This guide is deliberately short. It is the bridge between landing and the deeper newcomer guidance: a priority checklist for the first couple of weeks, in roughly the order you should tackle it. The single most time-sensitive item for a tradesperson is the last one, contacting your provincial apprenticeship authority, because the credential clock only starts when you do.
The first-weeks checklist
- Get your Social Insurance Number (SIN). Apply at a Service Canada centre, or at an airport kiosk where available. You cannot be paid for work or open most bank accounts without it. This is job one.
- Register for provincial health coverage. The wait depends on the province: Ontario (OHIP) has no waiting period, while British Columbia (MSP) has up to about three months. Where there is a wait, buy interim private cover so your family is not exposed.
- Open a newcomer bank account and start building credit. The major banks all run no-fee newcomer accounts. Apply for a secured credit card straight away and pay it off in full each month; a Canadian credit history takes time to build and you want the clock running.
- Get a prepaid SIM. Buy one at the airport or a phone shop, then switch to a monthly plan once you are settled.
- Contact the provincial apprenticeship authority in week one. This is the tradesperson's priority. Begin your credential assessment and register as an apprentice or trade qualifier. It starts the certification process and lets you work toward licensure while you find your footing.
- Watch for your PR card. It is issued after you land and arrives by mail to your Canadian address, so have a reliable address and keep IRCC updated.
- Sort your driver's licence. An international or home-country licence is typically valid for around 90 days; apply for your provincial licence promptly within that window.
- Enrol your children in school. Bring proof of address, immigration documents and immunisation records.
Where to go next
This is intentionally just the launch list. For the full depth on settling in, building credit, your first job, GST and HST and your wider tax obligations, work through the post-arrival guidance:
- Your First 90 Days in Canada covers the SIN, bank account, GST and HST registration, workers' compensation and finding your first job in detail.
- Getting Licensed to Work When You Land walks through certifying in your trade province by province.
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