Version Française

Canada Pre-Arrival To-Do List

All you need to do before departing to Canada

Home > Before Landing > Pre-Arrival To-Do List

To help you prepare your landing, we came up with the following list of essential documents and items to bring, important matters to settle before leaving.

Documents to Prepare and Organize

Stuff to prepare with a to-do list for departure to Canada

You need to take your time to prepare the following documents, as it can be quite distressing if done last minute.

You should be aware of the latest immigration developments, as it might concern you. Check out our work, study and visit sections.

Travel documents:

Passport, make sure it is up to date.
Your Tourist Visa, Work Permit, Study Permit, or Immigration Visa and Confirmation of Permanent Residency.

Insurance documents:

Your insurance documents in case, (i) you have IEC Visa or (ii) are going to a province that does not grant health insurance for the first three months of landing. You can check if it concerns you here.

Bank documents:

You bank statements if you are asked to provide proof of funds at immigration in the airport. You do not need to bring the full amount of funds required for Express Entry, or other immigration programs.
Close your home country bank account if you won't need it anymore.

Accommodation:

Arrange a place to stay for the first few days in case you don't have friends or family where you can crash. You should do this early on, as prices go easily up the more you wait. Find more information on our Accommodation Guide.
If possible, you should ask for a letter of recommendation from your previous landlords. This should help in your apartment hunting, as it is quite common for Canadian landlords to ask for that document.

Employment:

Make sure to have a reference from your previous employers as it is common practice in Canada to ask a reference.
If possible, ask for a written reference.
Prepare your resume to Canadian standards.

Driver's license:

Bring your home country driver's license.
It is preferable to have an International Driver's Permit, that you need to apply for at your home country. Depending on the province or territory, this will avoid the need of having your licence translated if not in English or in French, and can even buy you additional months of driving. You can check here the pre-requisites by province/territory for being allowed to drive in Canada with your current licence.
Depending on the province/territory, you can exchange your current licence, but need to provide proof of driving experience from the entity that issued your permit. Check here to see if you need that document.

Cellphone:

If you need to terminate your contract with your home country carrier, check the notice period in your contract to avoid useless charges.
If you want to use your current phone in Canada, you need to check if it is blocked. If so, you need to unblock it in order for it to work. Check our Cellphone Carriers Guide.

Health:

Bring any medicine you think you'll need with its prescription. If you are not insured, it will cost you a fortune to go to a doctor to get a prescription. You cannot buy prescription drugs without a prescription in Canada (unlike in North Africa, ...).

Other useful items:

If you are not from the U.S, chances are your electronics will not work in Canada without an adapter. You should buy the cheap small kind, for as many chargers or electronics you are bringing. Or you can buy an extension cord with only one adapter.
Bring some Canadian currency with you, in case your debit/credit card does not work at an ATM in the airport. Besides, ATMs charge big bucks for a withdrawal (check the Canadian Banking Guide).
It would be useful to bring a power bank with you, in case your phone dies on you (especially if you have to call someone at arrival or check the address you are going to). Although you will find a plug anywhere, it is quite reassuring to have one.
Don't forget your chargers.

Check out here what are the first things you need to do when you land.

What's next?