Planning your move to a nation is not at all a small or easy task. Here are the apps to prepare for your move to Canada. 

Accommodation and Housing 

Padmapper, Rentals.ca, Rentseeker.ca, or Zumper: 

Newcomers can use these digital tools to search for rental housing. These platforms allow users to filter searches based on parameters like location, cost, bedrooms, and other amenities. Moreover, suppose newcomers wish to tour apartments in person. In that case, they might consider initially booking a short-term rental platform like AirBnB or VRBO, and further searching for a long-term rental after arriving. 

Realtor.ca, Zillow, or HouseSigma:

These platforms are predominantly focused on buying and selling real estate but offer a good deal of rental housing as well. Newcomers can use these to search for listings if they are looking to purchase a home or can use them as additional platforms in their search for property to rent. If you are coming to Canada as a temporary resident, you must meet certain conditions to purchase residential property.  

Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace

Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace are among the most popular online classifieds in Canada. Users can search these platforms both for accommodations and for household furnishings. Newcomers can use classifieds to obtain items at a fraction of the cost of new merchandise – or even for free. Users can filter searches by parameters such as distance and price. Purchasing items from classifieds is one of the only few situations in which it is generally considered socially acceptable to haggle in Canada.  

Customs Declaration 

ArriveCAN: 

Travelers are no longer required to use ArriveCAN to enter Canada. However, newcomers who are flying into participating major Canadian airports can use the ArriveCAN app to save time by completing an advanced customs declaration. Participating airports include the following: 

  • Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)
  • Calgary International Airport (YYC)
  • Edmonton International Airport (YEG)
  • Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ)
  • Montréal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL)
  • Ottawa International Airport (YOW)
  • Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB)
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) – terminals 1 and 3
  • Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
  • Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport (YWG)

Navigation and Transport

What23Words: 

It is a useful app for saving and communicating locations, even if that location doesn’t have a street address. The app generates a unique string of three words that maps to a three-meter square on the earth’s surface. Users can use this string to save locations for themselves, share locations with friends, or even communicate their location to first responders in the event of an emergency. 

Transit Apps: 

Another one of the best apps to prepare for your move to Canada is the Transit App. Newcomers might wish to download local transit apps for the cities they are moving to. These apps will provide real-time updates on schedules. Some might also allow for in-app fare payments. Here are a few examples from major Canadian cities: 

  • Calgary – My Fare (fares), Transit (navigation)
  • Halifax – HFXGO (fares)
  • Montreal – Chrono or Transit (navigation)
  • Ottawa – Transit
  • Toronto – TTC trip planner, Transit
  • Vancouver – Translink trip planner, Next Bus

Carsharing: 

Carsharing apps offer an alternative to traditional car rentals. Users can create an account with a car-sharing company operating in their region, and can use the app to reserve, unlock, and return a vehicle. Here are some car-sharing companies operating in Canada: 

  • Evo
  • Modo
  • ZipCar
  • Communauto
  • Enterprise CarShare

Unlike traditional rentals, car-sharing apps generally offer hourly rates and some services might allow you to leave the vehicle within a large service area when you are done with it instead of having it return to your original pick-up location. 

If you seek information on how to begin your Canada immigration application process, you can talk to our NavaImmigration experts at 1800-918-8490, or you can drop us an email at [email protected].