Checklists

Your First Steps In Canada

7 Essential Checklists
What you need to do before immigrating to Canada,
Professional documents you cant forget
and much more
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Outline

Checklist 1: Documents you cant forget to bring to Canada an overview

Checklist 2: What you can bring with you personal and household items
Checklist 3: Transferring finances
Checklist 4: Medical and immunizations records to bring
Checklist 5: Professional documents you cant forget
Checklist 6: Tips for shipping personal effects
Checklist 7: What to know about medical insurance

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Checklist 1.
Critical checklists before
you immigrate

What you need to do before immigrating

One of the biggest mistakes would-be immigrants make is leaving for Canada
unprepared. They leave behind critical documents that can help ease their settlement
into Canadian life. They forgot to purchase insurance to cover themselves and their
belongings while they travel. Or they choose to leave so much behind that they are
faced with enormous costs after they arrive.
The good news is you dont have to figure it out alone. Our handy pre-arrival checklists
will guide you as you pack up.
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Documents you cant forget to

bring to Canada
1. Birth certificates and passports of each family member

2. Adoption papers if applicable

3. Marriage certificate (and/or divorce, separation papers)

4. School records for all your children

(These will help place your children into the right grade at school.)
5. Childrens immunization records
(These will be required when you enrol your children in a Canadian public school.)
6. Copies of all post-secondary diplomas, degrees and even academic transcripts for all adults. (You may need to show proof
of your educational credentials and even get them evaluated by a professional evaluation service, academic institution or professional
association. Find out how the professional association, academic institution or credential assessment agency requires documents to
be received before coming to Canada as this will save you time and money.)

7. Reference letters with contact details from former employers

(You will need these when applying for work in Canada.)
8. Samples of your professional work or achievements
(These may be helpful when applying for work in Canada.)
9. International Drivers Licence
(You should be able to drive immediately with an international drivers licence for the short term, until you get a Canadian drivers
licence.)
10. Copies of international automobile insurance
(If you have a good driving record in your country of origin, this may help you get a better auto insurance rate in Canada.)
11. Medical records, including X-rays, dental files, optical prescriptions, other prescriptions

12. Documents related to travel health insurance to cover you in case of medical emergency in your first few weeks in
Canada (Some provinces, including Ontario, have a waiting period for health care coverage after landing. You are responsible for
private health insurance in the interim)

13. Certificates of valuation and authenticity (including photos) for jewellery and other valuables and belongings youre
bringing with you . (Youll need a list of effects when you land at the airport.)

14. Copies of financial records that show credit history/rating

(Traditionally, it has been difficult for newcomers to access loans and credit in Canada, because of a lack of credit history. A record of
your international credit rating may help.)

15. Record of any current foreign income, properties or investments

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3 more things you need just for

landing
And dont forget you need the following at the airport when you first land in
Canada:

Your passport and/or travel documents

Your permanent resident visa and your Confirmation of Permanent

Residence (COPR)

Proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family
after you arrive in Canada

The immigration officer at the airport will make sure you are entering Canada
before or on the expiry date shown on your permanent resident visa; it cannot be
extended. If there are no problems, the officer will authorize you to enter Canada
as a permanent resident. The officer will also confirm your Canadian mailing
address, where your permanent resident card will be mailed to you.

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Checklist 2.

Household Items
What you can bring with you personal and household items
As a landed immigrant, you are entitled to bring with you, free of duty and taxes, any personal and
household items that you owned before your arrival in Canada.
These may include any of the following. But think about whether it is cheaper to ship or to buy new items
once in Canada.

1. Furniture

8. Family heirlooms

2. Housewares

9. Antiques, stamp or coin collections

3. Kitchen Appliances

10. Musical instruments

4. Linens

11. Paintings

5. Books

12. Valuable jewellery

6. Clothing

13. Power tools

7. Jewellery

14. Pets

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Checklist 2.
Dont forget receipts!
Wherever possible, you should retain the receipts for these goods to prove that they are your personal
items and for your personal use.

Furnishings and. electronics

While furnishings are a good choice to ship, electronics may not be worth the effort, as they may
not work in Canada. The electrical current used by small appliances like lamps, radios, televisions
is 110 volts, 60 cycles in Canada. If your appliances dont conform to this voltage, leave them
behind. Converters burn out too quickly to use them for any length of time. Also, DVDs may not
work in Canadian DVD players; check their compatibility before packing them.

Cars and pets

If you wish to bring a vehicle into Canada, you must check to see that it meets the safety and
pollution standards of Canada. See Transport Canadas website at www.tc.gc.ca.
If you wish to bring pets into Canada, check the guidelines set by the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency (see www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/imp/petani/petanie.shtml). There are specific
guidelines for bringing in pets and, if not met, they can be refused entry. While pet cats and dogs
do not need to be quarantined, you do have to provide proof of their age and rabies status.

Immediate essentials
Make sure you have some clothing that will be appropriate for the weather when you land in
Canada. Pack of a box of other essentials that youll need for your first few days in Canada.

What Can I Bring Into Canada in Terms Of Food, Plant, Animal and Related Products?
Click here to find out.

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Checklist 3.

Transferring Finance & Valuables

One of the first things you should consider when packing up to come to Canada is how to transfer
your cash and your other investments. Here are 6 options to consider.
1. Talk to your banker in your country of origin for advice.
2. Transfer some cash into Canadian funds for immediate needs after landing.
3. Put some money into traveller's cheques for security and immediate access to your funds.
4. Bring your international credit cards for immediate out-of-pocket expenses and for identification
purposes, too.
5. You can get an international wire transfer using the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank
Financial Telecommunication) system. It operates a worldwide network that can transfer funds
between different financial institutions. Allow a week to 10 days for international banking transfers.
6. Once youre in Canada, open a bank account at a bank or credit union in your city. To do this, youll
have to show your landed immigrant papers and identification.

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Checklist 4.

Medical and immunizations records

to bring
Dont forget important medical documents and forms for the whole family when you leave your
country of origin. Its important for continuity of care, as well as to register your children in
school.
1. Medical records, including X-rays
2. Dental files
3. Optical prescriptions
4. Other medical prescriptions
5. Copy of childrens immunizations record
6. Copy of adult immunizations

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Checklist 5.

Professional documents you cant forget

Some of the most important documents you need to bring to Canada are related to your
professional background. Finding a job is most likely your primary goal after coming to Canada, and
you will be faced with many challenges.
After immigrants land in Canada, they are often surprised by how many barriers they face in getting
hired, even though they are approved to come to Canada based on their education and professional
experience. Immigrants who cant seem to find a job in their field are often given the excuse that
they have no Canadian experience. And many immigrants then turn to survival jobs like taxi driving
or flipping burgers just to support their families.
You might think that this wont happen to you; but the only way to ensure you wont have the door
to good opportunities closed in your face is by entering Canada ready to deal with these realities of
the Canadian labour market. Part of that is bringing the right professional documents with you from
your country of origin. Many immigrants forget to bring these along, making their professional
integration into Canada much harder than it needs to be.

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Checklist 5.
1. Copies of all post-secondary diplomas, degrees, licences
and even academic transcripts.
(You may need to show proof of your educational credentials and even get
them evaluated by a professional evaluation service, academic institution or
professional association. Such evaluations can help you more easily find work
or upgrade your training and may be necessary to work in regulated
occupations or attend post-secondary schools in Canada. Many professional
associations, universities, colleges and assessment agencies require your
academic documents to come directly from the institution you attended in
order to evaluate them and will not accept original or copied academic
documents that you may come with. Find out how the professional association,
academic institution or credential assessment agency requires documents to
be received before coming to Canada as this will save you time and money.)

2. Reference letters with contact details from former

employers. (You will need these when applying for work in Canada.)
3. Samples of your professional work or achievements
(These may be helpful when applying for work in Canada.)

4. Bring your resum or curriculum vitae, too, but note that

you will have to likely use it only as a foundation and
create a completely new resum that fits Canadian
standard
Notes:

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Checklist 6.
Shipping Personal Effects
Tips for shipping personal effects
Choosing what personal items to bring,
packing them up and then shipping them
safely can seem overwhelming. Where do
you begin? Here are 10 things to consider.
1. Bring items that are important to you
emotionally and nostalgically (i.e., family
photos, heirlooms, etc.).
2. Bring items that will be cheaper to ship
than to buy new (i.e., furnishings).
3. Leave items that are better replaced with
new versions in Canada (i.e., appliances,
electronics and items more expensive to
ship than to buy anew).
4. If your household packing is done by professional movers, they will itemize and label
your belongings, making it much easier to unpack at the other end. Ensure that the
movers provide you with a detailed packing list as well. If you pack yourself, follow the
same method.
5. Check if your freight forwarding company offers shipping only, or if it includes an
unpacking service.
6. Ensure you have insurance against loss or damage of your possessions while in transit.
7. Ensure you have the shipping companys contact details and they have yours.
8. Get recommendations from friends and relatives to find a reliable mover.
9. A word of advice about packing the little things: as it could be some time before you will
be in a position to buy day-to-day items such as cutlery and dinnerware, you might
consider bringing a box of such necessities from home with you on the plane.
10. When your personal effects arrive, you will be required to appear at the Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA) office to collect them. This is a simple procedure; if your papers are
in order, there should be no delay.

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Checklist 7.

What to know about medical insurance

Canadas universal health care system is one of the best in the world. But
did you know not everything is free? Here are 7 things you need to know,
1. Doctors services, care, surgery and hospitalization are covered, including inpatient and
outpatient services.
2. Things like eye care, dental care are typically not covered, although it may depend on your
province. Some services like chiropractic and physiotherapy may be partially covered.
3. Prescriptions are not covered.
4. Many employers offer extended medical benefits to offset costs for things like dental care,
eye care and prescriptions. There are also some government-funded assistance programs for
low-income persons.
5. Depending on which province you settle in, you may have to pay a mandatory monthly
premium (e.g., B.C. and Alberta); in other provinces, taxes are simply deducted from your
paycheque (e.g., Ontario).
6. For brand-new residents, some provinces also have a three-month waiting period before
you are covered under the health care plan. So apply right after you land to minimize your
waiting!
7. Similarly to when you travel, you should have medical health insurance to cover you during
that waiting period. You never know what kind of emergency care you may need. Without
insurance, youll be faced with a hefty medical bill if you access health care services. Ensure
the insurance will cover you as an immigrant, not just a visitor to Canada (i.e., travel
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insurance).