Getting an SIN and Bank Account

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Today was another milestone day for us...we got our SIN numbers and bank account all set up. I wanted to share a bit about this as I've seen people asking about it all over the place. We found the process really simple.

Note!

Make sure you get this number sorted before you try to open a bank account. We needed it to open the account and I'm sure it's the same for most banks.

A Social Insurance Number (SIN) is much like a national insurance number in the UK. You need one to work as it links into the social security system in Canada, and also will allow your contributions to the Canadian system to be recorded against your home country record, as long as Canada and your home country have reciprocal agreements in place for social security.

To get your SIN you will need to visit a Service Canada office, you can find the nearest office to you here. You cannot book an appointment and some cities can be busy! I was in Squamish and it was quite, we were the only ones there, but I have been told that arriving for opening time at an office in Calgary still results in a long queue.

You must take these documents with you:

Passport
Work Permit

I would also suggest taking other important docs such as your family details, phone number, driving licence if you have one, and proof of where you live (bill or similar), just in case.

Once it's your turn to be seen, the officer will ask you a selection of questions and ask for documents, provide the info and docs and you will soon be walking away with an SIN number on a piece of paper.

We were made aware that you will only need to give out your SIN for banking, to an employer, and at Service Canada offices. If anyone asks for your SIN via letter, email, or phone, it is likely fraudulent and could be a scam.

Bank Account

There are lots of banks to choose from but we chose CIBC because they had a banking centre nearby, zero fees for 2 years and were easy to get ahold of.

We simply made an appointment online and took out Passport, Work Permit, and SIN number to the banking centre. Our rep set up our accounts in 30 mins and we walked away with an checking account, online banking, and a debit card.

We opted not to take out savings or credit cards because we have them with our UK bank at the moment, but this may be of interest so do explore the options.

Summary

So, it was a simple as that. It took less than an hour in total, though we got our SIN early and our banking appointment wasn't till 15:00 so we had to kill some time. Regardless, the process was straight forward and all the folks we dealt with were friendly.

Header Image:

A photograph I took of a mural which says 'Welcome to Squamish' followed by the traditional First Nation name for Squamish, SKWXWÜ7MESH. Behind this building, towering above is the famous Stawmus Cheif!

Created by Niall Bell (niall@niallbell.com)