7 Essential apps for a smooth move to Canada
Are you organizing your immigration to another country? To many people, the process may sound rather daunting, however, technology has not left any stone unturned. This is the case in terms of immigration formalities, service searches, and many others, where many options are available online. We appreciate that it is not easy for a new arrival in the country and have therefore come up with a list of six must-have mobile applications to ease you into Canadian society. Such apps meet so many needs, ranging from language acquisition to searching for jobs and making preparations before flying to the country. Download these tools today and be on the first step to having a successful life in Canada with no stress moves.
Accommodations and Housing
Rental housing platforms
Padmapper, Rentals.ca, Rentseeker.ca, and Zumper: With the help of these Internet-based tools, newcomers may look for rented accommodation. These platforms can be used to make searches by location, cost, number of bedrooms, and other features. If newcomers wish to physically go around viewing apartments, newcomers may first prepare to book a short-term apartment via Airbnb or other similar rental websites, then look for a longer-term apartment once they arrive in the country.
Real estate platforms
Realtor.ca, Zillow, HouseSigma: These are almost exclusively dedicated to the purchasing and selling of real estate; however, they also provide a fairly substantial amount of rental housing. These can be used by newcomers to search for the listing if they intend to buy a house, or they can be managed as other portals in the search for a house to rent. If you are a temporary resident coming to Canada, there are conditions that you have to meet before you can buy residential property.
Advertisement for Sale of Business in the Classifieds for Accommodations and Furnishings
Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace: Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace are among the most popular of the online classifieds in Canada. What is more, users of such platforms can both search for places to live and home furnishing items. Newcomers can get items at throwaway prices and sometimes even acquire them for free through classified ads. Due to the nature of information retrieval and presentation, users can search by some parameters, including price and distance. Bargaining is typical and acceptable in society when buying items from classifieds, which is the only common area where Canadian haggling is allowed.
Find out if you are eligible to get in Canada →
Customs Declaration
ArriveCAN
In particular, it should be mentioned that travelers do not need to use the ArriveCAN application to enter Canada anymore. However, it is an exception that the ArriveCAN app is available for new entry to the major participating Canadian airports, where the new entrants can complete an advanced customs declaration and save much time.
Participating Airports
- Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)
- Calgary/YYC
- EIA
- Halifax Stanfield International Airport, proactively known as 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
Navigation and transportation
What3Words
It has been deemed fit to conclude that What3Words is an essential application for saving and sharing unique coordinates, especially for those who do not have access to a street number. It creates a three-word phrase that’s linked to a single three-meter square of the earth’s surface. Users can:
- Each of the perfect saving places should also have some special significance for the person.
- Like places with friends.
- Coordinate with first responders on the actual location when there is an emergency.
Transit Apps
Aside from Google Maps, newcomers should install locally available applications for different modes of transport for a timely schedule and the possibility of payment within the application. Examples from major Canadian cities include:
- Calgary: My Fare: fares details; Transit: direction.
- Halifax: HFXGO (fares)
- Montreal: Navigation is Chrono or Transit.
- Ottawa: Transit
- Toronto: TTC trip planner, Transit.
- Vancouver: In this application, Translink Trip Planner and Next Bus are the most crucial functions.
Carsharing
Carsharing applications can also be used instead of car rental services. Users can create an account with a car-sharing company and use the app to:
- Car bookings: getting access to cars and returning booked cars. charge per hour or a day at a time.
- Return vehicles to the large service area rather than the pick-up place.
Car-sharing companies operating in Canada include:
Overarchingly, migration is never easy, but the use of such assets makes this process easier when immigrating to another country. I’d like to submit that the seven apps that I’ve pointed out—and which give either navigation or transport, communication, or financial services—are designed to assist you in your new life in Canada. These resources will indeed provide you with effective tools if you need to fit into a new environment, get to know people, and get the most out of your stay in Canada.
