First-week guide
Your phone in your first week as a permanent resident
What needs a Canadian number right after landing?
Almost everything on the settlement checklist: opening a bank account, booking your Social Insurance Number appointment, applying for a provincial health card, signing a lease and setting up utilities. Most of these text a code to your number. Having it assigned before you fly means you can start several of them from home.
Which plan do new permanent residents choose?
Families usually take Rogers 100 GB at $40 a month per line: enough for maps, school portals and video calls home, with a hotspot for a laptop before home internet is installed. Fido 75 GB at $35 is the lowest monthly price. Rogers 120 GB at $50 includes US calling and roaming.
Every line is in its own name, so order one plan per adult. All three plans are month to month with no contract.
Do I need a credit history, a SIN or a Canadian address?
No. These plans are ordered before you arrive with no credit check, no SIN and no Canadian address. You order with your name, email, arrival date and the plan you want. If the carrier needs to see your passport or COPR, your advisor asks you for it.
Home internet once you have an address
If you settle in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba or Saskatchewan, the same advisor can book home internet with unlimited data, a free professional install and nothing paid up front, usually within about 3 days of your call. Internet + TV bundles are available in all four provinces.
