Hi there! If you are traveling to Canada, you are welcome here! I understand there are a lot of questions in your mind while you are planning for the travel. Based on my own experience and seeing others for almost a decade in Canada I have listed a few most important TODOs you may need to keep in mind while you are traveling.
This blog will help the New Commers in Canada regarding Essential Pre & Post landing TODOs, Accommodation, Food, Transportation, University Study, Financial and Insurance
som@somspeaks.com
Disclaimer: This guidance is to help you get quickly settled in the city and be part of the great Canadian culture. All recommendations are unbiased. Feel free to consider or ignore as per your choice.
First Week (After Landing)
(very very Important to complete these ASAP by the first week of landing)
- Get a phone number with a data plan ASAP after you land. everything is online and Google is as necessary as oxygen.
- Get a public transport card/app activated. if Toronto then Presto if Calgary then Calgary Transit
- Get warm clothing by Day 1 or 2 of arrival. (If you are landing in Winter)
- Join a few local FB groups based on the cities you are traveling to. Toronto & GTA Indians and for “Calgary Indians” click here FB group for Socializing, knowing your city, Settling in Canada, and Rental queries.
- Get a Bank account and apply for a Credit card ( Day 1 or 2)
- SIN number: Get SIN from Service Canada within 3-4 days of your landing. Don’t go just the next day. Your landing info takes 1-2 days to propagate into other systems.
- Apply for a Canada personal ID card if you don’t have a plan for a driving license soon. Otherwise, you have to carry your passport everywhere
- Apply for a Health Card (Just after you receive SIN)
- If you are joining your work in the first week then make sure you visit your office location by public transport and understand how to reach, how long it takes etc. so your first-day commute to office will be smooth
- Know the locality by checking nearby places like Train/Bus stations and routes, Grocery, Hospitals, Family Physicians, Schools, shopping centers, banks, atm, and gas stations. everything you can check on Google Maps
- On Facebook, local groups ask for suggestions cross-check, and validate before you decide anything.
Second Week
- If by chance any points are due from Week 1 then urgently complete that
- Socialize with the local community, and meet native ppl in person. participate in social and community events and get to know about the lifestyle in your city. and adapt accordingly. Other than mandatory things for a living don’t spend much on shopping in the first month. Anyways for food and commuting to new places you will spend more in restaurants, Airbnb, and Uber.
- Get long-term accommodation confirmation for 6 months or 1yr if you’re taking a rental. for peace of mind.
- Explore daily food and cooking options
- Find the best way to commute to your workplace and nearby shopping centers
- If you have driving license abstract then apply for G1
- If you are in temporary accommodation for a very short time then start looking for local rental. rentfaster.com and Facebook groups for rentals. If you have at least booking for 3-6 months then ignore this point
Week 3-4: Just socialize and know your area. Travel to nearby places and enjoy the new place, new culture, and new people around you.
Join the “Toronto & GTA Indians” click here “Calgary Indians” click here FB group for Socializing, Rental queries, Settling in canada.
Calgary Indian Market place click here
Next Month ( Contact if you need guidance and professional Advisory in the below areas)
- Set an appointment with a financial advisor in your bank and get guidance for saving and investments eventually
- If you are with the family the insurance advisor is indispensable
- Work permit or job-related queries meet an advisor
- Rental or property-related queries
- Car rental or purchase
- Job search and training
- Any queries on settling in the city please feel free to drop a note to som@somspeaks.com
Quick question about the University of Calgary programs? The recommended way is to talk to the university directly. However, being a University student I can guide you with any simple one.
Som is a Cloud Infrastructure Architect, Public Speaker, and a Technical Consultant working in an MNC. He has around 15 years of accomplishments in IT solutions delivery for various financial institutions across the globe.
Som is the founder of “e2e Solution Architect“ and Udemy instructor. End to End Solution Architect is an educational forum for Data Science, Machine Learning, and end-to-end Cloud solutions for large-scale production environments.
