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Canadian Immigrant Checklist
after arriving in Canada
Do You Need More Cash?
You are now a Canadian Immigrant.WELCOME TO THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
This guide will give you information about what to expect on your day of arrival, and the services that are available to you that day and anytime after.
It will help make your transition as a Canadian immigrant as smooth as possible.
DAY OF ARRIVAL Upon entry into Canada you will go through Customs and Immigration where you will be interviewed by an officer for Canadian immigrants. If you have your passport and other essential documents, this will be a straightforward procedure.They might ask you to show proof of your funds.If there are no difficulties, the officer will sign your Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence. You are now officially a Canadian immigrants, a Permanent Resident of Canada.
You will receive a booklet called
Welcome to Canada for Immigrants
. At Toronto, Montréal or Vancouver Airport you can find Canadian immigrant reception services. These services are run by Canadian immigrant-serving organizations who will help you get the information and services you need. There are hundreds of Canadian immigrant-serving organizations in the country. Many are staffed by former Canadian immigrants, who understand the challenges that brand new Canadian immigrants may face and who speak your language. Contact an immigrant-serving organization as soon as you arrive. They can help you with the following: Find a place to live;
Get your Social Insurance Number and health-care card;
Enrol your children in school;
Get language training;
Find a family doctor;
Help you look for a job;
Provide information about free LINC, Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada.You will find all contact information in your Welcome to Canada booklet.
THE FIRST DAYSFINDING A PLACE TO LIVE One of the first things you do is find a place to live. Your first decision will be whether to rent a house or an apartment, or to buy a house. Most new Canadian Immigrants decide they should first rent a house or apartment. Being single, when I came to Canada I rented a room at the Toronto
YMCA/YWCA
Renting a place
You can rent furnished and unfurnished rooms, apartments or houses. Some will include a fridge and stove, some will not.
Search the classified advertisements in local newspapers;
Ask friends and family already living in the area for advice:
Look for "Vacancy" or "For Rent" signs on houses and apartment buildings in areas you like to live;
Ask an Canadian immigrant-serving organization in the area where you plan to settle for help.
Signing a lease
A lease is a legal document that describes the rental property, the utilities included and the options, such as animals, parking and storage. Most apartments are leased by the year, although some are rented monthly. Most require the first and last month's rent when you sign the lease.Read it over carefully before you sign it. Be sure you know what the monthly rent payment includes (water, electricity, heat, parking). Do you have to pay a fee if you leave before the term is over. You might have to provide a Canadian reference or to have a co-signer sign the lease to guarantee your financial commitment.
Contact one of the Canadian Immigrant serving groups or someone you know and trust who can help you. Once you sign the lease, it is a legal document.
Plan on spending 35 to 50 percent of your income on housing, electricity, heating, telephone service and water.
Buying a house
If you want to buy a house, unless you can pay the full price, you will need to get a long-term loan called a mortgage. Mortgage loans are provided by banks and other financial institutions. They decide whether the borrower has enough income, more assets than debts, and a good credit rating. Most will ask you to pay at least 10 percent of the cost of the house from your own money. APPLYING FOR A HEALTH INSURANCE CARD One of the most important things you need to do as a new Canadian Immigrant is to apply for a health insurance card. Allmembers of your family, even newborn babies, must have their own card. You can get an application form from the provincialministry of health office, any doctor's office, a hospital or a pharmacy. If necessary, the Canadian immigrant-serving organization inyour area can help you fill out the form. To apply for a health card, you will need your birth certificate or Confirmation ofPermanent Residence (IMM 5292) and passport. The Permanent Resident Card may also be presented. In most provinces, you will receive coverage as soon as you apply. In Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Quebec, there is a three-month waiting period before you become eligible for medicare coverage. If you are immigrating to any of these provinces, you should get private, short-term health-care insurance for the first three months. Insurance companies are listed in the Yellow Pages of all Canadian telephone books, under "Insurance."
Health Care services that are covered
Family doctor and speciatist treatment;
hospital care, X-rays and laboratory tests.
Health Care services that are not covered
Ambulance services;
Prescription drugs;
Dental care:
Glasses and contact lenses. APPLYING FOR A SOCIAL INSURANCE NUMBER To work in Canada, you must have a Social Insurance Number (SIN). This is a nine-digit number that you will need to look for a job and to receive government benefits.
Social Insurance Number Application for Canadian Immigrants
FINDING EMPLOYMENT
In Canada, full-time jobs are common. However, a growing number of people have part-time or short-term jobs.
New immigrants often must start with jobs below their skill level. Once you have some Canadian job experience and your ability to speak in English or French improves, so do the job prospects.
About 20 percent of jobs are regulated by the government to protect public health and safety. For example, nurses,
doctors, engineers, teachers and electricians all work in regulated professions. If you want to work in regulated jobs, you need to get a licence from the regulatory body in the province in which you live. I was a registered nurse in Holland, so shortly after I came over, I applied for and wrote my Canadian RN test, passed, and received my licence to work as a Registered Nurse in Canada.
Canadian Immigration Centre for International Credentials
Job Bank
Service Canada
Career and labor market information
Employment information and labor trends
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT CANADA
Canada has 10 provinces and three territories. Canada is over over 7,000 kilometres from east to west, and has about 31 million people. In 2001 there were 5,448,490 immigrants living in Canada. Ottawa is Canada's capital city, with a population of nearly one million. Canada's largest cities are Toronto, Ontario (4.4 million people); Montréal, Quebec (3.4 million); and Vancouver, British Columbia (1.9 million).
Canada has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring is rainy in most of Canada with rising temperatures during the day and cool nights. Summer is very warm in most parts of the country with temperatures above 20°C, sometimes above 30°C. Autumn or fall, begins in September. It gets cooler, the leaves on many trees change colour, from green to purple, deep yellow and beautiful red. In some parts of Canada, it starts to snow by late October. Average daytime temperatures are about 10°C to 12°C. During winter in most of the country it usually stays below 0°C, day and night and in some parts of the country dropping below -25°C. Along the West Coast, the temperature rarely drops below 0°C. In most of Canada, snow will be on the ground from mid-December to the middle of March.
Weather Office
Statistics Canada
ECONOMY
Canada has a diversified economy. Natural resources industries, such as forestry, mining, oil and gas extraction, farming and
fishing, are important sources of jobs and export earnings. Canada is also a world leader in the fields of telecommunications, biotechnology, aerospace technologies and pharmaceuticals. More and more jobs involve work in service
industries or in information technology. Along with the United States and Mexico, Canada is a partner in the North American
Free Trade Agreement.
Canada has a decimal system of currency. The Canadian dollar is the basic unit of money. The most common paper bills are the $5, $10 and $20, but $50 and $100 bills are also used. Canadian coins include the penny (one cent), nickel (five cents), dime (10 cents), quarter (25 cents), loonie ($1) and toonie ($2).
GOVERNMENT
Canada is a federation, with a parliamentary system of government. The powers and responsibilities are divided between the federal government and the 10 provincial governments. Canada also has three territorial jurisdictions. Canada has three levels of government: federal, provincial and municipal (cities and towns). These governments are elected by the citizens of Canada.
THE FRANCOPHONE POPULATION
French is the mother tongue of 6.6 million Canadians. Most Francophones live in Quebec, but almost one million Francophones live in Canada's other provinces and territories.
Commissioner of Official Languages
Information on Francophone communities outside of Quebec
ADAPTING TO LIFE IN CANADA The best way for a newly arrived Canadian immigrant to adapt to your new country is to get involved in your community. Regardless of your interests, contributing to your society is rewarding and is appreciated by others who, like you, are proud to make Canada their home.Getting involved in volunteer activities is an excellent way to meet new people, make friends, and learn about Canadian customs. Try to speak English or French as much as possible, even if you make mistakes. Ask questions when you need help.
WELCOME TO CANADA, YOUR NEW HOMEDisclaimer: This webpage is an online information service for Canadian Immigrants provided by www.the-happy-immigrant.comSome of the information presented here is based on my own experience. In order to provide information as accurate and up to date as possible, much of the information has been taken from the official Citizenship and Immigration Canada website. This information is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
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