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Canada · Relocation guide

Moving from India to Canada: documents and first steps

Build two linked plans: close or adapt your Indian financial and household arrangements, then establish Canadian status and the services of your chosen province. Permanent residence, a work permit and a study permit require different arrival evidence.

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

Select the Canadian route first

An Indian applicant may be considering permanent residence, a work permit, study, family sponsorship or a visitor route. Each has different evidence, work rights and family consequences. Start with the IRCC programme rather than an agent’s generic relocation package.

Carry the exact approval letter and check passport validity, biometrics, medical or police-document instructions and any employer, school or occupation condition.

Build a document pack that can be checked

Keep passports, birth and marriage records, education and employment evidence, police documents, translations and proof of funds in an organised pack. Use the current IRCC checklist for your programme; requirements can differ by route and family member.

Do not assume an Indian licence, qualification or regulated occupation transfers automatically. Ask the province or regulator for the assessment pathway.

After landing in Canada

Apply for a SIN when eligible, register for provincial health coverage and use newcomer services for housing, language, employment and school support. Health eligibility and waiting rules belong to the province or territory.

For tax, the CRA considers residential ties and tax residence separately from the immigration document. Keep Indian and Canadian income, account and arrival records and seek treaty advice when the facts are complex.

Family, employment and settlement choices

A spouse or child may need a separate approval or may have a linked status; confirm the family member’s document and work or study rights. A work permit condition may restrict employer or occupation, and professional licensing is provincial.

Choose the first city by the real job or school location, support network, housing plan and climate rather than a generic city ranking.

Tell your Indian bank that your residence circumstances are changing

RBI’s resident/non-resident account FAQ says an existing resident account should be redesignated as an NRO account when the holder becomes a person resident outside India. Ask the bank to assess the applicable status date, KYC and account changes; do not assume the date is determined solely by a Canadian visa approval or a simple tax day-count.

Before changing a phone number, test how you will receive bank security codes and manage existing payments abroad. Write down which account will receive any Indian rent, pension or other continuing income. Compare the actual amount delivered in Canadian dollars after charges, not just a transfer provider’s advertised rate.

Prepare for your actual Canadian entry category

If you are arriving with Express Entry permanent-residence approval, check the COPR and required travel document. If you are arriving on an approved overseas work-permit application, carry the job and approval evidence listed by IRCC and check the permit issued at the border. Do not use a visitor visa as a substitute for permission to relocate for work.

Keep originals needed for arrival out of shipped luggage. Include employment contacts, qualification records and any requested family documentation in your hand-carry plan. Ask the Canadian recipient whether a translation or specific issuing format is required before paying to certify an entire document collection.

Keep India and Canada records connected

Create a dated record of your move, household changes and continuing Indian financial interests. Canadian tax residence depends on residential ties and is not simply the possession of permanent-resident status. Get advice on the Indian and Canadian sides where income, property or family remain in India; neither country’s tax result should be inferred from the other’s immigration decision.

For planning, make a two-currency worksheet: unavoidable Indian payments until departure, transfers in transit, and Canadian cash needed before income starts. Use a stated exchange-rate assumption and test a worse rate. Do not spend the same savings twice by treating them as both an emergency reserve and money already committed to tuition or deposits.

Choose the province before copying a newcomer checklist

Compare the city where the job or course is located with the province’s health-card and licence rules. An Indian driving licence does not produce one Canada-wide exchange entitlement. Obtain experience evidence before leaving if the chosen licensing authority asks for it, and check the accepted translation format.

For a family move, contact the actual school board, check each person’s immigration permission and confirm the date each person’s health cover begins. If one partner’s Canadian earnings are essential to the budget, resolve that partner’s permission to work before committing to the move.

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 13 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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