You are a new permanent resident
IRCC-funded settlement services are open to permanent residents. Economic class immigrants and their families can use them for 6 years after becoming permanent residents.
Just arrived
Your First 30 Days in Canada
The first month in Canada has a few set tasks. A Social Insurance Number from Service Canada costs nothing and is needed to work. A health card comes from the province, and some provinces set a wait of up to 3 months. IRCC funds free settlement services for permanent residents and protected persons. The checklist below sets the order.
Checked against official sources:
$0
Service Canada’s fee to apply for a Social Insurance Number
3 months
The longest wait a province may set before public health insurance starts
60 days
How long a new Ontario resident may drive on a valid licence from another country
180 days
A new permanent resident’s time to give IRCC an address and photo for the first PR card
Read on November 12, 2026 from Service Canada, the Canada Health Act, Ontario (opens in a new tab) and IRCC. British Columbia (opens in a new tab) publishes its own wait. Health care for newcomers covers the provinces.
What should you do in your first 30 days?
Four weeks of tasks, in the order most newcomers meet them.
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Week 1The essentials
Service Canada charges no fee. An in-person applicant with the right documents gets the number during the visit. A permanent resident shows a PR card or a Confirmation of Permanent Residence.
A person with acceptable identification has the right to open a personal account at a bank. The bank cannot ask for a first deposit or a minimum balance.
Banking for newcomersEach province and territory runs its own health insurance. British Columbia starts coverage after the rest of the month a person becomes a resident, plus 2 months. Ontario has no waiting period.
Health care for newcomersThe guide explains prepaid plans, monthly plans and home internet.
Phone and internet plansGovernment-assisted refugees get a temporary place to live through the Resettlement Assistance Program.
Finding housingIRCC funds agencies that help eligible newcomers with language classes, the job search and daily life. Their services are free.
Free settlement services
Week 2Papers and health care
IRCC mails the first PR card with no application if it gets a Canadian mailing address and a photo within 180 days. After that, the person must apply.
IRCC tells newcomers in a province with a wait to hold private health insurance until public coverage starts.
What is covered and whenIn Ontario, Health Care Connect finds a family doctor or nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients.
Finding a doctorA new resident may drive on a valid licence from another country for 60 days in Ontario and 90 days in British Columbia.
Licence exchange by provinceCanada’s credit bureaus create a credit report when a person first borrows money or applies for credit. Lenders and landlords may ask to see it.
Building a credit score
Week 3School, language and work
The local school board enrols a child. It asks for a birth certificate, proof of guardianship or custody, proof of residency and a record of immunizations.
Child care and schoolsPermanent residents and protected persons can take government-funded English or French classes at no cost. A language assessment comes first.
Language classes and who can take themIRCC-funded agencies help eligible newcomers with the job search and with information on training programs.
Employment servicesSettlement agencies also connect newcomers with the local community.
Provinces and territories
Week 4Home, benefits and taxes
A landlord may ask to see a credit report, which a newcomer does not have yet.
Renting with no credit historyA newcomer who meets the criteria can apply to the Canada Revenue Agency on arrival. Form RC66 covers the Canada child benefit. Form RC151 covers the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, called the GST/HST credit until July 2026.
Benefits and taxesA first return is usually due by April 30 of the year after a newcomer becomes a resident for tax purposes.
A first Canadian tax returnThe guide covers winter driving, preparing a home and power outages.
Winter in Canada
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Which case is yours?
How a person arrived decides which services and benefits apply.
You hold a work permit
IRCC’s settlement services are closed to most temporary residents. A temporary resident’s Social Insurance Number starts with 9 and expires with the permit.
You are an international student
The Government of Canada does not pay the medical costs of foreign students, and coverage depends on the province. A student gets a Social Insurance Number only if the study permit allows work.
You came as a refugee
The Resettlement Assistance Program gives government-assisted refugees income support for up to 1 year. The Interim Federal Health Program gives limited, temporary health coverage until provincial insurance starts.
You arrived with children
The Canada child benefit goes to a parent who lives with a child under 18 and is a resident for tax purposes. A temporary resident can receive it from the 19th month in Canada, with a valid permit.
You are bringing goods, a car or a pet
A person settling in Canada gives the border officer a list of the goods they bring, on CBSA’s form BSF186. Vehicles and pets have import rules of their own.
Which tool answers your next question?
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
- Currency ConverterFees and funds in your own currency
- Fee CalculatorCurrent government fees, itemized
- Presence CalculatorDays in Canada toward citizenship
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
Is there free help for newcomers?
Yes. IRCC funds settlement agencies, and an eligible newcomer pays nothing for their services.
- Who may use them
- Permanent residents, including resettled refugees. People approved in principle for permanent residence. Protected persons with a positive decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board. Temporary residents in certain employment programs.
- Who may not
- Canadian citizens, and foreign nationals outside the groups above, temporary residents included. Section 3.8 of the Settlement Program’s terms sets the list.
- How to find one
- IRCC’s finder lists funded agencies by place. It lists none in Quebec.
Read the settlement services guide
Open IRCC’s finder (opens in a new tab)Read the program’s terms (opens in a new tab)
Which guide covers your question?
Where is help for you and your family?, guides: 2
How do health care and money work?, guides: 4
Where will you live?, guides: 3
How do you get a phone and a licence?, guides: 2
What can you bring into Canada?, guides: 3
What is life in Canada like?, guides: 3
What do newcomers ask about the first month?
What is the most important thing to do in the first week after landing?
Most newcomers start with the Social Insurance Number. A person needs one to work in Canada or to get government benefits, and Service Canada charges no fee.
Can I open a Canadian bank account without a job?
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada says a person with acceptable identification has the right to open a personal account at a bank. Its list of grounds for refusal does not include having no job.
Are settlement services really free?
Yes, for a person who is eligible. IRCC funds the agencies, and its page says eligible newcomers get the services free.
Do citizens and temporary residents get the same free settlement services as permanent residents?
No. The Settlement Program’s terms name permanent residents, protected persons and people approved for permanent residence. Citizens and most temporary residents are not eligible.
How long can I drive on my foreign licence after I arrive?
It depends on the province. Ontario allows 60 days on a valid licence from another country, and British Columbia allows 90 days.
What if I can’t find permanent housing right away?
A newcomer can stay in short-term housing during the search. Government-assisted refugees get a temporary place to live, and help finding a permanent one, through the Resettlement Assistance Program.
Why should I file a tax return as a newcomer even if I earned little or no income?
The Canada Revenue Agency uses each year’s tax return to work out benefit and credit payments, even for a person with no income to report. A return is usually due by April 30 of the following year.
Where do these facts come from?
Service Canada: apply for a Social Insurance Number
The fee and the documents for each status.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)IRCC: find free newcomer services
Who is eligible and where the agencies are.
ircc.canada.ca (opens in a new tab)IRCC: health care in Canada
The health card and the wait in some provinces.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: bank account rights
The right to an account and the grounds for refusal.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)Canada Revenue Agency: newcomers to Canada
The first tax return and the benefit forms.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)IRCC: get a permanent resident card
How a new permanent resident gets the first card.
canada.ca (opens in a new tab)