[rumimowete]

Hello.

I am an international student based outside the US and would love to travel to write the CPA exam in the US.I studied accounting in the University for 4yrs and i have over 7 years of banking experience. I am also a Chartered Accountant (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN)

What chances do I have in sitting for the CPA exams despite my non-US resident background. kindly advice me on what to do.

Many thanks

[Anonymous]

You do not to travel to the Us to sit for the CPA exam.

[taxgeek83]

Check out the following links – they're a good start to answering any questions you might have:

https://www.aicpa.org/becomeacpa/cpaexam/forcandidates/internationalapplicants/pages/intlapp.aspx

https://www.aicpa.org/BecomeACPA/Licensure/InternationalTopicsFAQs/Pages/International%20Topics%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions.aspx

[nigercpa]

I also have the same certification and worked in the banking industry before moving to the US. Firstly, do a research of all the stares to have an idea of their requirements and make your decision based on the state that has the easiest pathway to get licensed. Also, since your first degree is in accounting, you should be good with the accounting credit requirements and may just have to get a few more courses done to get to the 150 requirements which is pretty standard for all states…. your bachelors will only give you about 120 to 130 hours depending on the evaluation agency you use.(Your transcripts must be evaluated by the state certified evaluation agency). If you have a masters degree, that would get you to the 150 credit hours and you have to evaluate the credentials to get you started. Also be wary of the experience requirements too cos a lot of International students get stuck after passing the exams and are unable to meet the experience requirement to get licensed. My advise is to do an extensive research to get the examination and experience requirements for the states. For instance, some states do not accept International experience and some do, some require that you have a social security number to be licensed. Note that you will not get any exemption with ICAN cos I don't think any state accepts it. Let me know if you have other questions. All the best.

AUD - 87
BEC - 77
FAR - 83
REG - 77

Licensed in 2015

Far - Passed 83
Aud - Passed 84
Bec - Passed 77
Reg- Passed 77

[Yaz88]

best state for international candidates is New Hampshire.

[rumimowete]

thank you all for your responses.Will do an extensive study on the requirements of the states you suggested thanks.

[rumimowete]

Hi guys please i need suggestions on the state with the least restrictions for international students.I am about to do my credential evaluation by nasba and i am required to pick a state of jurisdiction.my challenge is that am yet to have a social security number and currently on a B1/B3 visa.so what state will allow me seat for the cpa exams without a social security number.Need urgent help.thanks

[Son]

rumimowete, I don't believe SSN is a requirement for many states, but in any case NASBA actually offers a service where they evaluate your credentials not for one but for all 50 states to determine which one suits your qualifications and educational background the most. It is just slightly more expensive than the regular evaluation but will give you a much better idea of where to sit for the exam.

may I ask you what made you think of taking the CPA exam in the first place?

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Author]

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