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anwar01

Champion Member
Jun 28, 2011
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I am planning to land in June 2018 end with a family of 4. I am interested to open a Bank account before landing and transfer the funds to use as POF. I have read about Scotia Bank Start Right program which allows to open Bank account & transfer money before landing.

I have some questions if anyone can answer it,

1- Is Scotia Bank offering the best or all banks are giving same offer?
2- How much time will it take to open Online account?
3- The confirmation of funds deposited take how much time?
4- What proof will we show as POF? The confirmation email or we can take a bank statement online?
5- The account activation can be done at any branch or do we need to visit any specific branch in Canada after landing?

Please share your experience if you have used Scotia bank for the same purpose.
 
Hi Anwar,

1. I don't have accounts with all the banks, so I can't tell you if they are the best, but in general all banks offer very similar products. They might have a better offer here or there but I wouldn't expect a substantial difference.
2. It depends for each bank, depending on the documents they request and how long it takes them to validate the documents, it might take from a few days to a couple weeks.
3. That will depend on the country of origin for the transference. From my home country it takes 5 business days or less to be reflected in my account, but I have heard some countries may take a bit more. For sure it would be less than two weeks, though.
4. If I recall correctly, IRCC requires bank statements, but you will need to check that on the IRCC website of your specific program.
5. If they ask you to choose a branch before landing, it will have to be done at that branch. If they don't, then it can be done at any branch.

By the way, you can get answers to these questions and many others on the Settlement Ontario website, or by joining a pre-arrival service. Here is the full list: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/before-services.asp
 
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I am planning to land in June 2018 end with a family of 4. I am interested to open a Bank account before landing and transfer the funds to use as POF. I have read about Scotia Bank Start Right program which allows to open Bank account & transfer money before landing.

I have some questions if anyone can answer it,

1- Is Scotia Bank offering the best or all banks are giving same offer?
2- How much time will it take to open Online account?
3- The confirmation of funds deposited take how much time?
4- What proof will we show as POF? The confirmation email or we can take a bank statement online?
5- The account activation can be done at any branch or do we need to visit any specific branch in Canada after landing?

Please share your experience if you have used Scotia bank for the same purpose.
Hi Anwar,
May i know if u did opt for NS start right program? If yes, could you pls share your experience. Tks
 
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Hi Anwar,
May i know if u did opt for NS start right program? If yes, could you pls share your experience. Tks
Not yet! getting info from people who did it. Scotia Bank is rejecting wire transactions from UAE residents, who are expats. People have lost thousands of Dirhams and Riyals in this rejections due to different exchange rates. That is what worry me.
 
Hi Anwar,

1. I don't have accounts with all the banks, so I can't tell you if they are the best, but in general all banks offer very similar products. They might have a better offer here or there but I wouldn't expect a substantial difference.
2. It depends for each bank, depending on the documents they request and how long it takes them to validate the documents, it might take from a few days to a couple weeks.
3. That will depend on the country of origin for the transference. From my home country it takes 5 business days or less to be reflected in my account, but I have heard some countries may take a bit more. For sure it would be less than two weeks, though.
4. If I recall correctly, IRCC requires bank statements, but you will need to check that on the IRCC website of your specific program.
5. If they ask you to choose a branch before landing, it will have to be done at that branch. If they don't, then it can be done at any branch.

By the way, you can get answers to these questions and many others on the Settlement Ontario website, or by joining a pre-arrival service. Here is the full list: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/before-services.asp
Thanks for your detailed reply! Much Appreciated.
 
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I am planning to land in June 2018 end with a family of 4. I am interested to open a Bank account before landing and transfer the funds to use as POF. I have read about Scotia Bank Start Right program which allows to open Bank account & transfer money before landing.

I have some questions if anyone can answer it,

1- Is Scotia Bank offering the best or all banks are giving same offer?
2- How much time will it take to open Online account?
3- The confirmation of funds deposited take how much time?
4- What proof will we show as POF? The confirmation email or we can take a bank statement online?
5- The account activation can be done at any branch or do we need to visit any specific branch in Canada after landing?

Please share your experience if you have used Scotia bank for the same purpose.

2. If you mean Online account before landing for wire transfer, I remember it took me less than an hour. I created my account with Scotiabank almost a month ago (I'm only landing this August). I thought it'd take days so I just wanted to start it early. It turned out I got everything done almost immediately and they sent me the email with detailed instruction on the same day.
 
2. If you mean Online account before landing for wire transfer, I remember it took me less than an hour. I created my account with Scotiabank almost a month ago (I'm only landing this August). I thought it'd take days so I just wanted to start it early. It turned out I got everything done almost immediately and they sent me the email with detailed instruction on the same day.
Great! Mine was also opened within 24 hours. Please let me know if you have already transferred the funds from UAE? Are there any issues?
 
Great! Mine was also opened within 24 hours. Please let me know if you have already transferred the funds from UAE? Are there any issues?

Sorry I wish I could answer this question to help you but I'm immigrating from another country not UAE :)
 
Great! Mine was also opened within 24 hours. Please let me know if you have already transferred the funds from UAE? Are there any issues?

Have you tried other banks? If you just want open an account with Scotia upon landing, does it matter what bank you use to transfer funds into?
 
Great! Mine was also opened within 24 hours. Please let me know if you have already transferred the funds from UAE? Are there any issues?
I contacted Scotia Bank for opening an account before arrival and it turned to be that they r interested in your country of origin not your residence country. Hence, they didn't even open the account for me. I asked so how would I take the money to Canada if it is a huge amount, and there is no answer, even the bank agent said that the bank might hold the demand draft if we got one! So i got stuck..I think it is better to start the process with international bank like hsbc or similar
 
Have you tried other banks? If you just want open an account with Scotia upon landing, does it matter what bank you use to transfer funds into?
Yes, I tried RBC too, but their account opening before arrival is very tedious. A lot of attestations and verification then you have to mail application to Canada, its not online. Scotia Bank online account opening before arrival is pretty easy. But I have seen a couple of cases from KSA that their transactions were rejected and they lost huge money in conversion rates and bank charges.
 
I contacted Scotia Bank for opening an account before arrival and it turned to be that they r interested in your country of origin not your residence country. Hence, they didn't even open the account for me. I asked so how would I take the money to Canada if it is a huge amount, and there is no answer, even the bank agent said that the bank might hold the demand draft if we got one! So i got stuck..I think it is better to start the process with international bank like hsbc or similar
As far as I can recall, opening online bank account with scotia bank, they do not ask your Nationality, just the country from where you are transferring the funds. Only thing is the money should come only from you account. The sender & receiver account name should be same.
 
As far as I can recall, opening online bank account with scotia bank, they do not ask your Nationality, just the country from where you are transferring the funds. Only thing is the money should come only from you account. The sender & receiver account name should be same.
Well, the agent I spoke to said based on my nationality I can't open an account before arrival, I also tried the website and when I selected my nationality, a message stating that the service is not available for my country was displayed. Do you know other banks that extends service in UAE?
 
Well, the agent I spoke to said based on my nationality I can't open an account before arrival, I also tried the website and when I selected my nationality, a message stating that the service is not available for my country was displayed. Do you know other banks that extends service in UAE?

How about Bank of China?