Plain summary · https://www.getsettled.ca
Get Settled
A free, sponsorship-funded directory of bank accounts, credit cards, phone plans, settlement programs, and first-month paperwork for newcomers to Canada.
Get Settled is an independent directory. It is not a bank, lender, insurer, telecom, settlement agency, or government office, and nothing here is financial, tax, immigration, or legal advice. Fees, rates, bonuses, and eligibility change. Confirm every figure with the provider or the official page before you apply, sign, or spend money. When an affiliate link is set on a listing, it is marked and may earn us a commission. Sponsored placements are labelled.
Newcomers are targeted by scams. No one can guarantee a visa, a job, or permanent residence. IRCC says it will not threaten deportation over a fee or ask for payment by gift card, prepaid card, Western Union, MoneyGram, or a deposit to a personal account. The CRA says it will not demand gift cards, e-transfer, or cryptocurrency, and that benefit payments cannot be claimed for years before you arrived. Examples and report numbers are at /scams.
Figures appear below only when they were on the official page on the last-checked date. Quote the source URL with the figure. A machine-readable copy of this directory is at /llms.txt.
Bank accounts
Newcomer chequing packages from Canadian banks, plus the federal rule on your right to open an account. Monthly-fee waivers are real and time-limited. Bonuses usually need direct deposit or a set number of transactions.
BMO NewStart
BMO NewStart is the bank's program for permanent residents and foreign workers in their first five years. The chequing offer is two years without the Performance Plan monthly fee.
No-fee global transfers; pre-arrival account
BMO. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.bmo.com/en-ca/main/personal/newcomers-to-canada/newcomer-bank-account-offers/
CIBC Smart Account for Newcomers
CIBC's newcomer chequing account has no monthly fee for two years if you are 25 or older. A $500 cash reward and a Costco membership are extra offers with conditions and an end date you should read on the page.
$500 only if direct deposit and activity rules are met
CIBC. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.cibc.com/en/special-offers/newcomers.html
Desjardins newcomer welcome offer
Desjardins offers eligible newcomers an everyday account on the Unlimited plan with no monthly plan fee, plus two years of legal phone assistance. The banking offer is built around caisses, which are concentrated in Quebec.
Two years of legal phone help
Desjardins. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.desjardins.com/en/offers/newcomers-canada.html
Your right to open a bank account
Federal rules say a bank must let you open a personal deposit account even if you do not have a job, do not have money to deposit today, or have been bankrupt. You still have to prove who you are.
The legal floor under every newcomer package
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/opening-bank-account.html
National Bank newcomer account
National Bank's newcomer account has no fixed monthly fee in year one, a smaller fee in years two and three if you meet the conditions, and a cash-back promotion that the bank says runs until November 3, 2026.
Partial fee discount in years 2 and 3
National Bank of Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.nbc.ca/personal/accounts/newcomers.html
RBC Newcomer Advantage
RBC waives the monthly fee on an Advantage Banking account for one year for newcomers who arrived in the last five years, and pairs it with a credit-card offer that does not require Canadian credit history.
Unlimited debit; other-bank ATM fee waived by RBC
RBC Royal Bank. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/new-to-canada/
Scotiabank StartRight
StartRight is Scotiabank's program for permanent residents in their first five years, foreign workers, and international students. The core banking perk is a one-year waiver of the Preferred Package monthly fee.
No-fee international transfers
Scotiabank. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://startright.scotiabank.com/ca/en/newcomers-to-canada-offer.html
TD New to Canada Banking Package
TD's newcomer package waives the monthly fee on the Unlimited Chequing Account for one year. Cash bonuses and a savings-rate offer on the same page end on dates TD publishes.
$500 cash offer ends November 2, 2026
TD Canada Trust. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.td.com/ca/en/personal-banking/products/banking-offers-for-newcomers
Credit cards
Cards banks market to newcomers without a Canadian credit history, and two secured cards that use a deposit. Approval is never guaranteed on an unsecured card. Interest applies if you carry a balance.
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.
Unsecured limit advertised up to $5,000
BMO. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.bmo.com/en-ca/main/personal/credit-cards/newcomers-to-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.
Reports to the credit bureaus
Capital One Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.capitalone.ca/credit-cards/guaranteed-secured-mastercard2
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.
Bundle values are advertised; confirm the card limit in the application
CIBC. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.cibc.com/en/special-offers/newcomers.html
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.
Built for thin credit files, including newcomers
Home Trust. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.hometrust.ca/credit-cards/secured-visa-card/
RBC credit card for newcomers
RBC will consider a credit card for newcomers who do not have Canadian credit history, once an eligible bank account is open. The window is shorter than the five-year banking offer.
Limit advertised up to $15,000
RBC Royal Bank. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/new-to-canada/credit-cards/index.html
Rogers Red Mastercard
Rogers describes the Red Mastercard on its newcomer page as a no-annual-fee card that earns cash back, and says you start it in a Rogers store.
2% cash back with a Rogers service
Rogers. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.rogers.com/newcomers
Scotiabank StartRight credit card
StartRight participants can apply for an unsecured card without Canadian credit history. Scotiabank's published ceiling is $15,000, and it can change.
Unsecured limit advertised up to $15,000
Scotiabank. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://startright.scotiabank.com/ca/en/credit-cards.html
TD Cash Back Visa for newcomers
TD points permanent residents and other newcomers to the no-annual-fee Cash Back Visa, and says a permanent resident may be approved for up to $15,000 without a Canadian credit file.
Up to $150 cash back if opened by November 2, 2026
TD Canada Trust. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.td.com/ca/en/personal-banking/products/banking-offers-for-newcomers
Phone plans
Carrier pages aimed at newcomers, plus prepaid brands that say they skip a credit check. Plan prices move weekly. Where a dollar figure is missing, the carrier did not publish one on the page we checked.
Bell bring-your-own-phone plans
Bell's current bring-your-own-phone page lists in-market prices, including a 100 GB plan shown at $60 a month and an unlimited plan with U.S. and Mexico shown at $75. These are not labelled as newcomer discounts.
National network; prices are in-market, not a newcomer deal
Bell. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Cell_phone_plans
chatr prepaid
chatr is the Rogers prepaid brand. On Rogers' own newcomer page it is described as no credit check, no term contract, and no commitment, with nationwide 4G.
No term contract
chatr. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.rogers.com/newcomers
Koodo for newcomers
Koodo's newcomer page is the flanker brand's version of the TELUS Canoo partnership. It promises deals for newcomers and does not list a plan price on the page we checked.
TELUS-network flanker tied to the Canoo partnership
Koodo. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.koodomobile.com/en/services/newcomers-to-canada
Lucky Mobile prepaid
Bell no longer opens new prepaid accounts. Its prepaid page sends new customers to Lucky Mobile and says those plans have no long-term commitment, no credit check, and no data overages.
Bell's recommended prepaid brand
Lucky Mobile. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.bell.ca/Mobility/Cell_phone_plans/Prepaid_plans
Rogers newcomer mobile plans
Rogers has a newcomer page for mobile and home internet, including a way to reserve a number and eSIM before you land. The English page we checked describes plan features and does not print a monthly price.
eSIM and number can be reserved before arrival
Rogers. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.rogers.com/newcomers
TELUS newcomer Welcome plans
TELUS publishes newcomer Welcome mobility plans starting at $65 a month, and says a store will accept a valid passport or proof of landed immigrant status.
A published starting price, unlike several other newcomer pages
TELUS. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.telus.com/en/newcomers-to-canada
Settlement services
Government-funded settlement programs and the organizations that deliver them. Most IRCC-funded services are free if you are eligible. Quebec runs its own integration services, and the federal finder does not list Quebec providers.
COSTI Settlement Services
COSTI's settlement services in Ontario are free. They cover orientation, forms, interpretation, referrals, and employment guidance, including credential recognition.
Forms, interpretation, and credential guidance
COSTI Immigrant Services. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://costi.org/program/costi-settlement-services/
IRCC pre-arrival services
If your permanent residence is approved and you are still outside Canada, you can register for free online settlement services before you fly. Temporary residents are not eligible.
Online, before you land
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/settle-canada/pre-arrival-services/eligibility.html
IRCC settlement service finder
The federal government funds free settlement help outside Quebec: job search, language classes, help getting licensed, and someone to build a settlement plan with you. A postal-code search finds the agency.
Outside Quebec; search by city
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.ircc.canada.ca/english/newcomers/services/index.asp
ISSofBC
ISSofBC is a large B.C. settlement agency. It says its settlement, employment, and language services for newcomers in the province are free.
Metro Vancouver language classes and job help
Immigrant Services Society of BC. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://issbc.org/
MOSAIC
MOSAIC is a Metro Vancouver settlement and employment agency. It describes itself as supporting immigrants and refugees to settle, find work, and build a life in Canada.
Settlement and employment under one agency
MOSAIC. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://mosaicbc.org/
Premières démarches d'installation
Quebec's free three-hour 'first steps' session, in French, covers the health-insurance card, the SIN, banking, housing, school, taxes, and jobs. The federal settlement finder does not list Quebec agencies.
The province's own first-week briefing
Gouvernement du Québec. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.quebec.ca/en/immigration/settle-and-integrate-in-quebec/first-steps-settling-in
Settlement.Org
Settlement.Org is the plain-language information site for newcomers in Ontario: daily life, banking, housing, health, and work, plus a way to find community agencies.
Explains the steps in everyday language
Settlement.Org. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://settlement.org/
BC Newcomer Services Program
British Columbia funds settlement help for people the main federal program often misses: temporary workers, many international students, provincial nominees waiting on PR, and naturalized citizens.
British Columbia only
WelcomeBC. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.welcomebc.ca/start-your-life-in-b-c/find-newcomer-services/services-for-newcomers-on-a-temporary-work-or-study-permit-and-new-citizens%C2%A0(bc-nsp)
Jobs and credentials
The federal job board, the foreign credential recognition process, and why an education assessment is not the same thing as a licence to practise.
CICIC directory of who recognizes qualifications
CICIC explains who is allowed to recognize your studies or your occupation, and points to its directory of occupational profiles by province and territory.
Separates regulated jobs from employer decisions
Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.cicic.ca/927/identify_the_organization_responsible_for_recognition.canada
An education assessment is not a licence
IRCC's help centre says an Educational Credential Assessment done for immigration does not license you to practise a regulated profession in Canada.
Stops a very common mix-up
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://ircc.canada.ca/English/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=683&top=29
Foreign Credential Recognition Tool
A Job Bank search that tells you whether your occupation is regulated in a province or territory, who to contact, and what else you could do while you wait.
Regulator, timeline, and related jobs
Job Bank. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/widget/
Foreign credential recognition
If your job is regulated or a compulsory trade, the province or territory decides whether your training is equivalent. Canada publishes the process, the lookup tool, and loans of up to $30,000 for the fees.
Names the provincial regulator
Employment and Social Development Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/foreign-credential-recognition.html
Job Bank for newcomers
Job Bank is the federal job board, and it has a newcomer section that starts with the SIN, credential recognition, and a free account that can match you to postings.
Official postings and a skills match
Government of Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/findajob/newcomers
Housing
How renting works in Canada, and the provincial offices that enforce tenant law. Deposits, notice periods, and rent-increase caps are provincial. Read the page for the province you will actually live in.
B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch
The Residential Tenancy Branch administers B.C. tenancy law, takes dispute-resolution applications, and has published a 2027 maximum rent increase of 2.2%.
2027 increase cap 2.2%; sale does not end the tenancy
Government of British Columbia. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies
CMHC landlord and tenant responsibilities
CMHC states the basic split: landlords keep the place habitable and cannot harass you, and tenants pay rent and repair damage they cause. Eviction still has to follow the provincial process.
Repair duties and the ban on lockouts
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/consumers/renting-a-home/i-am-renting/landlord-tenant-responsibilities
Renting a home as a newcomer
IRCC's renting guide explains leases, deposits, landlord entry, and what to check before you move in. The enforceable rules still come from the province or territory.
The first read before a lease
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/settle-canada/housing/renting.html
Renting in Ontario: your rights
Ontario's rental page sets out the rent-increase guideline, the standard lease, and the rule that a landlord needs an order from the Landlord and Tenant Board before you have to move out.
2027 guideline 1.9%; eviction needs an LTB order
Government of Ontario. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.ontario.ca/page/renting-ontario-your-rights
First 30 days
The government steps people usually cannot postpone: a social insurance number, a health card, tax residency, and a permanent resident card if you are a PR. Health coverage is provincial, so use the listing for the province you live in.
Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan
If you are moving to Alberta from outside Canada, apply for AHCIP within three months of becoming a resident. Do that and coverage can start from the day you established residency.
Coverage can date from when you became a resident
Government of Alberta. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.alberta.ca/ahcip-moving-to-alberta
B.C. Medical Services Plan
Eligible B.C. residents must enrol in MSP. There is no cost to apply. You need coverage in place before you rely on a doctor or a hospital.
One application also covers Fair PharmaCare
Government of British Columbia. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment
Taxes and benefits for newcomers
The CRA treats you as a newcomer in the first year you are a resident for income tax. For most people that starts the day you begin living in Canada. Benefits can start before your first tax return.
Benefits can start before the first return
Canada Revenue Agency. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/international-non-residents/individuals-leaving-entering-canada-non-residents/newcomers-canada-immigrants.html
OHIP and the Ontario health card
Ontario has no waiting period for OHIP if you qualify. You apply in person at ServiceOntario. Coverage is for medically necessary doctor and hospital care, not for every prescription or dental visit.
No waiting period if you qualify
Government of Ontario. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-ohip-and-get-health-card
Permanent resident card
The PR card is the document that shows you are a permanent resident and that you need in order to fly back to Canada. The first card is free if you send your photo and address within 180 days of becoming a PR.
Required to fly back to Canada
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/permanent-residents/card.html
Quebec health insurance registration
Permanent residents and Canadian citizens settling in Quebec can usually register for health insurance online. You must be in Quebec and have a Quebec mailing address. Students and workers follow different rules.
Online registration for citizens and permanent residents
Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/newcomers-register-health-insurance-online
Social Insurance Number
The SIN is the nine-digit number you need to work and to receive many benefits. Applying is free. Service Canada no longer issues a plastic card.
No plastic card; in-person visits return your documents the same day
Service Canada. Last checked 2026-10-19. Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/apply.html