simple. The Canadian government and immigration agents' websites may potray an image that Canada is a paradise, a land of milk and honey but the job market, employers and recruiters are giving out the clear message to foreigners to stay away from Canada.

I had the intention initially to migrate to Canada but changed my mind once I've heard all the bads about it. In fact, some of the things were confirmed by a couple of my friends who went there. Unless you have strong contacts in Canada or you have the intention ultimately to move to the US, my advice to anyone contemplating migrating to Canada will be to think twice.

Regards

JAJ

That's effectively now the case, if you go to visit the Canadian forums. Regular points tested immigration has an approximate 5 yr wait for U.K. applicants.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Canada_versus_Australia may help you consider the relative pros and cons if Australia is of any interest.

sjl1971

Thanks for taking the time to respond in detail. North America is the preference given the climate (4 seasons etc) and proximity to UK. US seemed much more difficult than Canada. Oz seems very far away and with much less variation in climate. Looks like that may be only option unless want to buy way in Canada (£60,000) and accept a smaller house than originally planned. This is not straightforward.

Thanks again

JAJ

Go to Australia because you want to go to Australia - not just because you can't get into Canada.

But if you want to go to Australia for the right reasons, it has a lot to offer. If you want more of a difference in seasons, why not look at Melbourne, Adelaide or even Canberra. Not having to deal with -20C might be seen by some as a bonus.

Australia is far away though, so be sure that it is for you before you uproot yourself. Have you considered whether or not you would prefer to relocate elsewhere in the U.K./Ireland, try somewhere in Europe (eg Switzerland, Finland etc) or maybe stay where you are?

Blendin

I am a Canadian citizen by birth and a US CPA. The problem is that the requirements to become a CPA are extremely lenient. In some states you could be a licensed CPA without any work experience, other states consider book-keeping as acceptable work experience. The CPA designation should only be awarded to individuals with 2-3 years in public accounting.

There must be a secondary accounting designation in the US, similar to the CGA in Canada, ACCA in UK and CPA in Australia.

It's not fair to equate someone who went through the whole rigorous CA program with someone who is a "CPA" with no prior public accounting experience.

Blendin

By the way, there is an American designation though not directly related to the accounting that is highly respected in Canada....Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
http://www.cfainstitute.org

JAJ

In that case why do the Canadian CAs give mutual recognition to any US CPA?

Depends on the state ... some states have a "Public Accountant" (or similar term) designation but in all but 10 states or so, this is closed to new entrants.