BMO
BMO credit card for newcomers
BMO says a newcomer can apply for an unsecured card up to $5,000 with no Canadian credit history, and for a secured card if that application is declined.
Last checked October 19, 2026
Home Trust
Home Trust Secured Visa
A secured Visa that Home Trust explicitly offers to newcomers, students, and others without a conventional Canadian credit file. Your deposit sets the limit. The card is not sold in Quebec.
- Last checked
- October 19, 2026
- Source
- Home Trust, Secured Visa
- Audience
- Permanent residents, Temporary workers, International students
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What we could verify
- Not available in Quebec.
- The limit equals your deposit, from $500 to $10,000. Home Trust says the deposit is held while you have the card and is CDIC-protected.
- No annual fee at 19.99% interest, or a $59 annual fee at 14.90%, charged only if you carry a balance.
- Home Trust says it reports the account to the credit bureau every month.
- You need to be a permanent resident of Canada, the age of majority, not in bankruptcy, and you pay the deposit from a Canadian account in your name.
Home Trust is not a Big Six bank, and that is the point. The product page says the card is for people with untraditional credit histories, and it names newcomers to Canada alongside students and people rebuilding after credit problems. Almost everyone who applies and puts down a deposit is approved, in their words. 'Almost' still means read the decline rules.
The two price options are the clearest rate disclosure we found among secured cards: pay no annual fee and accept 19.99%, or pay $59 a year for 14.90%. If you pay the statement in full, the interest rate is less important than the reporting. The application also says the account cannot be used for a third party. Quebec residents need a different product. Capital One's secured card is the one in this directory that publishes a Quebec rate.
Who it is for
Permanent Canadian resident, age of majority, not currently in bankruptcy, not a Quebec resident, and able to pay the deposit from a Canadian account in your own name.
How to act on it
Apply on the Home Trust Secured Visa page. Have the deposit ready in a Canadian account in your name.
Also in credit cards
Capital One Canada
Capital One Secured Mastercard
A secured Mastercard for building or repairing credit in Canada. You put up security funds. Capital One says approval is guaranteed if you meet four published conditions.
Last checked October 19, 2026
CIBC
CIBC card bundled with the newcomer account
CIBC's newcomer page points you at a Dividend Platinum Visa and a bundle bonus on top of the Smart Account. We are not stating an interest rate because that page does not print one.
Last checked October 19, 2026