Your first 30 days in Toronto · Thornhill

1. Social Insurance Number (SIN)

You need a SIN to work and to receive government benefits. Applying is free, and if you go in person with complete documents you get the number the same day.

• Apply online, by mail or in person at a Service Canada Centre.
• Permanent residents: PR card or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR). Originals only, no copies.
• A temporary resident's SIN starts with 9 and expires with your work or study permit.
• Give your SIN only where the law requires it: your employer after you're hired, banks for interest income, and government programs. Not to rent a home, sign a phone contract or fill in a job application.

Official source:

• canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/apply.html
• canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/temporary-residents.html
• canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html

2. Ontario health card (OHIP)

There is no longer a three-month waiting period: ontario.ca says eligible people are covered right away. You apply in person at ServiceOntario.

• Bring three separate original documents: one for citizenship or immigration status, one for Ontario residency, one for identity. No photocopies.
• Bring the completed Registration for Ontario Health Insurance Coverage form.
• Ontario must be your primary home and you must be here at least 153 days in any 12 months.
• Not eligible for OHIP (e.g. a visitor)? Ontario recommends private health insurance. The federal IFHP only covers refugees and a few specific groups.

Official source:

• ontario.ca/page/apply-ohip-and-get-health-card
• canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/help-within-canada/health-care/interim-federal-health-program/eligibility.html

3. Open a bank account

You can open a personal account even with no job and no money to deposit yet; the bank only has to be able to confirm who you are.

• Either two original documents from the FCAC list (e.g. government ID or a passport), or one document plus confirmation from a customer in good standing or a respected person in your community.
• Since December 1, 2025, participating banks offer low-cost accounts for at most $4 a month, and $0 accounts for newcomers in their first year.
• Ask exactly what the fees are and how many free transactions you get each month.

Official source:

• canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking/opening-bank-account.html
• canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/news/2025/11/canadians-can-now-access-free-and-low-cost-bank-accounts-featuring-more-monthly-transactions.html

4. Phone plan

The CRTC Wireless Code gives you a few rights worth knowing before you sign.

• 15-day trial: if you've used less than half of your monthly allowance, you can cancel and return the phone at no cost.
• New phones must be sold unlocked, and unlocking an existing phone is free.
• Early cancellation fees must reach zero within 24 months, device financing included.
• If you can't sort it out with the provider, a CCTS complaint is free.

Official source:

• canada.ca/en/radio-television-telecommunications/news/2021/03/crtc-provides-greater-protection-for-wireless-consumers.html
• canada.ca/en/radio-television-telecommunications/news/2017/06/crtc_puts_an_endtolockedcellphonesandunlockingfees.html
• ccts-cprst.ca/for-consumers/telecom-complaints/

5. PRESTO card and the TTC

In Toronto you ride TTC subways, buses and streetcars with a PRESTO card or by tapping your credit or debit card.

• A physical PRESTO card costs $4: TTC and GO station machines, Shoppers Drug Mart, or prestocard.ca.
• The TTC adult fare is $3.30 with PRESTO or a card tap, $3.35 cash (exact fare).
• With PRESTO or a card tap, transfers are free for two hours from your first tap; tap the same card each time.
• Youth, senior and Fair Pass discounts need a PRESTO card set to that fare type, not a bank card.

Official source:

• ttc.ca/Fares-and-passes
• prestocard.ca/en/about/presto-physical-card
• ttc.ca/riding-the-ttc/Updates/Pay-your-fare-with-your-debit-or-credit-card

6. Free settlement services

The federal government funds organizations that help you for free: job search, language assessment and classes, and help with paperwork.

• IRCC's “Find free newcomer services near you” tool finds the closest centres by postal code.
• Permanent residents, refugees and protected persons are eligible; most visitors and temporary residents are not.
• From April 1, 2026, economic-class permanent residents can use these services for 6 years after landing (5 years from April 1, 2027).
• For local community and government services, 211 Ontario answers free, 24/7, in 150+ languages. Emergencies: 911.

Official source:

• ircc.canada.ca/english/newcomers/services/index.asp
• canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/settle-canada/newcomer-services/eligibility.html
• 211ontario.ca/about/faq/
• ontario.ca/page/getting-settled-ontario

1. Renting and tenant rights

Most Ontario leases must use the government's Standard Lease, and the law rules out many extra charges.

• Your landlord must give you a copy of the Standard Lease within 21 days of signing.
• Damage deposits are illegal. A rent deposit can only go toward the last month's rent, and you must be paid interest on it every year.
• The rent increase guideline is 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027; only after 12 months, with at least 90 days' written notice. Most units first occupied after November 15, 2018 are exempt.
• Disputes with a landlord go to the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Official source:

• ontario.ca/page/renting-ontario-your-rights
• ontario.ca/page/guide-ontarios-standard-lease
• ontario.ca/page/residential-rent-increases
• ontario.ca/page/rental-housing-offences
• tribunalsontario.ca/ltb/

2. Build a credit history

Landlords, lenders and some contracts look at your credit. Newcomers start from zero, so start early.

• Get your credit report free online from the two main bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion.
• FCAC says a secured credit card may suit newcomers with no history: you pay a deposit that the issuer holds.
• Payment history matters most: pay on time, at least the minimum.

Official source:

• canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/credit-reports-score/order-credit-report.html
• canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/credit-cards/choose-credit-card.html
• canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/credit-reports-score/improve-credit-score.html

3. Your address and PR card

IRCC mails your first PR card automatically if it has your Canadian mailing address and photo within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident.

• Miss the 180-day window and you have to apply for the PR card yourself.
• Have an open application? Update your address with IRCC; otherwise use IRCC's web form.

Official source:

• canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/change-address.html

1. Find a family doctor

Register with Health Care Connect using your OHIP number to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner taking new patients.

• Register online or by calling 811 (24/7). You need a valid Ontario health card number.
• Registering doesn't guarantee a quick match; once matched you get a referral and the clinic contacts you.
• Health811 (call 811): free, confidential advice from a registered nurse, day or night.
• Meanwhile, walk-in clinics are free for non-urgent care; bring your health card.

Official source:

• ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner
• ontario.ca/page/walk-clinics
• ontario.ca/page/health-care-ontario

2. Register your children for school

Under Ontario's Education Act, no child under 18 can be refused school because of their own or their parents' immigration status.

• TDSB: contact your local school or register online.
• Documents: proof of age, proof of address, immunization records, and the arrival date if your child was born outside Canada.
• Permanent residents and refugee claimants register directly at the school. Missing documents? The school refers you to TDSB's admissions office at 5050 Yonge Street.

Official source:

• ontario.ca/document/education-ontario-policy-and-program-direction/policyprogram-memorandum-136
• tdsb.on.ca/Find-your/School/Registration

3. Free English classes (LINC)

Permanent residents and protected persons can take government-funded English classes (LINC) for free, after a language assessment.

• Start with a language assessment. In Toronto the YMCA runs several centres, including the Barrett Centre for Newcomers at 365 Bloor St E.
• Ontario school boards' adult ESL classes are free too (small materials fees may apply) and are open to more groups, including refugee claimants.
• From April 1, 2026, economic-class permanent residents can use LINC for 6 years after landing.

Official source:

• canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/new-life-canada/improve-english-french/classes.html
• ontario.ca/page/adult-learning-english-second-language

1. Ontario driver's licence

A valid foreign licence covers you for 60 days after you settle here. Iran has no exchange agreement with Ontario, so you go through the tests.

• Route for non-exchange countries: vision test, knowledge test and G2 road test, wait at least 12 months, then the G test.
• From July 1, 2026 you can get up to one year of experience credit: your valid original licence plus an official authentication letter from the issuing country, in English or French.
• Apply in person at a DriveTest centre, and ask DriveTest exactly how the credit affects your wait.

Official source:

• ontario.ca/page/exchange-out-province-drivers-licence
• ontario.ca/page/getting-settled-ontario

2. Taxes and benefits

Your tax return isn't only about paying tax: benefits like the Canada Child Benefit depend on it. You can apply for benefits as soon as you arrive.

• Your first return is due the year after you arrive; CRA's example: arrived in 2025, file the 2025 return by April 30, 2026.
• The GST/HST credit is now the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit: Form RC151 without children, Form RC66 with children (it covers both).
• File every year, even with no income, so your benefits keep coming.

Official source:

• canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/international-non-residents/individuals-leaving-entering-canada-non-residents/newcomers-canada-immigrants.html

3. Licensed immigration help

Anyone paid to handle your immigration matters must be licensed, or IRCC returns the application. Free help from family or friends is allowed.

• Authorized representatives: CICC-licensed consultants, lawyers or paralegals of a law society (in Ontario, the LSO), or Quebec notaries.
• On the CICC public register, only “Active” licensees with “Yes” under Entitled to Practise may give paid advice.
• IRCC's warning: no one can guarantee a visa or faster processing. Pressure to hurry and large cash payments are red flags.

Official source:

• college-ic.ca/protecting-the-public/find-an-immigration-consultant
• canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/imm5476.html
• canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2026/02/spot-stop-report-taking-action-against-immigration-fraud.html