Your first week in Canada
A calm, ordered checklist for documents, communication, health coverage, money and local help.
A practical guide to life in Canada
Clear steps for a new life in Canada.
Find clear next steps for documents, work, language, money, health, school, family and safety—without sorting through dozens of government pages first.
Immediate danger?Call 911. For suicide crisis support in Canada, call or text 988.More private safety options
Guided resource finder
Start with what you need today.
Pick one situation and where you live. You’ll get a short route to relevant guides and official services.
You can still use the federal guides without choosing a location.
Useful from the first read
Start with a task, not a category.
Each guide gives you an order of operations, what to prepare, where to be careful and direct links to the official service.
Find free settlement services
Connect with a local person who can help with forms, language, work, school and daily life.
Know your workplace rights
Understand who sets the rules for pay, hours, leave and safety—and where to ask for help.
Open a bank account and build credit
Compare accounts, understand your basic banking rights and begin a Canadian credit history carefully.
Apply for health coverage
Find the public plan where you live, learn when it starts and prepare for costs it may not cover.
Get help with family violence
Private ways to make a safety plan, find a shelter and understand that help is available regardless of immigration status.
Where you live changes the answer
Federal first. Local when it matters.
Health coverage, schools, employment standards, renting and legal help are often provincial or territorial. Use one national starting point, then go straight to the right local service.
Choose your province or territory
The Canadian Newcomer archive
Stories from starting over.
Canadian Newcomer began as a free magazine in 2004. Its stories record the work, uncertainty, humour and persistence of people building new lives across Canada.
Archived stories keep their original publication dates and language. Time-sensitive information is separated from today’s guides.
Explore the magazine archive