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Your first 30 days in Canada: a checklist

Last reviewed: October 19, 2026

This list covers five things most newcomers sort out in their first month: a Social Insurance Number, a provincial health card, a bank account, a phone, and a place to live. You don't have to do them in exactly this order, but each step makes the next one easier.

Get Settled is an independent directory. Nothing here is legal, tax, immigration or financial advice. Rules change, so check the official page linked in each step before you act.

Week 1

1. Apply for your Social Insurance Number (SIN)

  • You need a SIN to work in Canada and to get many government benefits.
  • Applying is free. Anyone who charges you to "get" a SIN is not the government.
  • Service Canada no longer issues a plastic SIN card.
  • Permanent and temporary residents can apply online, by mail or in person. The apply page lists the exact documents for your situation.
  • Keep your SIN private. A landlord doesn't need it to rent you an apartment.

Official source: Service Canada, Social Insurance Number: Apply · SIN overview

2. Get a phone number

Banks, employers and landlords will want a Canadian number to reach you. Prepaid plans let you start without a credit check. See our guide: Getting your first Canadian phone plan.

3. Open a bank account

You have a legal right to open a basic personal bank account, even with no job and no money to deposit right away, as long as you can prove who you are. See Opening a bank account as a newcomer.

Official source: FCAC, Opening a bank account

Weeks 1–2: Apply for your provincial health card

Health coverage is run by each province and territory. Apply as soon as you have an address there.

Ontario (OHIP)

  • Ontario has no waiting period for OHIP if you qualify. Eligible people are covered right away.
  • You apply in person at a ServiceOntario centre with a completed registration form and three documents: proof of citizenship or eligible immigration status, proof you live in Ontario, and proof of identity. Bring originals.
  • OHIP covers medically necessary doctor and hospital care. Drugs, dental and vision care are separate programs with their own rules.
  • International students: read the "who qualifies" section carefully before you assume you're covered.

Official sources: Ontario, Apply for OHIP and get a health card · What OHIP covers · ServiceOntario

Other provinces

General background: IRCC, Learn about health care in Canada

Weeks 2–4: Find somewhere to live

  • Renting rules are provincial. Read your province's tenant page before you sign or pay anything.
  • In Ontario, most private rentals use the standard lease. A landlord needs an order from the Landlord and Tenant Board before you have to move out.
  • Never send a deposit for a place you haven't seen and can't verify. Rental scams target newcomers.

Official sources: IRCC, Renting a home in Canada · Ontario, Renting in Ontario: your rights · Guide to Ontario's standard lease · B.C. Residential tenancies · CMHC, Renting a home

Also worth doing this month

Quick checklist

  • SIN applied for (free)
  • Canadian phone number
  • Bank account open
  • Health card application submitted
  • Lease read against your province's rules before signing
  • Settlement agency contacted (optional, free)