International students arriving in Calgary can have a lot to adjust to, but can save time and energy by consulting the right resources.
We’ve spoken with international students and compiled must-know highlights along with links to official resources to help set up your phone, bank account, housing, transportation, health insurance, and more.
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Getting a Canadian mobile phone
Many newcomers will wish to set up a mobile phone with a Canadian telecommunications service provider.
Setting up a monthly Canadian phone plan will often require having a Canadian bank account or a Canadian credit card already.
If you don’t have a bank account or credit card yet, you can get mobile service in Canada immediately by purchasing a pre-paid SIM or eSIM, which you can obtain at the airport, but are often available for less expense when purchased online.
When you do set up a monthly phone plan, you may need to start with a prepaid plan, given your lack of Canadian credit history. Many newcomers switch to a postpaid plan after their first 6–12 months in Canada.
Newcomers can consult the CanadaVisa guide for more information on Canadian mobile phone plans.
Setting up a Canadian bank account
Many newcomers will wish to set up a Canadian bank account so they can receive and send payments.
Most Canadian residents will use a bank account to receive payments from employers, and to pay bills such as tuition, rent, utilities, and credit card bills.
Bank account holders can also deposit or withdraw cash and/or cheques.
Canadian residents frequently use the Interac e-transfer system to send payments to, and/or receive payments from, other holders of Canadian bank accounts.
Setting up a Canadian bank account typically requires a Canadian address, identification, and proof of your status in Canada.
Newcomers can review TD’s New to Canada banking package, as well as the Canadian government’s guide on bank accounts.
Under Canadian law, individuals’ deposits in federally regulated banks are insured for up to $100,000 through the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC).
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Getting a Canadian credit card
Credit cards are a frequent way to pay both for in-person and online purchases in Canada.
As a credit card holder, you can charge purchases to your card, up to your credit limit, and you are expected to repay the balance.
If the you repay the full balance owing on your monthly statement within the grace period (at least 21 days, under Canadian law), you will not be charged any interest on normal purchases.
Interest is typically charged on all balances not paid in full by the end of the grace period, and is typically always charged on any cash-like transactions.
Many newcomers won’t have a Canadian credit history, making opening a credit card account more challenging.
Some financial institutions offer cards aimed specifically at newcomers, and/or secured credit cards, which you may be able to obtain more easily.
Having a credit card facilitates certain transactions such as car rentals, hotel room bookings, and the booking of airline tickets.
As you build Canadian credit history, you may gain access to a higher credit limit.
Learn more about credit cards on the government of Canada page.
Finding a place to live
Canada has significant restrictions on foreign ownership of residential property, so most newcomers will need to rent a place to live.
Housing in Canada is typically subject to two sets of regulations: provincial and municipal.
If you rent housing in Alberta, your tenancy will be subject both to Alberta’s Residential Tenancies Act, and to the lease agreement established between you and your landlord.
In most cases, a lease agreement must conform to specific standards set out under provincial law, and any provisions in the lease which are in conflict with the provincial legislation are typically not enforceable.
The Alberta government web page provides a high-level overview of the rights and responsibilities of landlords and tenants.
Landlords must
- Ensure that the rental premises are habitable, in accordance with Alberta’s Public Health Act and Housing Regulation; and
- Not disturb the tenant’s peaceful enjoyment of the rental premises.
Tenants must
- Fulfill the terms of their rental agreement, including paying rent on time, moving out when the agreement ends, and following any provisions in the agreement which are considered valid under the Residential Tenancies Act; and
- Keep reasonably clean, and prevent damage to, the rental premises.
You and your landlord are both also subject to the City of Calgary bylaws affecting residential properties.
If you rent a condominium (condo) from your landlord, you’ll be required to follow the bylaws set by the condo corporation. You and your landlord will both be subject to the Condominium Property Act, which, in the event of conflicting provisions, takes precedence the Residential Tenancies Act.
You can search for listings for apartments through traditional online classified, such as Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, or through specialized websites and/or apps focused on apartment listings, such as Zillow, Rentals.ca, RentSeeker.ca, Rentfaster.ca, or 4Rent.ca
Many landlords will require that you submit an application for them to assess, prior to offering you a lease to sign.
Some leases will be inclusive of utilities, meaning that you pay your landlord a flat monthly fee, and your landlord pays for your unit’s electricity, heat, and water.
In other cases, you’ll be required to pay some or all of the utilities yourself, on top of your monthly rent, in which cases you’ll typically need to set up accounts with the local utility providers.
As a resident of Calgary, you can purchase your utilities through ENMAX, or through one of the dozens of private, for-profit utilities retailers selling to Calgary residents.
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The government of Alberta maintains an online cost-comparison tool, which you can use to assess rates across different utilities providers.
When you obtain an apartment, you may wish to set up a broadband internet connection and wi-fi, which you can purchase either directly from a major nationwide telecommunications network operator (Bell, Rogers, or Telus), regional network operator such as Moby or Northern Lights Fiber in Calgary, or through one of dozens of private companies who sell direct-to-consumer internet services that run on the network operators’ underlying infrastructure.
If you live in a multi-unit development, your available internet service providers may be more limited than in the surrounding residential area.
Some landlords will require that you purchase tenant insurance. Tenant insurance typically covers a certain amount of liability, and can also provide protection for loss or damage of your personal property (“contents”).
If not required by your lease or by local laws, purchasing tenant insurance is optional.
Property and liability insurance (P&C) such as tenant insurance is typically available through a wide range of packages, often with little standardization, and costs can vary significantly even between similar packages.
Prior to signing up for tenant insurance, it’s advisable to obtain multiple quotes from competing providers and/or insurance brokers, enabling you to make an informed decision concerning the cost and the provided coverage.
Getting around in Canada
You can navigate Calgary using a combination of the city’s public transit—the CTrain and buses—in addition to walking, cycling, scooter, taxies or ride shares, and/or personal motor vehicles.
Public transit information is available on the city’s official Transit app and through the city of Calgary’s other official rider information tools.
Local public transit apps in Canadian cities can often provide more accurate real-time information than global apps such as Google Maps.
As a resident of Calgary, you’ll be expected to follow the rules of the road established primarily by Alberta’s provincial regulations, which are set out in the Traffic Safety Act, and will also be subject to Calgary’s municipal bylaws.
The government of Alberta also maintains an unofficial Driver’s guide for cars and light trucks on its website.
Alberta requires that drivers of motor vehicles be appropriately licensed. Simply having a valid license in your home country does not generally authorize you to drive in Alberta as an international student.
If you wish to drive a motor vehicle in Alberta, you’ll need to refer to the government of Alberta’s official page and ensure that you follow the established licensing requirements.
International students from qualifying countries can typically exchange their license for an Alberta license, subject to certain requirements.
Those from non-qualifying countries may need to begin on a learner’s permit, and proceed through graduating licensing, or in some cases, may be able to apply for an exemption from Alberta’s graduated licensing requirements.
If you purchase a personal motor vehicle, you’re required by Alberta law to maintain mandatory liability insurance.
If you rent a vehicle, either through a traditional rental agency or car share, typically basic liability insurance will be covered, but you’ll be responsible for any damages to the vehicle not covered by insurance you purchase (either your own, or from the rental provider).
Some credit cards will provide certain levels of insurance for rental car bookings charged to the card and rented through traditional rental car agencies.
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Grocery shopping
In Canada, most basic food stuffs such as produce, grains, meat, basic staples, and processed foods are purchased in community supermarkets.
In Calgary, options for grocery shopping include major national chains such as Sobeys, Safeway, Save-on-Foods, Real Canadian Superstore, NoFrills, FreschCo, Walmart, T&T, and Costco, in addition to regional retailers such as the Calgary Co-Op, Mega Sanjha, Unimarket, Italian Centre, European Deli, The Italian Store, Basha Foods, Urban Fare, and H&W produce.
Many major grocery chains in Calgary will price match against advertised prices for the same products as their competitors—meaning that if you bring in-date flyers along, you can sometimes obtain lower prices without having to visit additional stores.
Where you live can have a large impact on the distance to your nearest supermarket.
For some neighbourhoods Calgary, you can walk to a grocery store within one or two kilometres.
In other neighbourhoods, your most convenient transportation to a supermarket might be to drive or to take a ride share five or more kilometres.
You can also consider shopping at smaller speciality food retail stores, which may have higher quality and/or more niche goods, with the trade-off of lacking the wide range of products available at typical supermarkets.
In some cases, you may be able to purchase certain basic grocery staples for lower cost at budget-focused department stores, such as Dollarama or Giant Tiger.
In many areas of Calgary, you’re likely to have a shorter walk to get processed foods and snacks, which are widely available at convenience stores or corner stores, such as 7-Eleven and Circle K, typically for higher prices than at supermarkets.
If it’s difficult to access supermarkets in your area, you may wish to pay a premium to have your groceries delivered, either through the retailer’s own delivery service, if available, or through a third-party delivery service such as Instacart or Doordash.
Accessing healthcare
Many international students in Alberta will be eligible for publicly-funded health insurance through the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (ACHIP).
ACHIP coverage is not automatic; you must apply for it.
Consult the Alberta government website for eligibility criteria and how to apply.
ACHIP will typically cover certain basic forms of healthcare such as visits to general practitioners or other primary care providers, as well as visits to emergency rooms and referrals to specialists such as cardiologists or oncologists.
As an international student, you’ll typically be able to access ACHIP-funded care at on-campus university clinics, at local hospitals, and at local clinics such as walk-in clinics.
ACHIP does not typically provide coverage for dentistry, optometry, prescription medication, or paramedical services such as massage therapy, physiotherapy, counselling, psychotherapy, chiropody, acupuncture, or naturopathy.
In Alberta, the above forms of care are typically delivered through individual self-employed practitioners or independent for-profit clinics that are not part of the Alberta Health Services system.
For care that is not funded by ACHIP, in most cases you’ll be required to pay the provider directly out of pocket, and/or using an extended medical insurance plan, such as a group insurance plan offered through an employer or other association.
Your school might enroll you in an extended medical insurance plan. For example, full-time undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Calgary are enrolled in extended health plans automatically.
Coverage varies widely depending on the extended medical insurance plan you have.
If you have extended medical coverage, you might be required to pay the provider out of pocket, and the submit a claim to your insurer for reimbursement of any covered expenses.
Some providers may offer direct billing, meaning that for certain covered expenses, your provider will bill your insurer at the time of purchase, and you’re only required to pay out of pocket for the remainder of the balance.
You’ll most commonly encounter direct billing at pharmacies for prescription drugs, but might also find direct billing offered by some dentists, optometrists, and other paramedical providers.
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Taxes and government benefits
As an international student, you’ll almost certainly be considered a resident of Canada for tax purposes by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
You should obtain a temporary resident Social Insurance Number (SIN) within the first few days after you arrive in Canada.
You will use your SIN to pay taxes to the CRA and/or to receive certain government-funded benefits.
You will also need to provide your SIN to any employers who hire you, and to financial intuitions when you open certain types of accounts.
As a resident of Canada for tax purposes, you’ll be legally required to file an annual tax return to the CRA if you owe any tax, have annual self-employment income over $3500, or if the CRA requests you to.
But even if your situation doesn’t legally require you to file a tax return, it’s generally in your best interest to do so.
If you owe tax, you’re legally required to file.
If you don’t owe tax, filing a return allows you to receive a tax refund, and unlocks additional government benefits, such as receiving payments for GST/HST credit, or the Child Canada Benefit.
Filing a tax return as an International student also allows you to log tax credits for your tuition. You can carry these tuition credit amounts forward to future Canadian tax returns, with the potential to get thousands of dollars in tax refunds if you elect to remain in Canada and work on your Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
You can file your tax return yourself, typically using specialized Canadian tax software, or can hire a professional tax preparer to do so on your behalf.
Employment
As an international student, you’re typically authorized to work in Canada on your study permit, subject to the restriction of working no more than 24 hour per week off campus while classes are in session.
A study permit with work authorization typically authorizes holders to work an unlimited number of hours on campus, and an unlimited number of hours off-campus during scheduled academic breaks.
The hourly cap for off-campus employment in Canada applies to all your working hours, whether those are worked as an employee, or whether through self-employment (e.g., freelance tutoring, dog walking, working for a rideshare or delivery service).
Your study permit may list other restrictions on your employment.
The off-campus limit to working hours does not apply to remote work for foreign employers with no financial ties to Canada, or remote work as a freelancer for clients outside Canada with no financial ties to Canada. These scenarios are covered by work permits exemptions under Canadian law, and are not tied to the work authorization provided by your study permit.
Settlement supports and other resources
Your postsecondary institution may offer support services aimed specifically at international students, who may be able to answer some questions and/or direct you to other resources.
There may also be various local community organizations offering support services to newcomers such as international students.
Keep in mind that university support staff and local members of your community are not experts in the complex web of legislation and regulations that affect you as an international student.
When in doubt, seek advice from a specialist with advanced knowledge in the domain in question.
Depending on the situation, that might mean reaching out directly to the appropriate government department for guidance (e.g., IRCC, the CRA, province of Alberta, city of Calgary), or it could mean consulting or a reputable professional advisor in that field, whether it be immigration, tax, personal finance, employment, or housing.
Depending on the situation, you may even be able to take advantage of free legal clinics, such as that offered by Calgary Legal Guidance.
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