Tips for your First Days in Canada
Consejos para tus Primeros Días en Canadá
Conseils pour tes premiers jours au Canada
More and more of the friends I have made from Canadian immigration whatsapp groups are landing and/or moving over these days! Here are my pointers on what to do in the first days after landing. Note that some of this is Toronto-specific but hopefully will still be helpful for those settling elsewhere.
Before the trip, be sure to fill out Forms BSF 186 and BSF 186a for what doesn't fit on BSF 186, for goods accompanying and goods to follow. You don't necessarily need to bring all the items listed in your goods to follow, so it's better to list more things than you end up bringing at a later time than to list too few.
If you will be in Canada when your PR card arrives (usually around 2 months after applying; 3-4 months if you later receive photo request), provide a Canadian address in order to get your PR card application started, even if it is a temporary address. You can update your address at any time here or by calling 1-888-242-2100 if you get an error on the webpage.
I went to the one at 777 Bay Street. COVID-19 update as of November 2020: a new immigrant staying in Toronto informed me that the 777 Bay Street location requires an appointment and is booked for the next 2 months, so you might need to look for another location that is open and available sooner.
The wait can be long. You can try making an appointment if you'd like. It's better to arrive as early in the day as possible and also in the middle of the week to be less crowded.
You must bring your driver's license, abstract, and ID (passport and COPR fine). You would also need to give a Canadian address. You will get a temporary drivers license paper card; the permanent license will be mailed to the address you give in anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months.
See here for full details if you are settling in Ontario:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/exchange-out-province-drivers-licence
Service Ontario can connect with most US states' departments of licensing and verify your info as long as you have a driver's license number and the state, so if you were licensed in another state but aren't able to get an abstract in time, if you give them your license number they might be able to look up your info and give you more years of experience. And you do want as many years of experience as possible because even though only 2 is required to exchange for full G license, the more years you have on your official record the lower your insurance rates will be. And auto insurance is very expensive in Ontario.
I moved from New York, and this is what I got from New York:
https://dmv.ny.gov/get-my-own-lifetime-driving-record
1) Login to CIC account.
2) Go to section "Link an existing application to this account". Click on "Link application to this account" button.
3) Select category as PR Card
4) Select "Unique Client Identifier (UCI) and Family Name"
5) Fill required details (please make sure capital, small, comma etc.)
6) Provide landing date in "Date you became a permanent resident"
7) Click on search my application.
8) after application searched make sure you submit application else not linked.
If you have trouble linking, first make sure you enter your birth city exactly as it is written in your passport, including punctuation marks if any. If that still does not work, enter your birth city exactly as it appears in eAPR or GCMS; if your birth city is very long, it was probably truncated for the PR card.
One you have successfully linked your application it will shown you as "Submitted" status and once it is ready for dispatch it will go into "Approved" status.
If you receive any photo request, then the status will not change. Regularly check PR card processing time on CIC website as photo request or PR card approval both come in last 5-10 days (i.e if processing time is 63 days then after 55 days you will be able to see some movement.)
Quarantine - COVID-19 update as of November 2020
The COVID-19 situation changes constantly; check this page for the travel situation, this page for current updates and announcements, a comprehensive page of links to governmental resources and updates. As of November 2020, anyone arriving in Canada from outside the country must quarantine for 14 days. Be sure to plan for your quarantine ahead of time. You will need to stay in your lodging the entire time; you are not allowed to go out even to get food or take a walk. When you arrive at the airport, you will be asked specifics about your plans for quarantine and where you will be staying. Many people have also been called one or more times by government officials during their quarantine to ensure that they are still abiding by quarantine rules.
Most people book an airbnb for the 14 day quarantine (and often longer to allow for sufficient time to find more permanent accommodations). It must be an entire apartment for yourself, not shared accommodations. You will want to find accommodations that have a comfortable bed (although it is hard to determine this in advance), a desk, at least one comfortable chair, functioning refrigerator and microwave. It does not need to be spacious (unless you require a lot of space), but it should not be too cramped, as this is where you will be staying continuously for the first 14 days. Be very wary of descriptions that include the word "cozy", which often is a euphemism for "extremely small." Read the reviews, taking particular note of negative reviews. Most importantly, make sure the place has reliable high speed internet.
Common resources to order food for delivery during quarantine (and beyond!), with referral links when available (to save you some money!):
- Instacart - order from a variety of local grocery stores for delivery. $10 off your first order if you sign up with this referral link
- Amazon - many shelf stable foods are available
- DoorDash
- UberEats
- SkipTheDishes
At Landing
When you land, make sure the immigration officer fills out the section under Date Became PR On. The one that did my landing forgot to fill it out, and I found out this was an issue when I first tried to apply for a health card and was told that I could not use my COPR because that section was not filled out, and I would need to go to immigration to get it filled out or wait for my PR card to arrive. But fortunately I was able to get that section filled out at the Canadian border when I came back by bus from a short trip to the US I had to take to close on the sale of my real estate, and then a few days later my PR card arrived, only 49 days after I had landed.Before the trip, be sure to fill out Forms BSF 186 and BSF 186a for what doesn't fit on BSF 186, for goods accompanying and goods to follow. You don't necessarily need to bring all the items listed in your goods to follow, so it's better to list more things than you end up bringing at a later time than to list too few.
If you will be in Canada when your PR card arrives (usually around 2 months after applying; 3-4 months if you later receive photo request), provide a Canadian address in order to get your PR card application started, even if it is a temporary address. You can update your address at any time here or by calling 1-888-242-2100 if you get an error on the webpage.
Social Insurance Number
If you are landing by plane during business-ish hours, get a SIN number at the airport if you can. If you can't, no worries, get it at your nearest Service Canada the next business day. I went to the one inside City Hall the next day. It was quick and painless. COVID-19 update as of November 2020: now you must either apply online or make an appointment to go in to apply in person. It can take a week or two to get an appointment, so make the appointment during quarantine for a time right after quarantine.Driver's License
If you are moving to Ontario, go to the nearest Service Ontario to exchange your driver's license.I went to the one at 777 Bay Street. COVID-19 update as of November 2020: a new immigrant staying in Toronto informed me that the 777 Bay Street location requires an appointment and is booked for the next 2 months, so you might need to look for another location that is open and available sooner.
The wait can be long. You can try making an appointment if you'd like. It's better to arrive as early in the day as possible and also in the middle of the week to be less crowded.
You must bring your driver's license, abstract, and ID (passport and COPR fine). You would also need to give a Canadian address. You will get a temporary drivers license paper card; the permanent license will be mailed to the address you give in anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months.
See here for full details if you are settling in Ontario:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/exchange-out-province-drivers-licence
Service Ontario can connect with most US states' departments of licensing and verify your info as long as you have a driver's license number and the state, so if you were licensed in another state but aren't able to get an abstract in time, if you give them your license number they might be able to look up your info and give you more years of experience. And you do want as many years of experience as possible because even though only 2 is required to exchange for full G license, the more years you have on your official record the lower your insurance rates will be. And auto insurance is very expensive in Ontario.
I moved from New York, and this is what I got from New York:
https://dmv.ny.gov/get-my-own-lifetime-driving-record
Paying for Things in the Beginning
If you have a US credit card with no foreign transaction fee, use that whenever you can over here. Credit cards give the best exchange rates, the rates that the banks use with each other, not the marked up rates they give to customers wanting to do currency exchange. But of course that no longer helps if the credit card charges foreign transaction fee, so do call your credit card company if you're unsure. While you're on the phone with them, make sure you tell them you will be going to Canada or update your address of record to your new Canadian address if you have it, so they don't put a security block on your card. Most places do take credit cards here.Bank Accounts
See my other post hereCurrency Exchange
See my other post hereSigning up for Phone Service
Most but not all TTC stations have Wi-Fi. However, the Wi-Fi does not always work. Many buildings downtown have Wi-Fi, including banks. All public libraries do. City Hall does. So it is important to sign up for phone service soon, but it is not super urgent, so do shop around for the best deal. Try to bring an unlocked phone if you can. If not, some offers include a free phone with contract.Transportation - PRESTO card
If you will be moving to the Toronto area or any major city in Ontario, get a PRESTO card as soon as possible. It costs $6 to buy the card, but after that, you get the better fares and can reload it via credit card. Go to any Shoppers Drugmart or find a customer service outlet here: https://www.prestocard.ca/en/find-an-outlet/customer-service-outletsHealth Card
Apply for OHIP after you move permanently. You will need to show proof of address and put the date when you moved permanently to Ontario. You aren't eligible until 3 calendar months after moving permanently to Ontario anyway. COVID-19 update as of November 2020: the 3 month waiting period has been waived as of March 19, 2020. But if you move to some other provinces like Nova Scotia, I think you are eligible as soon as you move there permanently. Either way, apply for health card after you move permanently to the province you decide on.
If you apply for OHIP before you have lived in Ontario for 3 months, you will receive your health card a few days to a week before your 3 month anniversary. After you receive your card, you can use Health Care Connect to be assigned to a primary care physician.
Links to all provincial and territorial ministries of health:
Check PR Card Status
Link your PR card application to your CIC account by following these steps:1) Login to CIC account.
2) Go to section "Link an existing application to this account". Click on "Link application to this account" button.
3) Select category as PR Card
4) Select "Unique Client Identifier (UCI) and Family Name"
5) Fill required details (please make sure capital, small, comma etc.)
6) Provide landing date in "Date you became a permanent resident"
7) Click on search my application.
8) after application searched make sure you submit application else not linked.
If you have trouble linking, first make sure you enter your birth city exactly as it is written in your passport, including punctuation marks if any. If that still does not work, enter your birth city exactly as it appears in eAPR or GCMS; if your birth city is very long, it was probably truncated for the PR card.
One you have successfully linked your application it will shown you as "Submitted" status and once it is ready for dispatch it will go into "Approved" status.
If you receive any photo request, then the status will not change. Regularly check PR card processing time on CIC website as photo request or PR card approval both come in last 5-10 days (i.e if processing time is 63 days then after 55 days you will be able to see some movement.)
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