Points to remember upon landing in Canada as a Newcomer

Anyone who is planning to build a new life in Canada as a permanent resident, must ensure about gathering required information. By the information, we mean that just knowing just about the Canada immigration application process is not enough, you should know post-landing requirements as well.

Why we are emphasizing on things you must know after landing in Canada is to make the process much simpler for you and your accompanying family members (if any).

For your surprise, you'll not face much difficultly in Canada because the country offers a lot of settlement services to its newcomers. The reason behind providing such professional immigrant settlement services is a long history of Canada immigration.

Immigrants are indeed the backbone of Canadian economy and prosperity and the country majorly rely on immigrants in different sectors like, agriculture, hospitality, science and technology, healthcare and more.

In you have a plan to immigrate to Canada this year, then you must keep following things in mind once you arrive in Canada as a new immigrant:

• Accommodation- The first this is to find a place where you can stay temporarily upon arrival in Canada. For this, you may book a temporary accommodation, like a hostel or hotel as they are great housing option for short-period. Also, you may book a room online. 

Once you are sure about the area where you'll be staying in future, you can find a permanent accommodation there.

• Get PR card- A permanent resident (PR) card is an official proof that you have got a PR status in Canada. As a new permanent resident, the authorities will issue you a card automatically via mail upon your arrival in Canada. In case you have a plan to travel, then it is mandatory for you to carry a PR card as a proof of your PR status so that you can return to Canada easily. 
• Get a Health Insurance- As a permanent resident of Canada you can apply for public health insurance. Each territory and province in Canada has its own health insurance plan. Once you finalize as to in which province you'll live and work, you can quickly research about health insurance plan covered by that particular province. 

Also, there are a few provinces that require a new immigrant to wait for up to 3 months before receiving health insurance. In this case, you can also purchase a private insurance to cover all your healthcare expenses while waiting.

• Get a SIN (Social Insurance Number)- SIN is required to work in Canada. Therefore, we recommend you to apply for a SIN as soon as you land in Canada. It's a nine-digit number, which is require to avail benefits and programs provided by the government. For application, you need to have an original ID proof and PR card or COPR (confirmation of permanent residence). 
• Open a Bank Account- Upon arrival, it is advisable to open your Canadian bank account. In fact, you can open your personal bank account even before you get a job, or even without your permanent address in Canada. 
• Get credentials assessment- It is very important for you to get your training and skills assessed in Canada so that you can find a job easily. An assessment can be done for your foreign educational credentials which you have gained outside of Canada, like, certificate, diploma, degree, etc. 
• Work upon your language skills- Canada has two official languages and by sharpening your proficiency on any one can help you communicate and settle down as a newcomers in Canada easily. 
• Find a Job- You must find a right job and know about the process to get a job, Canada's workplace standards and culture. 

You can also access different resources designed to help you find a better job in Canada, like: 

• Immigrant-serving organizations that offer résumé writing workshop as well as training sessions for job search
• Job Bank that offer free career & occupational information including, available jobs, key duties, wages, employment trends, and more
• Service Canada that provide important information about how to find and apply for job in Canada
• Website of any province or territory for newcomers 

• Apply for Federal Internship - Once you become a permanent resident of Canada, you can qualify to apply for Federal Internship for Newcomers (FIN) Program. Under this program, you can work in Canada on a temporary basis and gain relevant Canadian work experience.

Under FIN, a new immigrant can:

• Understand job application and hiring process
• Understand workplace culture
• Build a network with employers and professionals across Canada
• Gain hands-on training and attend special training sessions 

• Connect with community- Since immigrating to a new country is a big decision, especially if a person doesn't have any acquaintances in the new country, connecting with people around them is important. There are a lot of immigrant-serving organizations that help you as a newcomers better connect with existing immigrants and Canadians. You can choose to volunteer in any local community centre, schools, charitable organizations or social clubs, in your area. Additionally, these organizations also help you in finding an accommodation, better job, enrolling children in school, and much more. 

All these points are very important and you must keep them in mind upon arriving in Canada. But, before that you must focus on the first stage, which is to properly understand the Canada PR process and requirements.  

In case you need any assistance with your Canada immigration application, you may connect with our team of visa and immigration advisors at Visas Avenue. We are a leading consultancy company in India and have been assisting aspiring immigrants achieve their Canada immigration dreams for years. 

You may fill our free online assessment form and discover the best immigration option. Upon submission, one of our team members will connect with you over a phone call within 2-3 business days along with a detailed profile assessment report.