Communications
Language Skills
When you live in Canada, you need strong English or French language skills to do these things:
- get a job that matches your skills and experience
- get education or training after high school. For example, you may want to go to community college or university
- get the services you need
- help your children with school work
- meet and socialize with neighbours and coworkers
- pass the language requirement for citizenship
To find out more, see, Language Services, on this website.
Creating Contact Information
Many service providers and employers communicate by email. That’s why you need an email address. You should also have a Canadian phone number as these same people may follow an email with a phone call.
You need an email address and a Canadian phone number to do these things:
- apply for jobs
- stay in touch with your employer
- get services like medical appointments
- be contacted for meetings
There are 2 main ways to get an email address:
- from your internet service provider
- from a trusted email platform, such as Gmail
Check your email regularly.
Mobile Phones and SIM Cards
You will need a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to set up a Canadian phone plan. The company may also ask for a credit check.
To find out about getting a SIN, see Your First Months in Canada, on this website.
If you brought a mobile phone from another country, you should get a Canadian SIM card. This will let you use a local phone number to call out and receive calls.
The following companies offer mobile phone plans:
- Bell Mobility
- Eastlink
- Koodo
- Rogers
- Telus
- Virgin
- and others
Many of these also offer internet for your home.
Protect Yourself
Never give your SIN number or banking information to someone who calls you and asks for it. Scammers often ask for this information. They want to steal your money. They pretend to be organizations you do business with like these:
- the Government of Canada or one of its agencies
- your bank
- your internet provider
These organizations will never call you and ask for personal or financial information. If you think the call may be real, hang up. Then call the organization the person on the phone said they were from. That way you can find out if the call is real.