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1. Switch to an Ontario driver's licence
You can drive on your Kenyan licence for 60 days after you move to Ontario. After that you need an Ontario licence.
- Kenya does not have a licence exchange agreement with Ontario, so you go through the tests: a vision test, a knowledge test, and the G2 road test. Then, at least 12 months later, the G road test.
- New since July 1, 2026: you can get credit for up to one year of driving experience. Bring your valid, original Kenyan licence and an official letter from the agency that issued it confirming that the licence is real. The letter must be in English or French. Ask for it from home early.
- Bring original ID showing your legal name and date of birth, your original licence, your proof of experience, and the fee.
Our driving in Ontario guide covers this step by step, including the Kenya High Commission's licence verification letter.
Source: Government of Ontario, "Exchange an out-of-province driver's licence"
Winter tip: if you have never driven on snow and ice, practise with someone experienced before your road test. Our
winter guide covers winter driving.
2. No licence? Get an Ontario Photo Card
If you don't drive, the Ontario Photo Card is an official photo ID, so you don't have to carry your passport everywhere. It is for Ontario
residents aged 16 or older who don't have a driver's licence. It costs $35, and you apply in person at ServiceOntario with original ID.
Source: Government of Ontario, "Ontario Photo Card"
3. Register your children for school
Thunder Bay has two English-language school boards, and you register online with either one. Which school your child goes to depends on your address.
- Lakehead District School Board (public): lakeheadschools.ca/register. Families new to the board create an account first.
- Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board: tbcschools.ca/register. Parents don't need to speak French for their children to join French Immersion.
Ontario schools can give extra language support to students who speak a different kind of English from the one used in Ontario
classrooms. That can include children from Kenya. Ask the school board about it when you register.
French-language schools, who pays school fees, and reporting your child's Kenyan vaccination record: see our families guide.
Source: the two board registration pages above, and Government of Ontario, "Improve your English and French"
4. Get on the list for a family doctor
Once you have your Ontario health card number, join Health Care Connect, the province's waitlist for a family doctor or nurse
practitioner. Sign up online or call 811. The mailing address you give must match the one on your health card. Joining
doesn't guarantee you a doctor right away, so sign up early.
- While you wait, call 811 (Health811) any time for free advice from a nurse.
- For an emergency, call 911 or go to Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, 980 Oliver Road.
- Walk-in and virtual clinics, mental health lines, and drug and dental coverage: see our health care guide.
Source: Government of Ontario, "Find a family doctor or nurse practitioner" and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
5. Apply for benefits
You don't have to wait until you file your first tax return. As a new resident you can apply now.
- With children under 18: apply for the Canada child benefit (CCB) with form RC66. The same application covers the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (the new name for the GST/HST credit) and the Ontario child benefit.
- CCB on a work or study permit: you (or your spouse) must have lived in Canada for the previous 18 months and hold a valid permit in the 19th month; see our families guide.
- No children: apply for the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit online with Web Form RC151.
- On these forms you report your income from outside Canada, including Kenya, for up to two years before you arrived.
- Taxes: file your first return the year after you arrive. The usual deadline is April 30. Include the ON-BEN form. File even if you had no income.
- Ontario Trillium Benefit, July 2026 to June 2027: Northern Ontario Energy Credit up to $189 for one person or $290 for a family. Energy and property tax credit up to $1,307 (ages 18 to 64) or $1,488 (65 and over).
- Add $25 if you lived in a designated college or university residence in 2025. The sales tax credit is up to $378 per adult and $378 per child under 19.
- Canada Disability Benefit: up to $204.20 a month in that same year, for adults 18 to 64 approved for the Disability Tax Credit who have filed taxes. Citizens, permanent residents, protected persons, and temporary residents here for the previous 18 months can qualify.
You can apply for the child benefit and the groceries benefit before that first return. File the return anyway.
The CRA says you file so you can begin or continue the Canada child benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit
(formerly the GST/HST credit), and so you can claim the Canada workers benefit.
Free tax clinics (CVITP)
Community organizations host free tax clinics through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. A clinic can prepare
your return if you have a modest income and a simple tax situation.
- Modest income: the CRA's suggested income line is $40,000 for one person and $55,000 for a couple. A clinic can set a different line for its own community.
- Simple situation: no income, or income from a job, a pension, benefits, an RRSP, a scholarship, or interest under $1,200.
Income from Kenya is not a simple situation. The CRA says foreign income is outside what a clinic prepares, except
U.S. Social Security benefits. If you have to report Kenyan income, file using the newcomer instructions above.
Find a clinic on the CRA's own search.
Source: Canada Revenue Agency, "Newcomers to Canada",
"Canada child benefit: before you apply",
"Who has to file a return",
"Free tax clinics",
"Get your taxes done at a free tax clinic" Government of Ontario, "Ontario Trillium Benefit",
Government of Canada, "Canada Disability Benefit: how much you could receive"
and "Do you qualify"
6. Start building credit
In Canada, landlords, phone companies and lenders check your credit history, and your history from Kenya doesn't carry over.
- A free bank account: since December 1, 2025, newcomers in their first year can get a $0-a-month account at participating banks, including BMO, CIBC, National Bank, RBC, Scotiabank, Tangerine and TD.
- A secured credit card is made for people with no credit history. You pay a deposit, and the deposit is usually your limit. Check the fees first.
- Pay on time every month, at least the minimum, and use less than 30% of your limit.
Source: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, free and low-cost bank accounts,
choosing a credit card
and improving your credit score
Credit scores, your first tax return, the TFSA, RRSP and FHSA, and chamas: see Canadian money basics.
Looking for work? See jobs in Thunder Bay and our jobs and credentials guide.
7. Get around by bus
- A single ride is $3.25 in cash (exact change), and a cash transfer lasts 90 minutes.
- A monthly pass is $92.65 for adults and $63.90 for youth and seniors. Children 12 and under ride free.
- On a low income? The Affordable Bus Pass pilot gives eligible adults aged 25 to 59 a half-price monthly pass. It is run by the Lakehead Social Planning Council, (807) 624-1726, and applications open November 1.
Source: City of Thunder Bay, "Fares and passes" (fares from April 1, 2026)
Where to get a Lift Pass
The card costs $5. Pick it up 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 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 the card, then reload it
Register the card so a lost or stolen one can be cancelled and the remaining rides or monthly pass moved to a new card. The Transit Administration Office does that for a registered card. The replacement is $5. An unregistered card cannot be cancelled, and the balance goes with it.
Register online, 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 up to 7 days ahead.
Sources: City of Thunder Bay, "Lift Pass" and "Manage your Lift Pass"; Lift Pass reload site; "Lift+ Specialized Transit"
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Tell us Quick answers
How long can I drive in Ontario on a Kenyan licence?
60 days after you move to Ontario. Kenya has no licence exchange agreement with Ontario, so after that you take the vision test, the knowledge test and the G2 road test. Since July 1, 2026, a letter confirming your Kenyan licence can earn credit for up to one year of driving experience.
How do I find a family doctor in Thunder Bay?
Once you have your Ontario health card number, join Health Care Connect, the province's waitlist for a family doctor or nurse practitioner, online or by calling 811. Joining doesn't guarantee a doctor right away, so sign up early. While you wait, call 811 for free advice from a nurse.
Can newcomers apply for the Canada child benefit before filing taxes?
Yes. You don't have to wait for your first tax return. With children under 18, apply with form RC66, which also covers the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit and the Ontario child benefit. You report your income from outside Canada for up to two years before you arrived. On a work or study permit, you qualify for the child benefit only after you or your spouse have lived in Canada for the previous 18 months and hold a valid permit in the 19th month.
Where can I get free help with my first Canadian tax return?
A CVITP clinic can file it free if your income is modest and the return is simple, such as a job in Canada or no income. The CRA's suggested line is $40,000 for one person. Income from Kenya is not a simple situation, so a clinic will not prepare that return. Filing is how the CRA starts or continues the Canada child benefit and the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (formerly the GST/HST credit), and how you claim the Canada workers benefit.
How much is the Ontario Trillium Benefit after I file taxes?
For July 2026 to June 2027, file the return and the ON-BEN form. The Northern Ontario Energy Credit is up to $189 for one person or $290 for a family. The energy and property tax credit is up to $1,307 (ages 18 to 64) or $1,488 (65 and over), plus $25 for a designated college or university residence in 2025. The sales tax credit is up to $378 per adult and $378 per child under 19. The Canada Disability Benefit is up to $204.20 a month in that year for adults 18 to 64 approved for the Disability Tax Credit who have filed taxes.
How do I protect the money on a Lift Pass?
Register the card, online at liftpassreloads.thunderbay.ca, at the Transit Office at 570 Fort William Rd, or by calling 807-684-3744. Transit can then cancel a lost card and move the remaining rides or monthly pass to a new $5 card. Pick up a card at that office or at City Hall, 500 Donald Street East. Lift+ is separate: you apply, then book door-to-door rides at 807-345-0777.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. For your own situation, speak to the
Thunder Bay Multicultural Association, the Canada Revenue Agency, or a licensed professional.
Next guide: Canadian money basics →