Relocating to Waterloo Ontario: Your Social insurance Number

Once your dream of relocating to Waterloo Ontario has become a reality, one of the first things that you need to do upon arrival is to apply for a social insurance number,  or SIN.

This is very important because you will not be able to start working in the country you intend to call home until you have secured this number.

Who Can Apply For A SIN?

The Canadian Revenue Agency, CRA considers the following categories of people as being eligible for obtaining social insurance numbers. The first and most obvious category is that of Canadian citizens, regardless of how one became a citizen.

The second category of people that qualify for SINs is permanent residents. These are immigrants who have lived and worked in Canada for a given period of time, such as live-in caregivers who qualify to apply for permanent residency once they have worked for two years.

If you are just relocating to Waterloo Ontario, this status of permanent resident is what you should aim for as it takes you very close to becoming a citizen of the country.

The third group that can get social insurance numbers are some categories of temporary residents. You should check the CRA website to find out if you are one of those temporary residents that can get a SIN.

Finally, some individuals that are refugees can get social insurance numbers. If they do, it will have a date of expiry, just as that of the temporary residents that qualify to receive this number.

How Can One Apply For A SIN?

There are two ways to apply, depending on your specific circumstances. The first way is to apply in person.

What you have to do after relocating to Waterloo Ontario is to download the SIN application forms from the CRA website. You will then fill them out and attach the necessary documents. Once that is done, your next task is to take them to the nearest Service Canada Center and if all is well with your application, you will walk away with your very own SIN.

The other option is applying via the mail. This only applies to very specific categories of people, such as those that live or work in places that are more than 100km from the Service Canada Center nearest to them.

If you would like to apply by mail, you should visit the website mentioned earlier so that you confirm that you are among those that can apply by mail. You could also get a phone number to call so that you ask about this matter. The website gives you numbers to call on any matter related to your application.

Wrapping it up…

Getting a SIN is as simple as has been outlined above. It all starts with being present in the country legally.

As the paperwork gets the final touches so that you can start working, you need to spend some time here as well as here so that you can get as much information as possible about your new home. Relocating to Waterloo Ontario will prove to be one of the best decisions you ever made.

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