The document checklist to start six months before you apply
1 min read
Nothing in an immigration file is difficult on its own. The difficulty is that six slow things have to happen in parallel, and most people start them one at a time.
Order these first — they take longest
- Educational credential assessment — weeks to months, depending on your institution
- Police certificates from every country you lived in for six months or more
- Reference letters from former employers, while contacts are still findable
- Passport renewal, if yours expires within two years
Then these
- Language test booking — seats fill weeks ahead in some cities
- Six months of bank statements showing settlement funds
- Marriage, birth and custody documents, translated and certified
- Medical exams — only after you know your timeline
Related reading
Immigration
Johannes Dombrowski6 min read
Every block, on one page
A reference article that renders all twelve block types in sequence, so spacing and rhythm can be judged on the real page rather than in isolation.
Johannes Dombrowski6 min read
ImmigrationJohannes Dombrowski1 min read
Your first 90 days in Canada: the settling-in checklist
SIN, health card, bank account, driving licence, school enrolment — in the order that unblocks everything else fastest.
Johannes Dombrowski1 min read
ImmigrationJohannes Dombrowski1 min read
Your application was refused. What now?
A refusal is a document, not a verdict. Read the notes, find the actual reason, and decide between reapplying, appealing or changing route.
Johannes Dombrowski1 min read