Bay Credit Union
Personal and business accounts at two Thunder Bay branches: 142 S. Algoma Street, 807-345-7612, and 406 N. Cumberland Street, 807-345-8153.
Newcomers · First 30 days
Your first 30 days in Thunder Bay: a newcomer checklist Karibu Thunder Bay. Here is your first month.
Do these in order. Each one makes the next one easier. Everything below comes from the government or the organisation that runs the service, and we link you to the source.
Last checked October 20, 2026. Rules change, so confirm on the linked page before you go or pay anything. Soma kwa Kiswahili.
Before anything: keep your passport and your immigration papers (PR card or
Confirmation of Permanent Residence, work permit or study permit) together in one folder. Almost every
step below asks for the originals, not photocopies. The border, your bags, and the ride from the airport are in the
flying and arriving guide.
Your first 30 days at a glance
| Task | Where | Cost | What to bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get your Social Insurance Number (SIN) | Online, or in person at a Service Canada Centre (book the visit online first) | Free | PR card or Confirmation of Permanent Residence, or your work or study permit. Adults also bring a second ID, such as a passport |
| Apply for your Ontario health card (OHIP) | In person at a ServiceOntario centre | — | Three documents, no photocopies: one for your immigration status, one for your Ontario address, one for who you are |
| 211, 811, 911 and 411 | From any phone. 211Ontario.ca and canada411.ca | 211, 811 and 911 are free. 411 is charged by your phone company | — |
| Open a bank account | A bank | — | Two original documents (name and address; name and date of birth), or one document plus a person who can confirm who you are |
| Give your Thunder Bay address to immigration | IRCC (the steps depend on what you applied for) | — | — |
| Visit the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association | 17 North Court Street, Thunder Bay | — | — |
| Get a free library card | Any Thunder Bay Public Library branch | Free for city residents; free for students anywhere in the area | ID with your address |
| Get a Lift Pass for the bus | Transit Office, 570 Fort William Rd, or City Hall, 500 Donald St. E. | $5 for a new card | Proof of age or eligibility at the Transit Office for a child, youth, senior or discount card |
| Read the city's Welcome Home guide | gotothunderbay.ca/live, or a paper copy at the Multicultural Association | — | — |
| Find wakenya | Join Wakenyatbay online | — | — |
1. Get your Social Insurance Number (SIN)
You need a SIN to work in Canada and to get government benefits. It is free.
- Online is fastest. In person at a Service Canada Centre, you can get it the same day if your papers are complete. You book the visit online first.
- Permanent residents bring the PR card, or the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (accepted for one year after you land).
- Work permit or study permit holders bring the permit. A study permit only counts if it says you may work in Canada.
- Adults also bring a second ID, such as your passport.
- Keep your SIN private. Give it to your employer, the bank and the government, not to a landlord or a website.
Source: Government of Canada, "Apply for a Social Insurance Number"
2. Apply for your Ontario health card (OHIP)
The health card pays for doctor visits and hospital care. If you qualify, coverage starts right away. There is no longer a waiting period.
- Who qualifies: permanent residents, and work permit holders who work full time for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months. Their spouse and children may also qualify. You must make Ontario your main home and be here at least 153 of your first 183 days.
- Where: in person at a ServiceOntario centre. Thunder Bay has more than one; use the ServiceOntario location finder for the nearest one and its hours.
- Bring three documents: one proving your immigration status, one proving your Ontario address, and one proving who you are. Status and identity documents must be originals; the address proof can be printed or on your phone. No photocopies. Ontario keeps the list of documents it accepts on the page below.
- Don't qualify yet? Buy private health insurance so you are not caught with a hospital bill. Lakehead students are enrolled in the university's health plan; at other schools, ask the international office. See our health care guide.
Source: Government of Ontario, "Apply for OHIP and get a health card"
Sick and not sure where to go? Call 811 (Health811) any time, day or night, for free
advice from a registered nurse. For an emergency, call 911.
3. 211, 811, 911 and 411
- 911 is for a life-threatening emergency.
- 811 (Health811) is a free nurse, day or night.
- 211 is free, confidential and multilingual, 24 hours, for community and social services. You can also search 211Ontario.ca.
- 411 is directory assistance, and it is not free. The charge depends on your phone company. Look numbers up free at canada411.ca.
- Thunder Bay is not on Ontario's 311 list. For city services, call City dispatch at 807-625-2195 or City Hall at 807-625-2230.
Sources: Settlement.Org, "What services can I get if I call 211, 311 or 411?"; City of Thunder Bay, "Garbage and recycling"
4. Open a bank account
You have the right to open a bank account even if you don't have a job yet and have no money to put in it right away.
- Bring two original documents: one with your name and address, and one with your name and date of birth. A foreign passport counts. So does a Canadian government ID or a recent utility bill.
- Or bring one document plus a person who can confirm who you are: a customer of that bank, or someone respected in the community.
- If a bank says no, it must give you the reason in writing, along with how to complain.
Source: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, "Opening a bank account"
That right is for a bank. Thunder Bay also has local credit unions. Each one sets its own membership rules, so ask what it needs before you go.
Northern Credit Union
Chequing and savings accounts, including online. Its branch list includes Thunder Bay and Red Rock. Use the branch finder for the address and hours nearest you.
Sources: Bay Credit Union, "Banking" and branch contact page; Northern Credit Union, "Ways to bank"
Sending money home? Sending money to Kenya from Canada compares the ways to do it. For the newcomer $0 account, credit and your first tax return, see Canadian money basics.
5. Give your Thunder Bay address to immigration
If you are waiting for anything from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), such as your PR card or a decision on an application, tell IRCC your new address and phone number.
- How you do it depends on what you applied for, and the page below walks you through it.
- Keep checking mail at your old address until IRCC has updated yours.
Be careful who you pay for immigration help. See free legal and immigration help and how to check someone is licensed.
Source: Government of Canada, "Update your contact information"
6. Visit the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association
This is the city's main settlement agency, and you should meet them in your first month. Their programs include:
- orientation to life in Ontario
- free English classes (called LINC) with a language assessment
- help finding work
- citizenship preparation classes
They also have trained interpreters. Call to ask which programs you qualify for.
- Address
- 17 North Court Street, Thunder Bay, ON P7A 4T4
- Phone
- 807-345-0551 · toll free 1-866-831-1141
- reception@thunderbay.org
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Source: Thunder Bay Multicultural Association, newcomer services and contact page
7. Get a free library card
- Cost: Thunder Bay Public Library cards are free for city residents. Students get one free no matter where in the area they live.
- How: sign up at any branch and bring ID with your address.
- Good for: free internet, computers and quiet space, which helps a lot in your first weeks.
The four branches, and a renovation closure at Waverley Library from November 23, 2026, are in the families guide.
Sources: Thunder Bay Public Library, "Get a card"; library Connect newsletter, fall 2026, branch list and Waverley closure
8. Get a Lift Pass for the bus
Lift Pass is Thunder Bay Transit's reloadable smart card. You load rides or a monthly pass on it and tap it on the farebox. Cash is still accepted, in exact Canadian change. The fare amounts are in the first 90 days guide.
Pick up the card in person
A new reloadable card costs $5. Get one at:
- Transit Office: 570 Fort William Rd, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- City Hall: 500 Donald Street East.
- Select retailers also sell an adult card or a 10-ride card.
A youth, senior or discount monthly pass has to be activated at the Transit Office, with proof of eligibility.
Children aged 6 to 12 ride free and still need a Lift Pass from the Transit Office, with proof of age. Children 5 and under ride free with a fare-paying adult and do not need a card.
Register it, so a lost card keeps its balance
Register the card.
- Registered: if it is lost or stolen, the Transit Administration Office can cancel it and move the remaining rides or monthly pass to a new card. The replacement card is $5.
- Unregistered: it cannot be tracked or cancelled, so you would pay $5 again and buy the rides again.
Register online, in person at the Transit Office, or by phone. Reload online with Visa, Visa Debit, Mastercard or Debit Mastercard, or in person at the Transit Office or City Hall.
Lift+ accessible transit
Lift+ is door-to-door public transit for residents and visitors who, because of a disability, cannot use the regular bus for all or part of a trip. It covers most places inside the city.
- You apply first. Transit replies by letter within 14 days, and gives temporary eligibility if the decision takes longer.
- Book a ride up to 7 days ahead on the booking line.
Sources: City of Thunder Bay, "Lift Pass" and "Manage your Lift Pass"; Lift Pass reload site; "Lift+ Specialized Transit"
9. Read the city's Welcome Home guide
Welcome Home: A Guide to Thunder Bay Living came out in August 2026 from the city's Community Economic Development Commission. It covers city services, health care, schools, jobs and things to do, and it is updated every year. Paper copies are at the Multicultural Association, among other places.
Read it at gotothunderbay.ca/live
10. Find wakenya
You are not the first Kenyan to land here in the cold, and you won't be the last. Join Wakenyatbay so we can welcome you, invite you to events, and connect you with people who have done all of the above. Sending things home, or phoning home, is in Shipping to Kenya and Calling Kenya.
Join Wakenyatbay Kenyan consular services Jobs in Thunder Bay
Did something work differently for you?
Tell us what you wish you had known in your first month, or what we got wrong, and we'll fix this guide.
Tell usQuick answers
What should I do first when I arrive in Thunder Bay?
Get your Social Insurance Number, apply for your Ontario health card, and open a bank account, in that order. Then give your new address to IRCC, visit the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association, and get a free library card. Keep your passport and immigration papers together, because most steps ask for the originals.
Is there a waiting period for OHIP in Ontario?
No. If you qualify, Ontario health coverage starts right away. Permanent residents qualify, and so do work permit holders who work full time for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months. You apply in person at a ServiceOntario centre with three documents: proof of status, of your Ontario address, and of who you are.
Can I open a bank account without a job?
Yes. You have the right to open a bank account even with no job and no money to deposit yet. Bring two original documents, one with your name and address and one with your name and date of birth. A foreign passport counts.
Can I bank at a credit union in Thunder Bay?
Yes. Bay Credit Union has branches at 142 S. Algoma Street and 406 N. Cumberland Street. Northern Credit Union lists branches in Thunder Bay and Red Rock, and you can open chequing and savings online. That no-job banking right is for a bank. A credit union sets its own membership rules, so ask what it needs.
Where do I get a Thunder Bay Transit Lift Pass?
A new card costs $5 at the Transit Office, 570 Fort William Rd, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or at City Hall, 500 Donald Street East. Register it, online or at 807-684-3744, so a lost card's rides can be moved to a new one. Reload at liftpassreloads.thunderbay.ca. Lift+ is the door-to-door bus you apply for if a disability keeps you off the regular bus.
What is the difference between 211, 811, 911 and 411?
911 is for a life-threatening emergency. 811 is a free nurse, day or night. 211 is free, confidential and multilingual, 24 hours, for community and social services, and you can search 211Ontario.ca. 411 is not free: the charge depends on your phone company, so look numbers up at canada411.ca. Thunder Bay is not on Ontario's 311 list. For city services call 807-625-2195 or City Hall at 807-625-2230.
This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own case, speak to the Multicultural Association, IRCC, or a licensed immigration lawyer or consultant.