Hi All

I am a CIMA - Qualified finance professional with about 5 years experience. I am currently working as a management accountant and have extensive experience in full cycle accounting .

I am planning my next move to Canada and want to prepare myself for jitters of changing countries.

Can any one advise me on how is the employment scene for CIMA - qualified accountants?

I understand that I can get CMA designation under MRA route with CMA - Canada. Wanted to know if that is a complicated process.

I have not zeroed down on any destination in Canada and would be flexible about first move.

Cheers!!
Pratik

CMA does not exist anymore in most provinces. Where it still does it will be short lived. The profession is in the process of amalgamation. In BC, for example, the legacy associations were discontinued in June this year. We are all now Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA).

Existing MRAs are being honoured. CMA and CIMA have an MRA that expires on May 31, 2017. You can use the terms of that MRA to become a CPA. I am certain that CPA will negotiate new MRAs with associations like CIMA but, obviously, I don't know what the terms will be.

I also do not know what is involved in the CMIA / CMA MRA. (It is probably best to contact CIMA initially). I arrived in Canada before there were any MRAs so I had to start from scratch but I do know that the ACCA/CGA MRA that was later put in place was very straightforward: a weekend course you could do online plus a few hundred dollars fee (there are always fees).

Professional associations are provincial bodies. CPA Canada issues the designations but you become a member of your provincial association.

The best news is that job prospects for qualified accountants are generally good.

Seems a pretty active recruitment market for accountants at the moment. What visa route are you thinking of? Are you young enough for the IEC 2 year working visa? I only ask because the express entry route would likely require a job offer to push your points score over the required amount. We came to Canada some years ago as FSW Cat 1, but I know that under the new scheme (bearing in mind we're that much older now), we wouldn't get unconditional PR status without a LMIA backed job offer. Times have changed and PR visas seem to be a lot more difficult to acquire.

Thanks folks for your replies ..

@ JonBoye - Absolutely correct .. CMA is going out and they informed me that I would be getting CPA until 2017.
Conversion Process is pretty much straight forward.

Heard that Canadian employers don't weigh out of Canada experience equally . So how true is the argument that I might have to start from junior level positions from my current designation in UK?
I am currently working as Management accountant with 4 years of work ex in a consultancy firm.

@ Rivingtonpike - no unfortunately I ain't getting IEC due to age restriction. I am coming under skilled worker class. So will have to keep my fingers crossed after I put my EE profile heard they have provincial nominations.


Regards

Pratik

Employers tend to value Canadian experience most. A Canadian accountant will know when the payroll taxes are due and what WCB means. You have to give them confidence they are not taking a risk hiring someone fresh of the boat. You have the advantage over many other new arrivals in that your experience is in an English speaking country with similar business practices to Canada.

Be sure to have an employment referee who is prepared to speak to a potential employer on the phone.

I think it is a good idea to be flexible. When I came here the BC economy was in the toilet and recruitment people told me it would take six months to find a job at a similar level to my last job in the UK (but to bring enough money to last a year). I took the view that it was better to be working and gaining Canadian experience earning a smaller salary than sitting at home not gaining Canadian experience and not earning a larger salary. It took me less that two weeks to be in work.

Once you have a bit of a track record behind you things will sort themselves out.