Immigration

Overview

If you are considering immigrating to Canada, then Ottawa is an ideal location. With over 40% of all new immigrants moving to Ontario, Ottawa, Canada’s fourth largest city and one of it’s fastest growing ones, is also the capital city, and as such, it has a wealth of embassies, diverse restaurants of every cuisine imaginable, and many unique cultural neighbourhoods that can make a transition to a new country a little bit easier. Aside from a wealth of excellent schools and universities in the area, there are also many services you can access here, such as lawyers specializing in immigration and refugee law, agencies that can help you find work, and community centres that can help you acclimatize into Canadian culture while meeting people from similar backgrounds, and more.

First, visit the appropriate government offices in your country of origin for visas, residency cards, passports or any other documentation you may require. Having a sponsor, such as a family member or a spouse/significant other, will help you tremendously in both the immigration process and in settling in once you’ve arrived in Canada. When you receive a Permanent Resident Card, you can then purchase your plane ticket and move to Ottawa. Once here, you’ll then need to obtain a bank account, a SIN number (after one month in Canada) in order to work, and an OHIP card (after three months) for your health insurance. Because you have to live in Canada for over three months before you can get health insurance, it’s a good idea to have a pre-existing private health care plan until OHIP can take effect. From there, you may wish to contact a lawyer for legal advice on immigration.  Knowing your rights and what’s expected of you will save you any surprises down the road. Good luck, and welcome to Ottawa!