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Canada · Relocation guide

Canada first 90 days: federal and provincial steps

Use the first three months to complete federal identifiers and local registrations without confusing immigration approval with provincial service eligibility.

Content updated 11 September 2026. Individual source-check dates are listed below.

Days one to seven

Carry immigration documents, establish an address and contact newcomer services. Apply for a SIN through Service Canada if your status permits it, and never publish or casually share the number.

Ask the province or territory about health coverage and keep temporary insurance if eligibility is not immediate.

Weeks two to four

Set up banking, housing utilities, transport and a realistic commute. Check whether an overseas licence can be used or exchanged and whether a professional regulator must approve your work.

For children, arrange school or childcare using local rules and carry birth, custody, immunisation and status documents.

Months two to three

Keep arrival and income records for the first CRA return, including foreign income and residential ties. Review work-permit conditions before changing employer or location and keep a folder of pay and tax documents.

Use settlement services for language, employment and housing support; they do not change immigration conditions.

Federal permission, provincial services, local delivery

Canada does not issue a single newcomer registration that completes everything. IRCC deals with immigration status; Service Canada handles SIN applications; provinces and territories run their health and driver-licensing systems; a local school board or provider handles school arrangements. Record the owner of each task so that a delay in one system does not become an excuse to miss another.

For each application, save the submission reference and the next action you must take. “Applied” and “active” are different states. This is particularly important for insurance and employment: a pending administrative application should not be treated as proof that cover or work permission has started.

At the end of the first month, replace estimates with reality

Compare the first rent, phone, transport and grocery payments with your arrival budget. If a cheaper home requires a car, add insurance, licensing and running costs before calling it a saving. Check the route to work at the hours you actually travel.

Keep a separate record of the date you established Canadian residential ties and any continuing overseas income or assets. The CRA treats tax residence separately from immigration status; a brief landing visit and a completed household move should not automatically be assigned the same tax treatment.

Your moving checklist

Tick off the tasks that apply to you. The timing is a planning order, not a substitute for the deadlines on your permission or an official instruction.

0 of 14 tasks completed

Before you move
On arrival
Your first month
Later and before renewal

Sources and checks

The linked authorities set the rules. VisaAtlas explains how the steps fit together; planning suggestions are not a decision on your immigration status, tax residence or entitlement to services.

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