Things to Carry to Canada: My Honest Packing List as a PR

These are the things to carry to Canada that actually mattered when we landed as Permanent Residents in 2019, and a few things I would not carry again. When you are moving, it is tempting to pack your whole home, because everything here looks expensive when you convert it into rupees. Keep emotions aside and decide practically: once you start earning in Canada, many things stop looking expensive, and some, like a bed frame or mattress, you will want to buy new anyway.

Documents to carry to Canada in your hand luggage

• Passport with your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR). Land before your CoPR’s expiry date.
• Education and work documents: degree certificates, transcripts and employment reference letters. Reference letters help when you start applying for jobs.
• Bank statements from your bank back home. A final statement can take a few weeks, so ask for it early.
• Driving licence and a driving record (an extract) from your home country, if you drive.
• Photocopies and digital copies of everything, saved somewhere you can open from any phone.
• Passport-size photos for applications in your first weeks.
• Medicines with prescriptions and bills, in your hand luggage.
• Vaccination records for you and your family. Children need them to enrol in school.
• Two copies of your goods list: one list of the items you bring with you and a separate list of goods arriving later, with their value. Show it to the border officer on your first arrival, even if your goods come later. Anything not on that list may not count as duty-free later.

Always check the latest list on canada.ca, Crossing the border: documents you need, before you fly: it is the final word on what to bring and declare at the border.

Money to carry when moving to Canada

If you carry more than C$10,000 in total (cash, cheques, drafts and similar), you must tell the border officer when you arrive, or your funds can be seized (canada.ca).

Banking is easier to set up after you land, once you can compare what each bank offers newcomers. Until then, cash and a forex card covered our first expenses. If you later need to send money between Canada and India, I use Wise (details below).

Bring an unlocked phone

An unlocked phone lets you choose any Canadian plan, and saves you from being pushed into a costly bundle in your first week. Be careful with phone plans that run a hard credit check: in your first months, avoiding unnecessary credit checks helps you build a good credit score.

Where we stayed: 6 months of Airbnb before choosing a city

Read the full details

Booking hotel rooms night by night adds up quickly, so we booked our first Airbnb before we flew. Staying flexible for the first months was the best decision we made: we got to know different parts of the GTA before committing, and we chose where to live only once we knew where the job was, how long the commute would be, and what living there would cost us.

If you can, live close to a public transit line in your first months. It makes the job search, interviews and networking much easier without a car.

Personal experience. Prices and availability change, so compare options when you book.

Your driving record: helpful, but get used to Canadian roads first

Road rules, signs and driving habits are different here, and the G test checks how you drive on Canadian roads, not how long you have driven. Take some practice drives, or a few lessons, before booking it. Rules depend on your province, so check the current requirements with your provincial licensing office (in Ontario, DriveTest).

What not to carry: buy it in Canada instead

Bulky furniture, beds and mattresses are easier to buy here, new or second-hand. My guide to furnishing your home on a budget shows what we bought and where.

Useful when you move

These are my referral and affiliate links. If you sign up through them, I may earn a reward (and with referral links, you may get one too), at no extra cost to you. You can always go to the company's website directly instead.

• Wise

  Wise: I use Wise to send money to India. If you're new to Wise, my referral can get you a reward, and I get one too. You can also sign up with Wise directly, without this reward.

  Request my Wise link (referral link, sent on request · I use this)

• Amazon storefront

  Amazon storefront:

  View on Amazon (affiliate link)

What next

Read how my Express Entry PR journey went from first search to landing, or follow every step in the Canada Related guide. Questions? Ask in the comments on my YouTube videos, so everyone benefits from the answer.