What to Set Up Before You Fly to Canada
The best time to sort your money and paperwork isn't your jet-lagged first week — it's while you're still home, with your documents and bank at arm's reach. Here's the pre-departure checklist that makes your landing calm instead of chaotic.
Why the smart work happens before you fly
There's a window most newcomers waste: the weeks between getting your visa and boarding your flight. It feels like dead time — packing, goodbyes, nerves. But it's actually the easiest moment to handle your money admin, because you still have full access to your home bank, your original documents, and a calm head. Once you land, you're doing all of it jet-lagged, in queues, on a phone with no data.
So front-load it. Six tasks done before you board turn a frantic first week into a smooth one. Here they are, in the order they matter.
None of this is about doing more — it's about doing the right things at the right time. A newcomer who lands with accessible money, a working phone and health cover for the gap has already removed the three biggest sources of first-week stress. Everything on the list below is something you can genuinely finish in a quiet evening at home, long before the airport queues and jet lag arrive.
Your pre-departure checklist
Work through these while you're still home. Most take an evening.
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Buy your GIC (if you're on a study permit)
If you're coming through the Student Direct Stream, the GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate) is often the single largest thing you'll pay before you leave — around CAD $20,635, held for you and paid back in monthly instalments after you arrive. Arrange it early, because the certificate is part of your permit application, not a last-minute task.
Read our full GIC for your study permit guide for which banks offer it and how you get every dollar back.
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Set up a Wise account for your first transfer
You'll almost certainly move money into Canada — for the GIC, first rent, or just a landing fund. Do it at the real mid-market exchange rate rather than losing 3–5% to a bank's hidden markup. Setting up a transparent service like Wise before you fly means you can transfer the moment you need to, while your home documents are still handy.
Our send-money guide explains exactly how the hidden markup works so you can judge any service — the same math applies to money coming in.
Watch out: whatever service you use, send a small test transfer first and check the amount that actually arrives before moving a large sum.
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Organise the documents you'll carry
Keep your critical papers together and take physical copies as well as digital ones (scanned to your email or cloud). At minimum: passport, study/work permit or PR confirmation, your Letter of Introduction / port-of-entry letter, proof of funds, GIC certificate, admission or job letter, and any medical or vaccination records. Carry these in your hand luggage — never in a checked bag.
Watch out: border officers may ask to see your proof of funds and letters at the port of entry, so keep them accessible, not buried in a suitcase.
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Arrange insurance for the waiting period
This is the pre-arrival step that saves people from disaster. In several provinces your free public health coverage doesn't start the day you land — there can be a wait of up to three months, and in Ontario most international students aren't covered by the public plan at all. One ER visit in that gap can cost thousands.
Buy short-term private coverage to bridge it, ideally starting the day you arrive. Our health-insurance waiting-period guide shows which provinces have a gap and how to cover it cheaply.
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Unlock your phone or buy a Canada eSIM
You need a working Canadian number the minute you land — for bank verification codes, ride-hailing, and telling family you're safe. If your phone is locked to a carrier back home, unlock it before you leave. Even better, buy a Canada eSIM before you fly and activate it on arrival, so you're connected before you've even cleared the airport.
See how eSIM and prepaid compare in our best SIM for newcomers guide.
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Look into pre-arrival banking programs
Here's a genuinely useful, under-known option: several major Canadian banks run newcomer or "arrival" programs that let you start — sometimes fully open — a chequing account from abroad, before you land. That means you can transfer your funds ahead of time and simply collect your card on arrival, ticking off one of the first week's biggest tasks in advance.
Be honest with yourself about the fine print: availability depends on the bank and your home country, and some programs only pre-register you rather than fully open the account. Confirm the details directly with the bank, and compare the genuinely no-fee options in our newcomer banking guide before you commit.
Set up your first transfer before you board
Move your landing funds or GIC money at the real exchange rate — set up a Wise account while your home documents are still at hand.
The one thing not to over-plan
You can't set up everything from abroad — your SIN, your provincial health card, and your transit card all wait until you're physically in Canada. That's fine. The goal of pre-arrival prep isn't to finish the list; it's to clear the tasks that are genuinely easier from home so you land with money you can access, a phone that works, and coverage if you get sick. The rest belongs in your first week.
Where pre-arrival money quietly leaks
The two big leaks before you fly are the exchange rate on your first transfer and skipping gap insurance to save a little now. Both feel painless in the moment and both can cost you hundreds — or thousands — within weeks of landing. Spend the evening now; keep the money later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Honest answers about setting up before you fly.
What should I set up before flying to Canada?
Can I open a Canadian bank account before I arrive?
Do I need health insurance before I arrive?
Should I set up a Wise account before flying?
Should I unlock my phone before coming?
Keep going — the next steps
This guide is part of our arrival trio. Once you've done the pre-flight work, here's what comes next.
Land with your money already sorted
Set up a low-cost transfer for your landing funds, and compare newcomer bank accounts before you fly.