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What is Deemed Membership?

Deemed Membership applies to individuals who are already certified as CPAs in a province or territory of Canada other than Ontario and who seek to become members in Ontario pursuant to the “As of Right” legislation under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, S.O. 2009 (the “OLMA”). Members accepted under deemed membership may begin working in Ontario using the CPA designation within 10 business days after your eligibility has been confirmed by CPA Ontario. This process allows qualified members of other Canadian provincial and territorial bodies the ability to hold deemed membership for six months in Ontario while they complete their provincial transfer process in advance of the six month expiry.

Important: Deemed membership is temporary and available only once. To continue using the CPA designation after six months in Ontario, deemed members must complete the provincial transfer process.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for deemed membership you must:

  • Be a CPA member in good standing with another Canadian provincial and territorial body
  • Have not been refused membership within the past two years
  • Not been found guilty of an offence
  • Not be facing any misconduct proceedings
  • Have no findings of professional misconduct/incompetence
  • Provide CPA Ontario with a copy of your membership certificate

How to Apply

  • Step 1 – Email CPA Ontario
    • Send us an email with the subject line: “Deemed Membership”. We will provide you with your login details to My Portal to provide the information required under the As of Right legislation.
  • Step 2 - Complete your As of Right Submission
    • Log into My Portal to submit the online submission for deemed membership. You will be required to provide the information as detailed in paragraph 3A of Regulation 7-1.

After You Apply

Once you have submitted your request for deemed membership, you can check the status online. When your request is confirmed, you will receive an email notifying you that your deemed membership period has started. It is important to remember that deemed membership is temporary. You are required to complete the provincial transfer process in order to continue to use the CPA designation prior to the expiry of your deemed membership. Members of other Canadian provincial and territorial bodies can also obtain deemed licensure if they hold equivalent licensure in their home Canadian provincial and territorial body. To complete your full provincial transfer application, you must maintain your membership with your home jurisdiction.