Essentials for international students in Canada

Welcome to Canada! Coming here as an international student is a huge accomplishment, and you should be proud of having your application accepted and all your immigration papers approved. We’re thrilled to have you here.

Now that you’ve landed, there are a few things you’re going to want to set up pretty soon, like a local phone number and a bank account. Here’s a quick guide to getting those essentials sorted.

Getting a Canadian phone number

There are three big phone companies in Canada: Rogers, Telus and Bell (along with other, smaller carriers depending on where you live). You should be able to use your current phone and just swap out the SIM card to get a Canadian phone number.

Before you go shopping for a phone plan, be aware: Canadian data plans aren’t as generous as they are in other countries, but they’re getting better.

Opening a Canadian bank account

If you’re going to work part-time while studying, you’ll need a Canadian bank account.

You’ll sometimes hear about the “Big Six” Canadian banks. Most of these banks offer special student accounts that have either lower fees or no fees at all; we’ve included the links below. Shop around, decide what’s best for you, open an account and start saving.

Here are the main banks:

• RBC (Royal Bank of Canada)

• TD (Toronto Dominion, but you won’t usually hear its full name)

• BMO (Bank of Montreal)

• CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce – like TD, nobody uses its full name)

• Scotiabank

• National Bank

Canadians don’t generally use money transfer apps like Venmo, because our major banks use the same payment network (Interac), so it’s easy to transfer from one person to another using just an email address or phone number.

Moving around Canada

Yes, you’re here to study and start the next phase of your life. But Canada has a lot to see, so when you can, you should get out and explore.

Short trips: If you’re just going from home to campus, or to the grocery store, you’ll need a transit pass. Here are some of the main ones:

• Greater Toronto Area (includes Brampton, Mississauga, Oshawa and more): Presto Card

• Metro Vancouver: U-Pass

• Montreal: OPUS Card

• Calgary: UPass

• Edmonton: UPass

• Ottawa: U-Pass

Even though four of them have the same name, they can’t always be used in different cities. If you’re attending University of Calgary and you take a trip to Ottawa, your Calgary pass won’t work on Ottawa trains and buses.

Another important thing to know: Canada is huge. That might seem obvious, but some newcomers are surprised to learn that Banff isn’t a short trip from Toronto, or that driving across the Prairies can take a few days. In fact, just crossing one province – Ontario – could easily take almost 24 hours by car.

Long trips: If you’re going from one end of the country to another, flying is your best option; our major airlines include Air Canada, Porter and WestJet.

If you’re going a shorter distance, Via Rail runs trains between most cities and offers discounted fares for students. This is especially handy if you live in Quebec or Southern Ontario, which gets frequent train service on the “Windsor to Quebec City” corridor.