Moving to Canada From The UK on IEC Working Holiday: Arrival Checklist and First Week Essentials!
If you’re a Brit moving to Canada, then you will love my moving to Canada blog. I’ve included every step you need to take for getting to Canada on an IEC visa, packing list, essentials for activating your work permit, my personal experience, and the checklist for your first week in Canada.
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Everything You Need to Know About Your Arrival to Canada on IEC
This is the ultimate guide to support Brits moving to Canada on a IEC Canada Working Holiday.
Read on for how to prepare for moving to Canada without a job, what to pack, the best travel insurance to get, what to expect in moving to Canada customs, essential things to do in your first week such as how to apply for SIN number and get a back account, and general moving to Canada tips.
Apply for IEC Visa
First things first, you need to ensure you have the right visa that will allow you to live, work and travel in Canada.
I applied for an IEC Working Holiday Visa which allows me to work in Canada for two years. If you haven’t applied yet, read my ultimate guide to applying for the IEC and then come back here when you’ve completed the process.
Alternatively, you could use a service like iVisa to help you.
Once you’ve received your port of entry letter, you are able to set up in Canada and find a job. If you have decided on a date to move to Canada, there are some things you need to do.
Decide Where To Start Your Working Holiday
Do you fancy coastal living in Nova Scotia? Hitting the 6ix in Toronto? How about spending your visa in beautiful BC? We went to Alberta to visit family and ended up getting jobs in Banff National Park.
Canada is HUGE! So I advise to research popular places to get jobs and where you’d like to live and go from there. Canada is your oyster.
Book Flights
I use Skyscanner to search for my flights as it’s the best tool with its features such as the one-way only, sorted by price, and the option to explore anywhere in Canada.
Then book your airport transfers to your accommodation through tools like Klook, Get Your Guide or Viator.
Get Travel Insurance
You MUST get travel insurance. It’s a no brainer. There are some horror stories about people who do not get travel insurance and get into extreme bothers. Not only do you need it to cover yourself, you cannot get a work permit without the right insurance to cover your entire stay.
If you’re from the UK there are only a handful of companies who provide the correct requirements. The best company to go with for IEC is True Traveller who cover you for the two years and provide insurance for the essential things.
Once you purchase insurance, download and save the True Traveller policy, emergency line / email address, policy number. You must bring a physical copy to the border.
Print All Documents
Your port of entry letter is not your work permit for Canada as this is determined by the border officials on arrival. You must present yourself at the border as ready to activate your work permit and you need to bring documents and follow a different route at the border.
Documents You Need for Arrival in Canada
Physical and electronic proof of all of the below:
- your passport
- your Port of Entry (POE) Letter
- proof of vaccination
- proof of funds (at least 3,500 cad)
- proof of health insurance covering the main things
- a ticket for your departure from Canada or sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket
- flight itinerary
- address on arrival
- emergency numbers
Copies of the documents you provided in your work permit application:
- Passport scan
- Resume
- Birth certificate
- Client information letter
- Police certificates
- Biometrics appointment letter
- Family form
In addition, ensure you complete ‘Arrive Can’ form 72 hours before arrival. Your ETA will be on your port of entry letter.
Essentials to Pack
- The Travel Hack backpack is the best, most reliable, convenient and pretty backpack I’ve used
- Canada Lonely Planet Guide
- First aid kit
- Winter packing including: thermals, winter boots, gloves, hat, scarf, layers, thermal socks, slippers, etc.
- Summer packing including: shorts, tshirts, dresses, flip-flops, sunglasses, swimsuit
- Washbag with toiletries
- Suncream!
- Camera
- Reusable cutlery and straw
- Reliable trainers
- Headphones and entertainment for flights
- Head-torch
- Formal black clothes for interviews and job
- Travel plugs organiser, wires, and Canada adaptor
- Your favourite UK chocolate and crisps as you won’t find them (or find them cheap) in Canada
- Then print a copy the Moving to Canada from UK Visa Checklist Below!
IEC Canada Visa: What to Do at Canadian Border
My Arrival Canada Experience
I arrived at Gatwick airport about 10:45am, went straight to level 1 to self serve check in and bag drop. Anything overweight with WestJet costs £60! So I recommend weighing it and removing anything there and then, oversized luggage or luggage with strings/straps hanging will be put through oversized luggage.
There was a big queue for checking in at the desk with the people. We’re given boarding passes and receipts for luggage. We were asked if we had an eta but not asked for Arrive Can details.
Gate info was put up at 12.30pm as advised. Went to gate and showed boarding pass and passport straightaway and taken to a smaller holding area. We were also asked if we had a mask and had to wear it the entire flight.
Started boarding at 13:06pm and instructed to board by zone. I was on the plane by 13:20pm, gutted that we were not sat together and both in middle seats. Bit naughty after the price we paid for these flights…
Took off at 14:30pm
Arrived at 15:55pm local time.
Make sure you say you want to activate your work visa.
Go to a self service machine and you get a print out which you take to the officers then they will tell you to collect luggage then go to a room E to activate work visas.
I went to room E, took a number and were called up straight away, gave port of entry letter, passport, white slip and insurance proof. We were asked how long insurance was and we said 2 years. Called up about 10/15 mins later and given the work permit and advised to have a look through to make sure all correct, it was and we checked the stamp in passport but advised to keep paper visa when coming in and out of Canada.
White slip was stamped and had to give it to declaration officers on way out (exit) and done!
Took 1 hour to get off the plane and out of the airport!
Read Next: 1 Day in Calgary Itinerary
Complete Guide to Moving to Canada From The UK on IEC Working Holiday
Moving to Canada Checklist For The First Week!
- Book accommodation
- SIN
- Bank account + credit card
- WISE
- SIM card
- Update resume
- Sign up for loyalty / rewards at places
- Pro Serve
- Get a VPN
- Healthcare
- Apply for local ID
1) Book accommodation
I advise you to book accommodation for at least the first week in the place you arrive in Canada so you can head straight there from the airport, you have a base to explore the area and have an address to provide for the next steps.
Find your accommodation on booking.com.
2) Get A Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN)
A Canada Social Insurance Number, also known as a ‘SIN’ or ‘Canadian SIN Number’ is the number you need when moving to canada to work. It’s the same as a National Insurance Number in the UK or a social security number in the US. It’s used for identification, tax purposes and to prove you can legally work. It’s made up of nine numbers.
How to Get a SIN Number in Canada & Where to Get SIN Number
You will receive a letter print-out including your name, address, social insurance number Canada, expiry date and advice about keeping it confidential. I advise you keep this document safe and another record of your SIN number Canada.
If you are on the IEC 2 year visa, your Canada SIN number will start with a nine and expire on the date your visa expires. Note: as it starts with nine, you will also need to provide a copy of your work permit to your employer.
My Experience of Applying for a SIN Number
When I went to apply for a sin number, I went to Service Canada in Red Deer and the whole process took just 40 minutes for two of us. I arrived without an appointment and had to queue at the first desk where I gave my passport, work permit and current address in Canada.
We then had to wait in the seating area until we were called to go to the second desk. We had to give passport, work permit, address, a contact number, parents’ names at birth. We had to read the policies and agree to them.
You can apply online but I advise going to a Service Canada centre where you can get the SIN there and then and not have to part with your passport and work permit.
3) Open a Bank Account
You need a moving to Canada bank account which brings bonuses and perks for being a newcomer.
I joined CIBC with their newcomer deal which includes fee-free for two years, unlimited transactions and e-transfers, no ATM charges, a savings and chequing account, a bank card straight away and the opportunity to sign up for a credit card. Once I signed up they gave me a referral link for the chance to get $50 for myself and $50 for a newcomer who signs up through my link.
Get this CIBC newcomer deal through my link and we’ll both get $50 for free! Winner, winner.
4) Open a WISE account
WISE (formally known as TransferWise) is a way you can send money from one country to another at a low fee. I signed up to WISE before I moved to Australia and have used it while travelling and living abroad since. I linked it to my Monzo bank account so now I can transfer money from UK to Canada through my Monzo app.
For example, I sent £69 to my Canadian bank account to receive $106.23. The fee to send this was £0.81.
Sign up for your WISE account here and get your first transfer up to £500 totally fee-free. I highly recommend this if moving to Canada as a British citizen.
5) SIM Cards in Canada
Prepare yourselves for a shock because I still cannot believe how expensive phone plans and SIM cards are in Canada.
You need to look into the provider you are joining and whether they cover the majority of the country (not all providers cover all of Canada). The three major networks are Telus, Rogers, Bell who then have other networks under their branch.
Unlimited data can be over $70 a month!! I shopped around and read a few reviews and decided that the best way to save money of phone plans was to use a referral link so at least it saved me a bit of money.
So I chose to get a sim-only plan with Koodo (which is under the Telus branch). I used someone’s referral link which has saved me $25. I got a starter plan which is a $5 fee for the sim and then $45 a month for 6gb, unlimited texts and calls. Note: if you get the SIM card in store it will cost you $20 and sometimes a $50 connection fee (this connection fee does not apply when you buy online).
If you want to save money, claim your Koodo discount below. If there’s one tip to take from this moving to Canada guide, this is it.
How To Claim Your Koodo Discount
Click my referral link, then you will receive an email confirming the referral will happen once you make your purchase.
Once you have your mobile number, go back to your email and click on ‘provide number’, you’ll then get a confirmation email that they need to check some details. Within 24 hours you should receive confirmation that you will get a $25 discount which will be $5 off your bill each month.
Here’s my referral code link again.
6) Job Hunting
If you are coming to Canada without a job then you obviously need to find one. Here are a few tips for landing a job:
- Get out and about with your Resume. Managers love to see a face and gauge you. Note: your first impression is important. I’ve known staff members put a smiley face on Resumes of the people they like that lets the manager know the first impression was good.
- Apply for jobs online through sites like Indeed
- Join this Working Holiday Canada Facebook Group and local job groups where jobs are always posted both casual and seasonal
- Head to Moving2Canada and see if they have any collaborations with agencies / companies looking for people (this is how I got my job in Banff).
Update Your Resume
- Update your CV to include your new Canadian phone number, your location and address, type of visa and when your visa expires.
- Include relevant work experience and skills only, e.g. if you have obtained a Pro Serve certificate.
- Make sure you have about 20 resumes printed to hand out.
7) Sign Up For Loyalty Programmes / Reward Schemes
Eating in Canada doesn’t come cheap. What they have in almost every chain, indie business and even local street sellers (okay, maybe not that one) are loyalty schemes. Lots of them come with sign up rewards too. Some of the best programmes to join include:
- Co-op
- Tim Hortons
- Optimum
- Burger King
- My NR
Other moving tips Canada is to follow local restaurants and bars on social media and check everyday for daily deals and promotions.
Lastly, consider changing your iCloud location to Canada which will help download lots of apps as VPNs do not work in this case (see more below about VPNs). Note: you can only change your iCloud a handful of times so think about whether this is worth it in the long run.
8) Suitable Courses for Jobs
There are certain jobs in Canada that require certificates or qualifications. Some of them you can complete while in Canada such as ProServe in Alberta which is a responsible liquor serving licence.
There are different courses in different provinces such as Serving It Right in BC and Smart Serve in Ontario.
Simply research each province licence requirements and follow online steps to complete.
Read Next: How to Move to Melbourne, Australia on a Working Holiday Visa
9) Get a VPN for Your Devices
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network which is a tool that protects your computer when joining random WIFIs, scans downloads for malware, blocks ads, protects your privacy, and basically changes your IP address to think it’s in another country. I highly recommend purchasing NordVPN while travelling and moving abroad.
This can help with finding cheaper flights, getting localised information and adverts and watching a range of Netflix shows from other countries ;).
The leading VPN is NordVPN. I personally use NordVPN on my two devices and my partner uses it on two devices because we get up to six devices with our one subscription. Click here to purchase your NordVPN subscription!
10) Apply for Local ID
You can get a Canadian drivers licence to use as local ID in Canada. There are also IDs for non-drivers. These vary between provinces.
11) Get Provincial Healthcare
Healthcare varies from province to province but usually if you’re in a province for a certain amount of days you become eligible for provincial healthcare. Note: you must always have your own travel insurance. I used True Traveller to cover me for the full two years.
Thanks for reading my moving to Canada from UK blog. I hope it has helped!
Moving to Canada IEC Guide: Save for Later
