加拿大生活

Temporary housing

One of your first needs after you arrive in Canada is a temporary place to stay until you can rent or buy a home. One option is to stay at a hotel or hostel.

Most hotels and hostels have a website with photographs, location, price and a description of the services they offer. You can also use travel guides, forums and other websites to find reviews. Learn more about hotels and hostels by reading the Welcome to Canada guide.

You can also contact an immigrant-serving organization in the city or town where you plan to settle. Ask if temporary housing for newcomers is available and how much it costs.

Refugees will get help finding temporary housing as part of the Resettlement Assistance Program.

Types of housing

• Rental apartments: most apartments have one, two or three bedrooms. “Bachelor” units have a single room that serves as a living area and bedroom.
• Rental rooms: large homes are sometimes divided into several private bedrooms that you can rent.
• Condominiums (Condos): for more information on condominiums, see the Condominium Buyer’s Guide
• Houses: there are detached houses with surrounding properties, as well as semi-detached and townhouses where each house shares a wall with another.

Renting a Home

This guide is intended to provide the most common rental requirements across the country. However, landlord-tenant laws change from time to time in every province. This guide is not intended to provide legal advice. If you require specific legal advice, contact your local rental authority or a lawyer.

Rental issues can be similar in any area of the country, but authorities may treat them differently according to provincial or territorial legislation.

For both landlord and tenant, it is important to understand your rights and responsibilities. Your rental agreement or lease should cover most rules and terms, but treatment of the rules and terms in your lease may vary depending on the province or territory of the rental property. Knowing the rules for where you rent currently is crucial because the legal statutes may differ from province to province. For example, determining when a landlord can enter residential premises with or without notice differs across the country. The types of dwellings that fall under provincial or territorial tenancy legislation also varies from province to province. For example, in some provinces mobile home park residents are protected under the provincial tenancy legislation, while in others they are excluded. Equipped with the right information, both landlords and tenants will be better prepared to deal with issues that might arise.

NOTE
Refer to your province or territory for specific answers to your questions and valuable links to additional resources. Rental authorities and advocacy agencies are there to help you.

Buying a home

This guide is here to make things easier for you by providing the information you need to make a wise homebuying decision. This section provides examples and worksheets that will guide you through the entire homebuying process, from the moment you make the decision to buy your own home to the moment the movers carry the first box through the front door. It couldn't be easier!

In this Section:

Step 1: Is Homeownership Right for You?
Buying a home is one of the biggest emotional and financial decisions you'll ever make. Prepare by learning about the process of home buying and the responsibilities of homeownership.

Step 2: Are You Financially Ready?
This step guides you through some simple calculations to figure out your current financial situation, and the maximum home price that you should consider.

Step 3: Which Home is Right for You?
Once you have a good idea about your finances, you’ll need to think clearly about the home you’d like to buy. You need to think about your current and future housing needs and what characteristics are important to you in a home.

Step 4: The Buying Process
Before you start searching for a home you need to think about your current and future housing needs and what characteristics are important to you in a home.

Step 5: Now That You're a Homeowner
Practical advice for homeowners on their financial responsibilities as well as the importance of home maintenance and renovations.

Words to Know When Buying a Home
This glossary provides simple yet accurate definitions of certain terms you may encounter in the Homebuying Step by Step guide.

医疗制度

Canada’s universal health-care system
All Canadian citizens and permanent residents may apply for public health insurance. When you have it, you do not pay for most health-care services as health care is paid for through taxes. When you use public health-care services, you must show your health insurance card to the hospital or medical clinic.

Each province and territory has their own health insurance plan. Make sure you know what your plan covers.

All provinces and territories will provide free emergency medical services, even if you do not have a government health card. Restrictions may apply depending on your immigration status. If you have an emergency, go to the nearest hospital. If you go to a walk-in clinic in a province or territory where you are not a resident, you might be charged a fee.

Provincial and territorial ministries of health:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec (in French only)
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

Extra health insurance
Government health insurance plans give you access to basic medical services. You may also need private insurance to pay for things that government plans do not fully cover.

The most common types of plans are extended health plans. These cover costs for:

prescription medications
dental care
physiotherapy
ambulance services
prescription eyeglasses
If you work, you may get extra coverage from the company or organization you work for.

Getting a health card

To get health care in Canada, you will need a health insurance card from the province or territory where you live. You must show this card each time you get medical services. Learn more about how to get a health card.

Waiting period to get public health insurance
Residents in some provinces must wait a certain period (up to three months) before receiving government health insurance (contact your provincial or territorial ministry of health to know how long you will need to wait). Make sure you have private health insurance to cover your health-care needs during this waiting period.

加币汇率

Canada’s official currency is the Canadian dollar ($). There are 100 cents (¢) in a dollar ($). Coins have different sizes, shapes and colours. They have nicknames that Canadians use in everyday life. These include:

Coin

 1¢: penny (the penny was removed from circulation in 2012)
 5¢: nickel
10¢: dime
25¢: quarter
 $1: loonie
 $2: toonie

Bank Notes (Bills)

The Bank of Canada released series of polymer bank notes or bills. Each bill is the same size but a different colour. The most common bills are:

   $5: blue
 $10: purple
 $20: green
 $50: red
$100: brown

Exchanging foreign money into Canadian money

Before coming to Canada, it is a good idea to change some money from your home country into Canadian dollars. You can also exchange money after you arrive. Most airports have foreign exchange offices. You can also get cash from automated banking machines (ABMs are also known as automated teller machines) using a foreign debit or credit card.

Sending money

If you send money through the mail, do not send cash. To send money, you may:

• Use a cheque or money order.
• Directly transfer money to another account at the bank. Buy a money order at the post office.
• Wire money through private money order or transfer services (ask an immigrant-serving organization).

Some of these transactions cost money. Make sure that you know the cost before you transfer money.

Cost of living

The cost of living varies greatly in Canada, depending on the province, territory or city where you settle.

Tipping

A tip is extra money you pay to reward the person serving you for their good work and courteous service. The standard amount for a tip is usually 15 percent of the bill.

Giving a “tip” for good service is often done in:

• Restaurants
• Bars
• Hotels
• Taxis
• Certain other situations when you had provided extra services.

 工作许可

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a document that an employer in Canada must usually get before hiring a foreign worker.

A positive LMIA will show that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job and that no Canadian worker can do the job. A positive LMIA is sometimes called a Confirmation letter.

Your proposed employer must contact Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). ESDC will provide details on the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application process.

Do you need an LMIA?

There are two ways you can find out if you need an LMIA. You can review the list of LMIA exemption codes yourself, or you can contact an International Mobility Worker Unit for help.

Review the LMIA exemption codes

• Go to the Labour Market Impact Assessment exemption codes table, and review the list of regulations.
• Select the LMIA exemption code that seems most relevant to your hiring situation, and read the detailed description provided.
• Take note of the exemption code that applies to you. You will need to include this code in your offer of employment.

If you need help determining if you need an LMIA, contact the International Mobility Worker Unit for your province or territory.

Contact an International Mobility Worker Unit

International Mobility Worker Units (IMWU) help employers determine if the temporary worker they want to hire is exempt from the LMIA process or exempt from a work permit.

If you believe an LMIA or work permit exemption applies to your situation, you can request an opinion from an IMWU if the temporary worker is

from a visa-exempt country; and
currently outside of Canada.
If the temporary worker you want to hire is not from a visa-exempt country or is already in Canada, the processing officer reviewing their work permit application will determine if an LMIA exemption applies to their situation.

The border services officer at the point of entry will consider the opinion given by the unit when the temporary worker applies for their work permit. The opinion does not guarantee entry into Canada.

Requested information and supporting documents must be submitted to the IMWU at least 30 days before the date that the worker plans to enter Canada.

You can reach the IMWU serving your province or territory by email.

• Toronto International Mobility Worker Unit serves
  • Ontario,
  • British Columbia,
  • Alberta,
  • Saskatchewan,
  • Manitoba,
  • Yukon,
  • Northwest Territories and
  • Nunavut.

E-mail: 该 Email 地址已受到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它需要在浏览器中启用 JavaScript。

• Montréal International Mobility Worker Unit serves
  • Quebec,
  • Nova Scotia,
  • Prince Edward Island,
  • New Brunswick and
  • Newfoundland and Labrador.

E-mail: 该 Email 地址已受到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它需要在浏览器中启用 JavaScript。

The units will respond to LMIA and work permit exemption enquiries only.