10 Mistakes to Avoid Before Moving to Canada
Most guides about moving to Canada start with what to do after you land. This one starts earlier with the decisions made, the things packed, and the assumptions held while you were still at home.
The mistakes that cost newcomer families the most are rarely made in the first week in Canada. They are made in the months before the flight, when there was still time to fix them.
Some of these ten mistakes come from firsthand experience of arriving in Canada with two children under four, no local contacts, and a steep learning curve along with three years of learning what other families wish they had known before they left.
Before you do anything else: read this list. Even one of these mistakes, caught before landing, could save you hundreds of dollars and weeks of unnecessary stress.
Mistake 1: Packing for a Country That Is Always Cold
The image most families carry from home is of snow, heavy coats, and temperatures that hover near freezing all year. That image is incomplete.
Canadian summers in Ontario; the province where most newcomer families settle, regularly reach 30°C to 35°C. July and August can feel genuinely hot, particularly in cities like Brampton, Mississauga, and Markham.
The winters are cold, yes. But there are four full seasons, and summer is one of them.
Many families leave their summer clothes behind entirely. Some also leave traditional wears or clothings that is irreplaceable and simply not stocked in Canadian stores because they assume there will be no occasion for it. Both are decisions that tend to be regretted within the first few months.
Pack for four seasons. Include summer clothes and your traditional wear. You can buy proper winter gear in Canada, often at end-of-season sales at very reasonable prices. You cannot replace clothing from home once you have left.
Mistake 2: Bringing the Stroller on Travel Day
This one sounds minor. It is not.
Arriving at an international airport with two toddlers, multiple suitcases, and a stroller is a logistical problem that gets worse at every stage; check-in queues, immigration lines, baggage carousels, and the final push to the exit.
The stroller is genuinely useful once you are on the ground at your destination. Between departure and arrival, it is one more large item to manage while also managing children who are tired, overstimulated, and not interested in standing still.
A baby-wearing carrier handles travel day far more effectively. The stroller can be packed in the hold and retrieved on arrival, or bought second-hand once you are settled.
Canada has a strong market for quality used baby equipment, and families in newcomer communities regularly pass these items along.
The travel day is already demanding. Do not make it harder than it needs to be.
Mistake 3: Assuming Provincial Health Coverage Starts on Day One
Canada has a public healthcare system. What it does not have is a single, consistent rule about when newcomer families become covered.
Many provinces outside Ontario still impose a waiting period of up to three months before provincial health insurance begins. If your family is settling outside Ontario, do not assume coverage starts on arrival.
Check the health ministry website of your destination province before you leave home and if a waiting period applies, arrange private newcomer health insurance before you land.
If your family arrives in one of these provinces and a child becomes ill in the first month, you are paying out of pocket. A single emergency room visit without coverage can cost thousands of dollars.
Understanding the difference between walk-in clinic and ER in Canada can also help you avoid costly emergency room visits for non-urgent conditions.
Worth knowing: Ontario eliminated its three-month OHIP waiting period in 2020 and has maintained that position since. Newcomers who establish Ontario as their primary province of residence can access OHIP from their first day, provided they meet residency and status requirements.
Before you leave home, check the health coverage rules for your destination province specifically. If a waiting period applies, arrange private newcomer health insurance before you land.
Note that many private insurers require the policy to be purchased within five days of arriving in Canada, not weeks later when you finally get around to it.
Mistake 4: Underestimating How Expensive Canada Actually Is
A 2024 survey by Leger, a Canadian market research firm, found that 84 per cent of newcomers reported Canada was significantly more expensive than they expected.
That figure reflects what families discover within weeks of arriving: rent is high, groceries cost more than anticipated, childcare is a substantial line item, and the combination of all three lands differently than any number read on a screen.
The mistake is not failing to know that Canada is expensive, most families have heard this. The mistake is not translating that knowledge into a specific budget for their specific destination city.
The cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in Brampton is different from doing the same in downtown Toronto. Childcare costs in Ontario are not the same as in Alberta.
Before you leave home, research the actual monthly costs for your destination city, not Canada in general. Build a cash buffer of at least three to six months of estimated living expenses. Arrive with more than you think you will need.
As you navigate housing in a new city, also educate yourself on rental scams targeting newcomers in Canada, which are designed to exploit tight timelines and unfamiliar local procedures.
Understanding the pre-departure financial mistakes newcomers make can also help explain why so many families still feel financially insecure even after building a budget.
Mistake 5: Waiting Until After Landing to Start Credential Evaluation
In the same Leger study, 60 per cent of employed newcomers reported difficulty finding work in their field due to challenges with credential recognition and the requirement for local experience.
Credential evaluation takes time. World Education Services (WES) and similar bodies are not instant, processing can take weeks to months depending on application volume and complexity.
Families who begin this process before leaving home can arrive with their evaluation already complete or actively in progress. Families who wait until they are settled lose months they could have spent job-searching.
If you work in a regulated profession: nursing, engineering, teaching, or social work, among others; the process is more involved and the relevant regulatory body differs from WES. Research which body governs your profession in your destination province and begin that process before your departure date.
Mistake 6: Paying to Ship Things Canada Sells for Less
International shipping is expensive. It is also, in many cases, unnecessary.
Furniture, kitchen equipment, children’s clothing, toys, and general household goods are all widely available in Canada.
In many cases, the cost of shipping these items from home exceeds the cost of buying them new or second-hand once you arrive.
Canada has a strong market for quality used goods, and cities with large newcomer communities regularly see items exchanged within those networks.
What is worth bringing: personal documents, sentimental items, prescription medications with proper documentation, and anything culturally specific that is genuinely unavailable in Canada.
What is rarely worth shipping: anything bulky, anything generic, and anything replaceable at a local store within your first week.
Shipping decisions made quickly before departure often become expensive regrets on arrival.
Mistake 7: Choosing a City Based on Name Recognition Alone
Toronto is the city most people have heard of. Vancouver is associated with mild weather and mountains. These associations are not wrong, but they are not enough to base a family’s entire settlement decision on.
Toronto and Vancouver are consistently among the most expensive cities in Canada for families. The rental market in both is highly competitive, and the cost of a two-bedroom apartment in either city is significantly higher than in comparable Ontario communities.
Families settling in Brampton, Mississauga, Markham, Hamilton, or Kitchener-Waterloo have access to the Greater Toronto Area employment market, strong newcomer community networks, family-friendly infrastructure, and housing at meaningfully lower costs.
These cities rarely feature in WhatsApp group discussions, but they deserve serious consideration before a destination is chosen.
Research employment opportunities in your field, school quality, community networks, transit access, and cost of living; not only which city you have heard of most.
Mistake 8: Not Researching School Enrollment Before You Leave
Ontario’s school year begins in September. Registration is not automatic. It requires specific documents: immunization records, previous school transcripts, proof of address, and in some cases additional assessments and in many school boards the process begins several months before the academic year starts.
Families who arrive in August and attempt to register children for September are navigating this under time pressure, in an unfamiliar city, without a local network to guide them. That pressure is entirely avoidable.
Before you leave home, contact your destination school board and find out exactly what documents are required.
Some of those documents, particularly certified immunization records and official school transcripts are far easier to obtain while you are still in your home country than after you have landed and are managing a dozen other urgent tasks simultaneously.
Mistake 9: Arriving Without a Plan for Canadian Banking
Your credit history does not follow you to Canada. Regardless of your financial track record at home, you arrive with no Canadian credit score. That absence affects rental applications, mobile phone contracts, and access to most financial products.
Several major Canadian banks including Scotiabank, RBC, and TD offer newcomer banking programmes that can be researched and in some cases initiated before you leave your home country.
Having a Canadian account ready to receive money transfers reduces the number of things to manage in your first week.
International transfer fees also erode savings quickly if you are not set up correctly. Research low-fee transfer options before you arrive. The difference between a bank wire and a specialist transfer service can be significant when you are moving a large sum of money.
Mistake 10: Not Knowing That Free Pre-Arrival Support Exists
This is the mistake that quietly compounds all the others.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) funds free pre-arrival services that newcomer families can access while still in their home country.
These programmes cover employment preparation, credential evaluation guidance, housing research, language support, and general orientation to life in Canada.
Most families find out about these services months after landing and then only through word of mouth.
Research from Toronto Metropolitan University found that 63 per cent of newcomers who were aware of their province’s health coverage rules found out through family or friends.
The same pattern applies across every area of settlement. Free pre-arrival services exist precisely because the information gap is real.”
Search for IRCC-funded pre-arrival services before your departure date. They cost nothing to access and can meaningfully reduce the number of surprises waiting on the other side of the flight.
Before You Board: A Quick Pre-Departure Checklist
- Pack for four seasons — include summer clothes and traditional wear
- Use a baby carrier for travel day and ship or buy your stroller separately
- Check health coverage rules for your destination province and arrange private insurance if a waiting period applies
- Build a budget based on your specific destination city
- Begin credential evaluation before leaving — do not wait until you are settled
- Ship sentimental and irreplaceable items only; buy household goods in Canada
- Research mid-sized Ontario cities alongside major urban centres
- Contact your destination school board and gather required registration documents
- Research Canadian newcomer banking programmes before you arrive
- Access free IRCC-funded pre-arrival services while you are still at home
The Families Who Land Best Ask the Right Questions First
Every family on this list made at least one of these mistakes including the person who wrote this article. That is not a failure. It is what happens when the right information does not reach you in time.
Canada is worth every bit of the effort it takes to get here. You deserve to know what you are walking into before you board the plane.
If you are preparing your temporary accommodation for when you land, read our complete guide to short term rentals in Canada for newcomer families. If you are starting to look at rentals, our guide to the top apartment rental sites in Canada covers exactly where to search and what to watch out for.
