Your First Week in Vancouver: A Newcomer's Checklist

You have landed at YVR, your work permit is printed and folded into your passport, and suddenly the abstract plan you made at home is a real city in front of you. Almost every newcomer feels the same mix of excitement and low-level panic in the first 48 hours: where do I go first, what can wait, and what will cost me money or time if I get the order wrong?

Here is the short answer: your first week in Vancouver has five jobs that matter more than everything else. Get your Social Insurance Number (SIN), open a bank account, set up a phone number, apply for MSP health coverage, and sort out transit. None of them is hard, but they unlock each other — you cannot start work without a SIN, and most landlords and employers expect a Canadian phone number and bank account. This checklist walks through the week day by day, in the order that actually works.

Key points

Apply for your SIN first, in person at a Service Canada Centre — it is free and you receive the number the same day (Service Canada).
Open a bank account in your first days; Canadian banks can open one for newcomers with a passport and work permit, and you do not need a job first.
Apply for MSP as soon as you arrive — coverage for new BC residents starts only after a wait period of the rest of your arrival month plus two months (Government of BC).
Keep every immigration document safe and backed up digitally; you will show your work permit again and again this week.
Spend the rest of the week learning your neighbourhood: transit routes, the nearest grocery stores, and one settlement agency or library branch.

Caption: Vancouver's skyline and mountains — beautiful, but your first week is mostly paperwork. Get the order right and it goes fast.

Day 1: Land, breathe, and protect your documents

Your only real tasks on arrival day are getting to your accommodation and protecting your paperwork.

Your work permit is the most valuable paper you own. It is issued at the airport when you enter. Check it before you leave the immigration area: your name, the expiry date, and any conditions printed on it. Mistakes are far easier to fix at the airport than weeks later.
Photograph or scan your work permit, passport and insurance documents, and store copies in cloud storage you can reach from your phone.
If you arrived at Vancouver International Airport during operating hours, look for the Service Canada SIN@Landing presence reported at YVR and other major airports — if it is operating, you may be able to leave the airport with your SIN already issued. If not, a Service Canada Centre in the city does the same job.
Get a temporary transit plan: from YVR, the Canada Line SkyTrain takes you downtown in about 25 minutes. Buy single fares or a DayPass at first; you will sort out a Compass Card (TransLink's fare card) once you know where you are living.

Day 2: Get your SIN

Your SIN is a nine-digit number you need to work legally in Canada and to access government programs. As a work permit holder, your SIN starts with 9 and expires on the same date as your work permit. Our full guide, "How to Get Your SIN in Canada: Where to Go, What to Bring, and How Long It Takes," covers every application route in detail. The short version:

Go in person to a Service Canada Centre with your original work permit and passport. Photocopies are not accepted in person.
Applying in person is free, and you walk out with a printed Confirmation of SIN letter the same day.
Never pay a website or agency for a SIN. Service Canada never charges for one, and third-party "application services" are a common newcomer scam.
Memorise the number or store it securely. You give it to your employer after you are hired — not on application forms or to landlords.

Day 3: Open your bank account

With a SIN and an address (even a temporary one), open a chequing account. Our guide "Opening Your First Bank Account in Canada as a Newcomer" compares what the big banks and online banks ask for. The essentials:

Bring your passport, work permit and SIN confirmation letter. Under Canada's access-to-basic-banking rules, you do not need a job, an income, or a Canadian credit history to open a personal account.
Ask about newcomer packages — most major banks waive monthly fees for newcomers for the first year or so, but read the fee schedule for when the promotion ends.
Set up Interac e-Transfer, which is how Canadians send money to each other and how many landlords and employers prefer to be paid or to pay you.
Order cheques or a void cheque if a landlord or employer asks for one for pre-authorized payments.

Caption: Your first room does not need to be perfect — a safe base near transit beats a dream apartment across town.

Day 4: Set up your phone number

A Canadian number makes everything else easier: employers call back, banks send verification codes, and landlords reply.

See our guide "Phone Plans in Canada: How Newcomers Can Avoid Overpaying" for the full strategy. The basics: every phone sold in Canada is unlocked, so your current phone almost certainly works here.
The discount brands owned by the big carriers (often called flanker brands) run on the same networks for less money than the flagship brands.
A bring-your-own-device plan with a modest data allowance is the right starting point. You can upgrade later; downgrading under contract is the expensive direction.

Day 5: Apply for MSP and sort out health coverage

British Columbia's Medical Services Plan (MSP) is the provincial health insurance you must enrol in as a BC resident. Two facts drive this step:

There are no MSP premiums — enrolment costs nothing — but new residents complete a wait period of the balance of the month you arrive, plus two months, before coverage begins (Government of BC).
Because of that wait, arrive with private health insurance that covers the gap. Your working holiday insurance may already cover it; check the dates line up with your MSP start date.

Apply for MSP online as soon as you have a BC address. Our guide "MSP and Health Coverage in BC: What Newcomers Need to Know" explains eligibility for work permit holders, the BC Services Card, and what happens if you need a doctor during the wait.

Days 6–7: Learn the city and set up your job search base

Get a Compass Card and load a monthly pass if you will be commuting — it works across buses, SkyTrain and SeaBus in Metro Vancouver (TransLink).
Walk your neighbourhood: find the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, library branch and Service Canada or WorkBC location. Vancouver public libraries offer free settlement information, printing, and often job-search help.
Set up your job-search basics: a Canadian-format resume (no photo, no age or marital status, one to two pages), a LinkedIn profile with your Vancouver location, and alerts on the Government of Canada's Job Bank. Our guide "Finding a Job in Vancouver on a Working Holiday Visa" goes deeper on where the working-holiday-friendly jobs actually are.
If you are house-hunting this week, read "Renting in Vancouver: How to Find a Place and Avoid Rental Scams" before you send anyone money. In BC, a security deposit can be no more than half a month's rent — anyone asking for much more up front is breaking the rules or running a scam.

Caption: The SkyTrain will be your lifeline this month — a Compass Card with a monthly pass usually pays for itself within two weeks of commuting.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do first: SIN, bank account, or phone?
SIN first, because it is fast and everything else assumes you can legally work. Bank account second, phone the same day if you can — many banks send verification codes by text, so some people do the phone first and the bank an hour later. Either order works as long as all three happen in the first few days.

Can I start a job before my MSP coverage begins?
Yes. MSP is health coverage, not work permission. Your work permit lets you work from day one; MSP simply means you should carry private insurance for the first few months in case you need medical care.

Keep going

Your first week sets up everything else. Once the paperwork is done, the guides on this site walk you through the next steps: getting your SIN in detail, opening your first bank account, understanding MSP, and finding work. What was the first thing you sorted out when you arrived in Vancouver — or what is worrying you most about your first week? Tell us in the comments.

Sources

Service Canada (Canada.ca) — Social Insurance Number: how to apply, required documents and processing times: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin.html
Government of British Columbia — Apply for MSP and coverage wait period: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/apply-for-msp
TransLink — Compass Card and fares: https://www.translink.ca

This article is general information about settling in Canada, based on official sources checked in November 2026. Rules, fees and processing times change — always confirm details on the official sites linked above before you act. It is not immigration, legal, tax or financial advice for your specific situation.

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Settle in Canada — Working Holiday & Newcomer Guide