Your first 90 days in Canada as a developer: what to do, in order

Your first 90 days in Canada as a developer decide how the first two years feel. Not because anything is hard, but because everything depends on something else: no paycheque without a SIN, no apartment without credit, no credit without a bank account, no phone contract without an address. Here is the order that unknots it, with the Toronto specifics I wish someone had written down for me.

Before you land

• Documents in carry-on: passport, confirmation of permanent residence or work permit approval, proof of funds, a list of goods you are bringing, your credential assessment, reference letters, and a folder of translated certificates.
• Somewhere to sleep for the first weeks, ideally a short-term rental with a real address you can use on forms.
• An unlocked phone. Canadian carriers are expensive and their phone financing needs credit you do not have yet.
• LinkedIn updated with your Canadian city and your arrival date. Recruiters start noticing immediately.
• Runway. Six to ten weeks from landing to first salary is normal even with a job lined up.

Week one: the unlocking sequence

1. Social Insurance Number

Your SIN is the nine-digit number every employer, bank and government form asks for. At major airports, Service Canada often has a desk where you can get it on arrival; otherwise book an appointment or apply online in your first days. Nothing else in this list is fully possible without it.

2. Bank account

All the large banks run newcomer packages: no-fee chequing for a year or two, a credit card without Canadian credit history, sometimes a bonus. Bring your passport, immigration document and SIN. Open the account and the credit card in the same visit.

3. Phone

Go straight to the discount brands, Fido, Koodo, Virgin, Freedom, with your own unlocked phone. Expect CAD 40 to 70 a month for a plan with reasonable data. The main carriers are more expensive and their contracts need credit.

4. Credit card, and use it

Canadian credit history starts at zero when you land, and landlords, lenders and even some employers check it. Use the newcomer credit card for groceries and your phone bill, pay it in full every month, never miss a date, and do not apply for several cards at once. In six months you have a score; in a year you have a good one.

Weeks two to four: settling

Health card

In Ontario, apply for OHIP at a ServiceOntario office with proof of status, proof of residence and identity. The old three-month waiting period was removed, so eligible newcomers are covered once approved. OHIP covers doctors and hospitals; dental, prescriptions and glasses are extra unless an employer plan covers them. Find a family doctor early; it can take time.

Transit

Get a PRESTO card at any subway station and load it, or tap a credit card directly. A monthly pass makes sense if you commute daily; per-ride is cheaper if you work from home. You do not need a car downtown, and the cost of living guide explains why.

Apartment

Landlords want first and last month's rent, a credit check and proof of income. As a newcomer you may have neither credit nor a Canadian job yet. Offer bank statements, an employment letter if you have one, and where legal a larger deposit. Newcomer-friendly landlords exist and say so in listings. Read the Ontario standard lease before you sign; it is the only legal form.

Driver's licence

Ontario exchanges full licences from some countries directly and gives credit for driving experience from others. Bring a driving record from home. Even if you do not plan to drive, an Ontario licence or photo card is the everyday ID you will be asked for constantly.

Weeks two to twelve: the job search

Everything changes the day your LinkedIn says you are in Toronto and authorised to work. Set that first. Then follow the routine in the job search guide: ten target companies, five real conversations a week, tailored applications within two days of posting, and one meetup a week. Have your Canadian-format resume ready before you land, not after. If a short contract or a paid project for a small business appears, take it; one Canadian organisation on the resume does more than another month of applying.

Taxes: what to know in year one

You become a tax resident when you establish residential ties, and you file a return the following spring for the part of the year you were here. Your employer deducts tax at source. Open a TFSA and, once you have earned income, an RRSP; both are tax-sheltered accounts and starting them in year one is one of the highest-return habits available to a newcomer. The CRA's newcomer pages are clear and worth an hour.

Winter, honestly

December to March is cold, grey and longer than you want, with stretches well below minus ten and occasional days far colder. It is entirely manageable. Buy a proper insulated coat rated for real cold, waterproof boots with grip, thermal layers, a hat and gloves. Budget a few hundred dollars once. The city keeps running; nothing closes. Get outside anyway, because the people who hide indoors have the hardest winters. The second one is far easier than the first.

Finding your people

Toronto is the most multicultural large city in the world, and whatever you left behind, there is a community here that shares it: language, food, sport, faith. Find it in the first month. Then find the tech community too: newcomer tech groups, stack-specific meetups, and the informal Slack and Discord servers where Toronto developers actually talk. Both matter. The first keeps you grounded; the second gets you hired.

I did all of this in Toronto and now build software here for a living. If you are landing soon and want to talk through your first weeks with someone who remembers them, say hello.