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Get your cards (SIN, Health, credit)
So you’ve found a place to live, whether or not the arrangement is temporary. What next? Should you start hunting for a job?
Not just yet. Before anything else, you need to equip yourself with two
documents that every Canadian resident must possess: a SIN card and a
Health Card.
SIN stands for Social Insurance Number, and it simply impossible to get
by in Canada without one. You’ll need it for virtually everything,
whether it’s opening a bank account, registering with an employment
agency or even getting a paycheque. Make getting a SIN card your number
one priority. (Everyone in your family will need one too, no matter
what their age).
You can apply for a card at any Human Resources Centre of Canada (HRCC)
office in your area. Although you can send in your application by mail,
it is recommended that you (and your family) apply in person. Not only
will this avoid you having to send important documents by mail, it is
also much faster. Most centres will issue you your number immediately,
and the card itself will be mailed to you.
For the location of the HRCC office nearest you, refer to the
Government of Canada pages in the local telephone directory, under the
heading Social Insurance Number.
To apply for a Social Insurance Number, you need to fill out an
application form (if you wish you can download this ahead of time from here. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the file. Acrobat Reader is available as a free download from the Adobe site (www.adobe.com).
Along with your form, you will also need to provide original or
certified copies of documents that prove your identity and status in
Canada. Your passport and landing papers (stamped and stapled to your
passport when you arrive in Canada), plus any one other piece of
identification, are all you need for this.
There is no fee for SIN cards.
Very Important: Check that your name is spelt correctly and in full on
your SIN card. This will ensure that when you start working, your
Canada or Québec Pension Plan contributions are properly credited to
you.
Incidentally, you will need your SIN when you apply for a Health Card, another very important document.
Before you do that though, you should do one or both of these: open a
bank account and get a Temporary Driver’s Licence. The reason for this
will shortly become apparent.
To open a bank account, you will need to bring some documents proving
you live at the address you provide, such as a rental agreement, a
post-marked envelope bearing your name and address or a letter from the
folks you are staying with.
The Temporary Driver’s Licence is also fairly easy to obtain. All you
need to do is take a computerised or written test which checks your
knowledge of Canadian driving laws. Pick up a copy of the
widely-available Official Driver’s Handbook or Safe Driving Guide (cost
$10-$12, depending on where you buy it) to get up to speed with local
road regulations before you go for your test.
Once you have opened your bank account and obtained your temporary driver’s licence, you are ready to apply for a Health Card.
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