First steps after landing in Canada: the first 30 days, in order
The landing itself takes ten minutes. What follows is a month of registrations that each depend on the one before, and newcomers who do them in the wrong order lose weeks. This guide is the sequence we give clients the day their confirmation of permanent residence is signed: what to do in the first week, the first month and the first quarter, what documents each office wants, and the two immigration obligations that start the moment you land.
Key takeaways
The first 30 days in Canada are a chain of registrations: SIN first, then bank, phone and health card, then licence, CRA and doctor. The PR card takes about 40 days once IRCC has your address; keep the COPR safe and stay in Canada until the card arrives. The residency obligation and, for workers, the permit expiry start on day one.
- Day 1 to 3: SIN, bank account, phone. Each unlocks the next.
- Week 1 to 2: provincial health registration; private cover for any waiting period.
- Week 2 to 6: licence exchange, credit card, CRA account, doctor, schools.
- PR card: address to IRCC within 180 days, about 40 days to issue, no flights out until it is in hand.
- Immigration obligations start now: 730 days in five years; workers diarise the permit expiry.
The first three days
Social Insurance Number
The SIN is the nine-digit number that lets you work, be paid, file tax and receive benefits. Apply in person at a Service Canada office with your passport and your immigration document (the signed confirmation of permanent residence, or your work or study permit), and it is issued while you wait; online applications take a few days. Permanent residents receive a permanent number; temporary residents receive one beginning with 9 that expires with the permit. Employers cannot legally pay you without it, so it comes before everything else. Never carry the card or share the number except with an employer, bank or government body that has a legal reason to ask.
Bank account
Every major bank offers a newcomer package: a no-fee chequing account for a year or two, a credit card with no credit history required, and sometimes a small cash incentive. You need your passport, immigration document and, ideally, the SIN. Open it before you rent, because landlords want to see a Canadian account, and before payroll, because pay is deposited, not handed over. Wire money from home rather than carrying it.
A Canadian phone number
Every registration that follows sends a verification code to a Canadian mobile number, and the provincial health office, the bank and the licensing counter will ask for one. A prepaid SIM on day one is fine; move to a plan once you have an address and a credit card.
The first two weeks
Provincial health coverage
| Province | Plan | When coverage starts for newcomers | What to bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) | From the date you become a resident, once registered | Immigration document, photo ID, proof of Alberta address |
| British Columbia | Medical Services Plan (MSP) | After a wait of up to three months | Immigration document, ID; apply immediately and hold private insurance |
| Ontario | OHIP | From arrival for eligible newcomers, once registered | Immigration document, ID, proof of address |
| Saskatchewan, Manitoba | Provincial plans | From arrival or the first of the month, once registered | Immigration document, ID, address |
| Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, Newfoundland | Provincial plans | From arrival to a short wait; varies | Immigration document, ID, address |
| Quebec | RAMQ | After a three-month wait for most | Outside our practice |
Register in the first week even where there is a waiting period, because the wait runs from residency, not from registration. Working Holiday participants and most visitors are not eligible and must hold private insurance throughout.
Give IRCC your address for the PR card
If you landed without a permanent Canadian address, you have 180 days to provide one through IRCC's online address tool; the first PR card is mailed to it, with IRCC publishing about 40 days. If you landed inside Canada through the PR confirmation portal, the address you confirmed there is used. Until the card arrives, the signed COPR or eCoPR is your proof of status; keep it safe, photograph it, and do not leave Canada, because you cannot board a flight back without the card or a permanent resident travel document.
The first six weeks
Driver's licence
Foreign licences are valid for a short grace period after you become a resident, typically 60 to 90 days depending on the province. Alberta and BC exchange licences from a list of countries (including the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, the US, Japan and South Korea) without a road test; others require a knowledge test and one or two road tests, with a graduated licence in between. In every case, bring a driving abstract or letter of driving history from your home authority: it credits your experience and reduces insurance premiums, which for a newcomer without Canadian history can otherwise be steep.
Credit history
Nothing follows you. Use the newcomer credit card for small purchases and pay it in full monthly, put the phone or a utility in your name, and by month six you have a file that landlords, dealers and, in time, mortgage lenders can read. Do not apply for several cards at once; each application is a hard check.
CRA My Account and benefits
You are a tax resident from the day you establish residential ties, and you will file a return the following spring covering income from arrival. Filing is also how the Canada Child Benefit and the GST/HST credit are paid, so families should apply for the CCB as soon as they land (the form can be filed before a first return) and everyone should file even with little income. Register for CRA My Account once you have a SIN; it is where notices, benefits and, later, the proof of tax filing for citizenship live.
A family doctor, a pharmacy, schools
Family doctors have waiting lists in most cities; register with the provincial finder in your first month and use walk-in clinics meanwhile. Transfer prescriptions using generic names. School boards enrol on proof of address, immunisation records and the immigration document; register early, especially in smaller communities where classes fill.
The immigration obligations that start on day one
Two clocks started when you landed
For workers rather than permanent residents, the list is longer. Diarise the permit expiry, note the month you will have 12 months of skilled Canadian experience, keep pay stubs and a duties-based reference letter from the start, and plan the route to PR now rather than in the last quarter of the permit; our guide to moving from temporary resident to permanent resident sets out the sequence, and maintained status explains why applying before expiry is everything.
The first 90 days at a glance
| When | Task | Depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 to 3 | SIN at Service Canada | Passport, COPR or permit |
| Day 1 to 3 | Bank account and newcomer credit card | Passport, immigration document, SIN |
| Day 1 to 3 | Canadian phone number | ID; a card once you have one |
| Week 1 | Provincial health registration | Immigration document, proof of address |
| Week 1 | IRCC address for the PR card (if not given at landing) | Online tool, within 180 days |
| Week 2 to 6 | Driver's licence exchange or tests | Foreign licence, driving abstract, ID, address |
| Week 2 to 4 | Canada Child Benefit application; CRA My Account | SIN, address, children's documents |
| Month 1 | Family doctor registration, pharmacy, school enrolment | Health card, address, immunisation records |
| Month 1 to 2 | Tenant, car and life insurance | Driving history for car insurance |
| Month 2 | PR card received; check the details on it | Address on file |
| Month 3 | Review the immigration list: travel record started, permit dates diarised (workers), citizenship count begun | Nothing; discipline |
Where we are, and what we can help with
Wild Mountain Immigration is based in Canmore, Alberta, and most of the settlement steps above are ones we walk clients through by video the week they land, with the Alberta specifics: AHCIP from arrival, the licence exchange list, and the Bow Valley's housing realities covered in our moving to Canmoreguide. The immigration side, the PR card, the residency obligation, a worker's route to PR and, in time, citizenship, is what we do; banking, tax and housing are pointers to the right people. The full pre-departure list is in the moving to Canada checklist.
Compliance note. Wild Mountain Immigration is a licensed RCIC practice (CICC R706497). Provincial rules, waiting periods and licence lists change; confirm with the province. Tax and banking points are general information, not professional advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the first thing to do after landing in Canada?
Get your Social Insurance Number. It is issued on the spot at a Service Canada office with your passport and immigration document (COPR or permit), or online, and nothing else, work, pay, tax, benefits, moves without it. Then a bank account and a Canadian phone number, in that order, because every later registration sends a code to the phone and every payment runs through the account.
When do I get my PR card after landing?
IRCC publishes about 40 days for a first PR card once your Canadian address is on file. If you landed at an airport or border without a permanent address, you have 180 days to provide one online. Until the card arrives, your signed confirmation of permanent residence (COPR) or the eCoPR is your proof of status; do not travel outside Canada until you hold the card, because you cannot board a flight back without it or a PRTD.
How soon can I get provincial health coverage?
Alberta and Ontario cover eligible newcomers from the date they become residents once registered; British Columbia has a wait of up to three months; Quebec three months for most. Register in your first week, bring your immigration document and proof of address, and hold private insurance for any gap.
Do I have to file a Canadian tax return in my first year?
You become a tax resident on the day you establish residential ties, and you file a return for that year the following spring, reporting worldwide income from your arrival date. Filing is also how you receive the Canada Child Benefit and the GST/HST credit, so file even with little income. Register for a CRA My Account once you have a SIN and a filed return or a security code.
How long can I drive on my foreign licence?
Typically 60 to 90 days after becoming a resident, depending on the province, with an International Driving Permit if the licence is not in English or French. After that you need a provincial licence. Several countries exchange without a test in Alberta and BC; others require knowledge and road tests. Bring a driving abstract or letter of driving history; it shortens the process and cuts insurance costs.
What should new workers, not permanent residents, do differently?
The same first-week list applies (SIN, bank, phone, health card where eligible), with two differences: your SIN starts with a 9 and expires with your permit, and your immigration to-do list starts on day one, not day 300. Diarise the permit expiry, note the date you will have 12 months of Canadian experience, and plan the PR route; see our guide to moving from temporary resident to permanent resident.
When does the residency obligation start?
The day you land. From then, you must be physically in Canada for at least 730 days in every rolling five-year period to keep permanent residence. Keep a record of every trip out from your first week; you will need it for the PR card renewal in five years and for citizenship.
How do I build credit as a newcomer?
Open a bank account with a newcomer package, take the secured or newcomer credit card that comes with it, put a phone plan or utility in your name, use the card for small purchases and pay it in full each month. Canadian credit history starts at zero on arrival regardless of your record abroad, and landlords and lenders check it; six months of clean history is usually enough for a normal card.
Landed, and want the immigration list handled while you settle?
A licensed RCIC in Alberta keeps the PR card, the residency count and, for workers, the route to PR on track from day one.