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Get Settled

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.