Relocation services for British Columbia, Canada

What to do when you land in B.C.

This section covers the basics of moving to British Columbia. There is so much involved in moving that it can really help to have advice from someone who has done it before.

Arrival checklist

Social Insurance Number (SIN)

This is one of the essentials of your life in Canada. You need it for bank accounts, looking for jobs and getting credit cards amongst many others.

It can take several weeks for your card to come through. It is best to apply in person at an HRSDC office. Locations of offices can be found in the SuperPages or via the HRSDC offices web site.

You will need:

• Proof of status in Canada. This depends on your citizenship, and visa status. (See HRSDC site for details).
  • For Permanent Residents:
    Permanent Resident’s card
    or
    Confirmation of permanent residence status and visa stamp
  • For temporary residents:
    Work permit / Study permit and contract of employment

Medical Services Plan

The Vancouver skyline at dusk
Mount Baker in the distanceYou will have to wait three months before you are covered by BC’s Medical Services Plan, but it is important to apply as soon as you arrive as it takes time to process your request to join.

You can download the forms from the web and send them off as soon as you arrive. Forms can be found at:
https://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/exforms/msp/

Remember that it is your responsibility to arrange for medical insurance to cover you during the three month waiting period. If you have not arranged this yet you may want to try one of these:

• CanadaSure
  This is a UK based company. You can get your insurance over the web if you need to.
• Health Quotes
  This is a Canadian based site and will look for competitive quotes.

If you do not have insurance during this period, you will be liable for any medical costs that you incur. These could be very expensive

Driving license

You are only entitled to drive on your UK license for three months as a permanent resident. Visitors can drive on their UK licenses for six months. Note that there are some countries whose licenses can be exchanged for a BC license - see the ICBC site for current details - at time of writing these were Austria, Germany, Switzerland, South Korea, Japan and the USA.

Although this will not be one of the very first things you do, it is worth remembering that you will need a BC driving license within three months. It is used as a major item of identification and for that alone is invaluable.

See our article on learning to drive for more information.

Register for schools

If you have school age children, you will want to register them for school. It is a simple process and you will probably find all the schools you are considering to be very friendly.

See our article on transferring into a Canadian school for more details.

Bank account

If you don’t have a Canadian bank account then you will need to find one.

Here are a few tips on choosing a bank:

• look for one with a good branch network in the areas you are working and/or living. This is not essential as debit cards (interac, i.e. switch) are accepted most places and for very small sums.
• watch the bank charges when selecting an account. Bank charges are the norm here, but each bank has a variety of accounts, with variations in their charging structures.
• you will need your PR card and passport when opening an account. You may also be asked for your SIN card.
• See also our article on bank accounts.