Airport pickup
Decide how you will get from the airport to your first address. Have a backup, and share your arrival details with family.
Your first week in Canada, in a sensible order
A short guide to the tasks most students handle after landing: housing, SIN, bank, health cover, phone and orientation. You complete these yourself.
- Independent counselling
- Free first consultation
- Walk-in office, Brampton ON
Address first, then everything else
Banks and phone shops ask for itAddress first, then everything else
Your first week goes better with a plan. A steady address makes the bank, phone and campus steps easier.
Keep your permit papers, offer letter and passport together, and save digital copies on your phone.
If you booked some appointments before you left, week one is about showing up. If not, start them the day after you land.
The tasks
Eight things most students handle in the first weeks. The order below is a guide, not a rule.
The tasks
The tasks
Eight things most students handle in the first weeks. The order below is a guide, not a rule.
Temporary housing
Keep the booking details and the host's contact. You may need proof of address for other steps.
Long-term housing
View places in person, read the lease, and verify the landlord before you pay.
SIN (Social Insurance Number)
Needed for most jobs. Apply through Service Canada, and check the current steps on their official page.
Bank account
Bring your passport and permit papers. Ask each bank what it needs and what fees apply to students.
Health card
Rules and waiting periods differ by province. Keep your insurance active until your provincial cover starts.
Phone plan
Compare prepaid and monthly plans, and check that your phone works with Canadian networks.
Campus orientation
Collect your student card, check your timetable, and meet the international student office.
A sensible sequence
Timing changes with your intake and city. Move steps around to fit your bookings.
A sensible sequence
A sensible sequence
Timing changes with your intake and city. Move steps around to fit your bookings.
- Step 1
Land and let family know
Get online, even with a short-term SIM or eSIM.
- Step 2
Settle your short-term base
Save the host's contact and keep proof of address.
- Step 3
Book the ID and money steps
SIN, bank and the health card, in whichever order your bookings allow.
- Step 4
Join campus
Attend orientation, check your timetable, and meet the international office.
- Step 5
Find a longer-term home
View in person and read the lease before you commit.
Do not pay rent to someone you have not met or verified.
Housing scams target new arrivals. Your college's international student office can point you to safe places to look.
Read the accommodation guideWhat to bring and what to ask
One tab per group of tasks, so you can plan each appointment.
What to bring and what to ask
What to bring and what to ask
One tab per group of tasks, so you can plan each appointment.
SIN and bank are the two appointments many other steps depend on.
- Passport and permit papers
- Offer letter from the college
- Proof of your address
- Which bank fees apply to students?
- What does the bank need to open an account?
- What does Service Canada ask you to bring for a SIN?
Check the official page
Steps change. Read the Service Canada page below before you go.
Cover and contact come first when you are far from family.
- Your insurance details, saved on your phone
- The waiting period for provincial cover in your province
- Does my phone work on Canadian networks?
- Prepaid or monthly: which suits my first term?
- Emergency contacts saved and printed
Keep your insurance active
Cancel nothing until your provincial cover has started.
A good base makes the rest of the term easier.
- View places in person
- Read the lease before you sign
- Verify the landlord before you pay
- Collect your student card
- Check your timetable
- Meet the international student office
Different province?
Tenant rules and health cover work differently. Use your province's official site.
Do and avoid
Do and avoid
Do and avoid
Do in week one
- Book your SIN and bank appointments early.
- Keep copies of your permit and offer letter on your phone.
- Verify any landlord before you pay.
- Keep your bridge insurance until provincial cover starts.
Avoid
- Paying rent to someone you have not met or verified.
- Cancelling insurance before your provincial cover is active.
- Accepting work before you check your permit conditions.
- Leaving every appointment for the same day.
What to ask the college
What to ask the college
What to ask the college
- Is there an orientation for international students, and when is it?
- Which offices come to campus for SIN or bank sign-up?
- How do students usually arrange health cover in the first weeks?
- Where can I get help finding a place to live?
- Who do I contact if I arrive late or something goes wrong?
Ask early, ask oftenCheck the current steps
Check the current way to apply for a SIN, and what to bring, on the official page.
Pages last checked October 2026
Immigration questions go to IRCC or a licensed professional
Work conditions are written on your study permit. Questions about your permit go to IRCC or a licensed professional such as Visa Master Canada, an RCIC partner you retain directly.
Questions about arriving
Independent advice
Study Master Canada provides education counselling and, with your approval, prepares and submits your college applications. We do not give immigration advice or prepare immigration applications. Regulated immigration work, including study permit applications, appeals, spouse work permits and PR pathways, is handled only by a licensed RCIC partner, Visa Master Canada, when you retain them directly. We are not affiliated with any government.
Talk to a counsellor before you decide
A free first conversation about programs, costs and next steps. No obligation, and you make every application yourself.
Book free counselling
Mon–Fri, 9:30am–6:30pm ET. Walk-in office: Unit 1805, 83 Kennedy Road South, Brampton, ON L6W 3N7.