Newcomers often face a steep learning curve when adapting to life in Canada.
Digital tools can help to ease this transition.
The CIC News team has compiled a list of nine mobile apps that newcomers can download to enhance their life in Canada.
Still planning your move? Check out our article on apps to help prepare.
Entertainment
NFB Films: The National Film Board of Canada’s NFB films app allows users to watch over 6,000 films, without any ads or subscription fee. Users can also save films for up to 48 hours for off-line viewing, allowing them to watch on the plane even if they don’t have wi-fi.
Weather
The Weather Network: The Weather Network app provides information about local forecasts to help newcomers better plan for their day and week ahead. It can also be helpful for getting a feel of the weather in a city or region of Canada, as the weather across this country can vary greatly depending on where you live.
Food
Doordash, SkipTheDishes, UberEats: These are some of the most popular meal delivery apps in Canada. These apps provide a marketplace for restaurant meals bundled with a third-party delivery service, allowing users to order food for delivery from participating local restaurants. It is customary to tip delivery persons in Canada.
Chef’s Plate or Hello Fresh: Meal kit apps are subscription-based services that provide home delivery of ingredients along with recipes to make meals. Users pay a premium for the convenience of home delivery and not having to plan what to cook or select which ingredients to buy.
Instacart: Instacart is an app for grocery delivery. Rather than having to make a trip to the grocery store, users can purchase items through the app for home delivery. Users should expect to pay a premium for this service.
Banking and identity
Mobile Banking: Canadian financial institutions offer mobile apps that allow users to access banking services. Unlike their browser-based counterparts, these mobile apps will normally allow users to deposit cheques into their account by uploading photos of the front and back of a physical cheque.
Interac: Interac provides an identity verification service that allows users to use their Canadian online banking credentials to securely verify their identity with third-party service providers.
Communication and social networking
Signal, WhatsApp or WeChat: In Canada it is still very common for mobile phone users to communicate by text message using their phone’s native texting feature—traditional SMS/MMS, RCS, or iMessage. For messaging users in other countries, however, newcomers will likely want to use third-party messaging apps which communicate over the internet (either through your mobile data plan or through wi-fi).
Meetup: Meetup is an app that helps users “meet new people, learn new things, find support, get out of their comfort zones, and pursue their passions” through local events. Newcomers may want to use such apps to connect with others in their area for shared hobbies, new friendships, or professional networking.
