Before you arrive in Canada

Birth, marriage and divorce certificates, school and vaccination records, and prescriptions in their original packaging. Get certified translations into English or French now — ordering any of it from Canada later is slower and costlier.

Ask your licensing authority for a driving record or licence extract, and your insurer for a claims-history letter. Both can shorten the licence exchange, and some Canadian insurers use the letter to price your first policy.

If your job is licensed in Canada, the regulator's process can often start before you land. Collect what's hard to get later: transcripts, course syllabi, and reference letters from every employer.

IRCC funds free help for approved permanent residents who haven't landed yet: job-search prep, credential guidance, a settlement plan. Once you land, the in-Canada settlement services take over.

Bring official letters or statements showing the money you're bringing — the border officer can ask, and Express Entry applicants already needed the proof for eligibility. The funds must be yours and available, not borrowed.

Cash, drafts, cheques or other instruments worth CAN$10,000 or more must be declared when you enter — there's no tax on it, but not declaring can mean seizure and penalties.

You must land before your confirmation of permanent residence expires — the date can't be extended. Check that every name matches the passport exactly, and fix errors before you fly, not at the airport.

One list of what travels with you, one of goods to follow later — with values. Settlers' effects come in duty-free, but only if they're on the lists you present at first landing.

Food, plants, animal products, medication and anything resembling a weapon have their own rules. Ten minutes on the official list saves an afternoon in the inspection room.

Some provinces make you wait up to three months before public coverage starts. Buy private coverage for those weeks before you fly — a single emergency visit costs more than the policy.

Book somewhere short-term and refundable, and sign nothing long-term you haven't seen. Never wire a deposit from abroad for an apartment that exists only in photos.