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A Newcomer’s Introduction to CanadaGetting Ready – Before You Leave for Canada
Essential documents
Note: The lists should state how much your personal and household items are worth.
Do not pack your documents in a suitcase. You will need to have them available to show to immigration and customs officials.
Important documentsDepending on your personal situation, you should bring the following important documents with you to Canada:
What you should know about health care
Note: British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick have a three-month waiting period before you become eligible for medicare coverage. If you are planning to settle in any of these provinces, you should buy private health insurance coverage for the first three months. Insurance companies are listed in the Yellow Pages of all Canadian telephone books, under “Insurance.”
What you can bring into Canada
Cars must meet Canadian safety and pollution control standards. Many cars are not allowed into the country. Contact Transport Canada for more information before you ship your car. Transport Canada, Vehicle Importation The following items cannot be brought into Canada:
If you are not sure about an item, you can write to or telephone: Canada Border Services Agency Getting ready to look for work
Research the labour market in the part of Canada where you plan to settle. The following federally funded Web sites will be helpful:
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| TIP > When you are deciding how much money to bring into Canada, it helps to research the cost of living in the part of Canada where you plan to live. This information can be found on the provincial and territorial Web sites at Canada.gc.ca/othergov/prov_e.html. |
Most newcomers to Canada tend to settle in
the three biggest cities — Toronto, Montréal
and Vancouver. But many newcomers and
many Canadians choose to live in the
medium-sized cities, which they feel have as
much to offer as the larger cities with a
better quality of life.
Among the medium-sized cities are St. John’s, Halifax, Québec City, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Kitchener, St. Catharines, Oshawa, Windsor, Sudbury, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and Victoria.
All of the medium-sized cities have diverse, multi-ethnic populations ranging in size from approximately 150,000 to one million people, and all have the variety of public and private institutions and services found in the largest cities.
| TIP > To locate the medium-sized cities on a map of Canada, go to Map of Canada. |
Some newcomers like the idea of living in smaller cities or towns like Moncton, Fredericton, Red Deer and Kelowna or prefer to live in a rural area. Depending on your skills or professional qualifications, some regions may have better job opportunities than others.
| TIP > Outside the larger cities, the costs of housing, higher education and services are often much lower. |
If you use the Internet, visit the Web sites of each province and territory to see what each has to offer. To find these Web sites, visit canada.gc.ca/othergov/prov_e.html.
Each Web site has a list of government departments and agencies. In the bigger provinces, some government departments may have their own Web sites, with more detailed information. You may also find a directory of on-line services, a link to educational institutions, and a link to major cities and towns. Most of the Web sites also have a tourism section, where you can discover the special attractions of each province and territory.
The Web site www.directioncanada.gc.ca has links to information on the labour market and the housing market of communities across Canada. It also has useful tips and information about moving within Canada.
You can visit the Web site at www.directioncanada.gc.ca and click on the link Welcome to Canada for federal, provincial and municipal government information.
Francophone communities: French is the
mother tongue of 6.6 million Canadians.
Most Francophones live in Quebec, but
almost one million live in Canada’s other
provinces and territories. The Web site
www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/franco
phone.html has information on the
Francophone communities in each of
Canada’s provinces and territories. Or check
out interesting links to official language
organizations at www.ocol-clo.gc.ca/
links_liens.asp?Lang=English.
| TIP > Research carefully the labour market trends or access to your profession in the province and city where you wish to live. |
Most of Canada has four distinct seasons:
spring, summer, autumn and winter. The
temperatures and weather in each season
can be different from one part of the country
to another. Here is what you can expect.
Spring: Spring is a rainy season in most parts of Canada. Daytime temperatures rise steadily, but the nights remain cool. Average daytime temperatures are about 12°C in March, April and early May.
Summer: Summer officially begins on June 21, but July and August are summer for most Canadians. In summer, the weather is very warm in most parts of the country. In southern Canada, daytime temperatures are normally above 20°C and can sometimes rise above 30°C.
Autumn: The autumn season, or fall, as it’s often called, begins in September. The weather cools and the leaves on many trees change colour and fall to the ground. It can also be very rainy at this time of year. In some parts of Canada, especially northern or mountain regions, snow may begin to fall by late October. Average daytime temperatures are about 10°C to 12°C in most of the country. The autumn months are September, October and November.
Winter: During the winter months (December,
January and February), the temperature in
most of the country usually stays below 0°C,
day and night. Temperatures in some parts of
the country periodically drop below -25°C,
while along the West Coast, the temperature
rarely drops below 0°C. In most of Canada,
snow will be on the ground from mid-December to the middle of March. The
higher in elevation and the farther north you
go, the longer and colder winter becomes.
| TIP > If you arrive in Canada in the winter, you will need warm clothing such as insulated, waterproof boots; an overcoat; a scarf for your neck; a hat that covers your ears; and gloves or mittens. If you come from a warm climate, buy some winter clothes before you leave for Canada, if possible. Or, be ready to buy winter clothes soon after arriving (note also that winter clothes are more expensive than summer clothes). You may wish to contact an immigrant-serving organization in your new community for help. |
| TIP > You can find detailed weather information for each region of Canada on the Environment Canada Web site: weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca. |
There is no national school system in
Canada. Schools and universities are run by
the provinces; therefore, education varies
somewhat from province to province. Most
elementary and secondary schooling is
public, meaning it is free and open to
everyone.
Depending on the individual province, primary eduation starts at pre-kindergarten and continues to the end of grade 6 or 8. This is followed by secondary education or high school. In some provinces this may be divided into junior high (grades 7 to 9) and senior high (grades 10 to 12). Normally, students must complete the required academic courses in high school in order to be admitted to university or college.
The regular school year runs from late August or early September until mid- to late June. New students can usually be registered throughout the school year. Most schools are closed on national holidays. Also, all schools are closed between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, and most are closed for a week in March for spring break. The longest school holiday occurs over the summer months of July and August.
Universities and community colleges hold their regular classes from late August or early September until April, although some courses are offered from January to April and a smaller number are available over the summer months. University and community college courses are not free and the costs vary among the provinces.
When you register your children at the local school or school board office, you must take with you:
Your children’s language and mathematical skills will be assessed, if necessary, and they will be placed in the program the school thinks is best for them.
| TIP > For information about the educational system in Canada, visit the Web site www.directioncanada.gc.ca and click on the “Studying” icon, or visit www.aucc.ca or www.accc.ca. |
| TIP > Education in Canada is available in English and French. Many Canadian parents, even if they do not speak French themselves, believe it is good for their children to be able to speak both English and French. Some put their children in a French immersion program, where children learn most of the regular subjects in French. |
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| Date Published: 2006-07-01 |  |
Important Notices | |
When you travel to Canada, you will need to have the following documents with you:
Canada has a public health-care system known as “medicare.” It provides insurance coverage for health-care services to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents. (You will be a “permanent resident.”) The federal government sets health-care standards for the whole country, but the programs are run by the provincial ministries of health. More information on the health-care system can be found in 
There are strict laws about what you can bring into Canada.
If possible, have your documents translated into English or French before you leave for Canada. Essential documents for looking for work include:
If you are coming to Canada as a business immigrant, use the Internet to find out about sources of financing, business opportunities, export and investment services, self-employment assistance and information for small businesses. There are many rules for starting a business in Canada. The following Government of Canada Web sites will help you get a head start in your planning: