Opening Bank Account before landing

[girish979]

Hi

Did anyone open bank account before landing?
I contacted RBC,ScotiaBank. They said it is possible but only wire transfers are allowed to deposit funds.
Can someone in Canada transfer funds to this account before landing?

Or does any bank allows me to transfer funds?

 

[BC4life]

Does your bank at home offer bank transfers through the internet? If yes then there is no point to pay fees and go through the ordeal of opening a bank account in Canada prior to arrival. Once you are in Canada, you can just walking to the bank with your passport and COPR and open an account. Then you can transfer your funds from overseas to your new account

 

[alok4best]

Hi

Did anyone open bank account before landing?
I contacted RBC,ScotiaBank. They said it is possible but only wire transfers are allowed to deposit funds.
Can someone in Canada transfer funds to this account before landing?

Or does any bank allows me to transfer funds?

You need to specify where are you coming from. I am guessing India. If yes, then the answer is yes, you can open an account in Canada before landing. Scotia bank has tie ups with Kotak Mahindra in India. If you visit Kotak, you can ask them about it. They can also assist in wiring funds to your Canadian account. However they need 2-3 weeks to complete this entire task.

 

[Kushal_75]

Hi,
I opened RBC bank account one in Canada. It's easier and you get a debit card (temporary immediately). You get your credit card within 2 weeks. You can deposit funds in your account on same day. You can then do wire transfer from your home account. However, do check with your local bank the steps for doing it i.e if security token required or any special passwords, etc.
Cheers,
K

 

[Man111]

I did this recently. Go to Scotia bank website and look for startright program. There will be a link to open an account online. Fill in the details including the file number mentioned on your COPR. You will receive two emails: one with account login details and another ( after some time) with your account number and wire transfer details. You can do a wire transfer to this account from any country only ONE time. Transfer a little more than the POF requirement applicable to you. Make sure the " transferor " and "transferee" account are of same name (your name!). In about a week you will get an email with a confirmation of funds deposited which u can use as POF for landing. A week before landing use scotia website online chat to book appointment with the nearest branch to "activate" your account. You will get ur debit card and all else. Annual charges (if any) will start only from that point. This can be done regardless of your origin country and you do not need to visit anyone.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

Hi

Did anyone open bank account before landing?
I contacted RBC,ScotiaBank. They said it is possible but only wire transfers are allowed to deposit funds.
Can someone in Canada transfer funds to this account before landing?

Or does any bank allows me to transfer funds?

 

[conscientious]

I did this recently. Go to Scotia bank website and look for startright program. There will be a link to open an account online. Fill in the details including the file number mentioned on your COPR. You will receive two emails: one with account login details and another ( after some time) with your account number and wire transfer details. You can do a wire transfer to this account from any country only ONE time. Transfer a little more than the POF requirement applicable to you. Make sure the " transferor " and "transferee" account are of same name (your name!). In about a week you will get an email with a confirmation of funds deposited which u can use as POF for landing. A week before landing use scotia website online chat to book appointment with the nearest branch to "activate" your account. You will get ur debit card and all else. Annual charges (if any) will start only from that point. This can be done regardless of your origin country and you do not need to visit anyone.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

Hi @Man111

We only get the account activated and the debit card issued after the landing and by visiting a branch, am I correct here ?

Can we do the initial account opening few months before the landing ?

Do we have to maintain same currency (CAD) in both send and receive accounts?

Thank You

 

[vincyluthra]

I did this recently. Go to Scotia bank website and look for startright program. There will be a link to open an account online. Fill in the details including the file number mentioned on your COPR. You will receive two emails: one with account login details and another ( after some time) with your account number and wire transfer details. You can do a wire transfer to this account from any country only ONE time. Transfer a little more than the POF requirement applicable to you. Make sure the " transferor " and "transferee" account are of same name (your name!). In about a week you will get an email with a confirmation of funds deposited which u can use as POF for landing. A week before landing use scotia website online chat to book appointment with the nearest branch to "activate" your account. You will get ur debit card and all else. Annual charges (if any) will start only from that point. This can be done regardless of your origin country and you do not need to visit anyone.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

thanks !!

 

[aleersurahio]

Hi guys, I’m planning same to open an account before landing to Canada. Many banks offer this service but it seems scotia bank is very straight forward. I’ll be moving from Pakistan and online banking system is very poor. Therefore, I’m planning to open a bank account before moving. I’ve few questions as below.

1- Is moving funds by international bank account (before landing) safe and reliable?
2- How is customer service of scotia bank?
3- do you know or had experience with anyother bank than scotia?

 

[aleersurahio]

Hi

I did this recently. Go to Scotia bank website and look for startright program. There will be a link to open an account online. Fill in the details including the file number mentioned on your COPR. You will receive two emails: one with account login details and another ( after some time) with your account number and wire transfer details. You can do a wire transfer to this account from any country only ONE time. Transfer a little more than the POF requirement applicable to you. Make sure the " transferor " and "transferee" account are of same name (your name!). In about a week you will get an email with a confirmation of funds deposited which u can use as POF for landing. A week before landing use scotia website online chat to book appointment with the nearest branch to "activate" your account. You will get ur debit card and all else. Annual charges (if any) will start only from that point. This can be done regardless of your origin country and you do not need to visit anyone.

Hope this helps.

Cheers!

hi, thanks. I’m planning to do same with Scotia bank. Could you tell me how long before landing one should start this process?
Also if you don’t mind which country did you transfer the funds from?

 

[21singh]

Hi everyone,

I would suggest strongly, to come over here, get cash along with you.
Shop around with banks & see where you can get maximum benefit.
Instead of doing wire from home country.
Even I did the same & got decent deal with bank.
All major 5 banks have newcomer program with them.

Good Luck

 

[aleersurahio]

Hi everyone,

I would suggest strongly, to come over here, get cash along with you.
Shop around with banks & see where you can get maximum benefit.
Instead of doing wire from home country.
Even I did the same & got decent deal with bank.
All major 5 banks have newcomer program with them.

Good Luck

Since, all major banks have good/similar programs, why not take the ease of opening an account from here. I mean there are legal restrictions in my country to be only allowed to carry $10K in cash. Moreover, safety is an issue as well, both within your country and in Canada until you deposit.

On the top, if you open a bank account with one bank from home, you can open an account with another bank as well.

 

[21singh]

Since, all major banks have good/similar programs, why not take the ease of opening an account from here. I mean there are legal restrictions in my country to be only allowed to carry $10K in cash. Moreover, safety is an issue as well, both within your country and in Canada until you deposit.

On the top, if you open a bank account with one bank from home, you can open an account with another bank as well.

10k is huge amount, that is more than enough for surviving 5-6 months easily.
There is no problem in Canada for moving around with cash. Remove safety constraint.
Once you are here face to face with bank adviser, you can opt for Credit Card & other thing like a locker with bank, waving off monthly fees etc etc.

Good Luck

 

[aleersurahio]

10k is huge amount, that is more than enough for surviving 5-6 months easily.
There is no problem in Canada for moving around with cash. Remove safety constraint.
Once you are here face to face with bank adviser, you can opt for Credit Card & other thing like a locker with bank, waving off monthly fees etc etc.

Good Luck

Yes, that is true. But remember you need to show $13K to immigration officer as proof. I would the rather split it.

 

[21singh]

Yes, that is true. But remember you need to show $13K to immigration officer as proof. I would the rather split it.

Indeed, if you are travelling with family.
Or even if you are travelling alone you can show 13k, just you need to show additional documents like bank statement & tax return.
The CBSA just want to make sure you are not travelling with illegal (black) money.
Thus, travelling with more than 10k is not an issue. You may bring that, however with proper justification.

Good Luck

 

[aleersurahio]

Indeed, if you are travelling with family.
Or even if you are travelling alone you can show 13k, just you need to show additional documents like bank statement & tax return.
The CBSA just want to make sure you are not travelling with illegal (black) money.
Thus, travelling with more than 10k is not an issue. You may bring that, however with proper justification.

Good Luck

Yeah. Do we need to show tax returns at border or same documents as POF will suffice?