ADVICE for Post (PhD) doctoral fellows coming to University of Calgary for research
training
WHAT TO DO BEFORE ARRIVAL:
1. Work Permit Visa from local Canadian Embassy
If you are not a Canadian citizen, you will require a Letter of Offer to apply for a Canadian work
visa. You may or may not also require a Labour Market Opinion. Be advised that application
processing times vary from the Canadian embassies in each country. It can take fro 1 week to 4-5
months for your application to be processed and not all local embassies are amenable to expediting
your application, so follow up closely. You should check what other documents are required for
your country at the website of embassy of Canada in your country. If you are bringing your spouse,
make sure to get a multi-entrance working permit for each of you; however, you can always change
it when you are in Canada.
2. The University of Calgary and my lab require the following in advance:
(i)
Your complete Curriculum Vitae (we recommend that you put the most recent
information first).
(ii)
Copies of your diplomas and documentation of previous training (in English)
(iii) Three letters of recommendation.
3. Housing
Availability of housing depends on your requirements (single, couple, requires own kitchen, etc.)
Student housing at the University of Calgary is typically full, whether traditional dorm, or
apartment/type. The waiting list usually goes up to 150-200. Check
http://www.ucalgary.ca/residence/ where you can usually apply online.
Nearby housing includes Boardwalk Heights (http://www.bwalk.com) and Suncourt Place
(http://www.erent.homestead.com/), both of which rarely have vacancies. Neighborhoods near to
UofC and Foothills Hospital include: Banff Trail, Hillhurst, University Heights, Parkdale, St.
Andrews, and Montgomery. Try a google map search (http://maps.google.com) on Foothills
Hospital, Calgary. The Northwest and Southwest quadrants of Calgary are usually best for public
transportation and generally safe places to live.
A shared room is usually available and recommended for single people. Depending on the economy
(i.e. price of oil), there may be more or less apartments or basement suites available at a given time.
There are very few furnished apartments available in the city.
Other online resources include:
http://www.su.ucalgary.ca/ooch/listing.php
http://calgary.craigslist.org/
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/
http://www.homerent.ca/
http://www.rentfaster.ca/calgary.php
BEWARE: There are some very cheap rental houses you may see on Craig’s List and kijiji
websites, and they may be traps. For your security do not sent money, cheque or give your credit
card number to anyone.
Houses with basement apartments may not have enough ventilation and sound isolation; you may
hear all the voices from the basement and smell the smoke from their cooking.
It is customary to pay a security deposit (usually the same amount of your first month’s rent) when
you first rent a flat. In order to get your security deposit back fully, you have to leave the house in
the same condition it was before you moved in. For your safety, perform a thorough inspection just
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before you rent the house and if you see any damages or problems, take a picture of it and inform
the landlord during the inspection. Otherwise you may be asked to pay for those damages.
Anita Thiessen is an EEG technician who has been with the Dept Clin Neurosci for many years. She
usually has a room (sometimes a full basement apt) for rent in her house in Dalhousie. This is about
20 minutes by transit to the hospital. The rent was $500 (in 2006) and this is for a bedroom, private
bathroom, sitting area - shared kitchen area. Can rent by the month, although the price goes up.
Anita's contact info Home phone: 403-288-2504, Work 403-944-8310
4. Public transport
The website for this is http://www.calgarytransit.com/. It is advisable to check the bus routes and
connectivity to the hospital before renting a place.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE?
1. Work Permit
Your work permit (usually 1 year) will be issued at the Immigration section of the airport upon your
arrival in Canada. Make sure you check the expiry date. Run off several photocopies as your will be
using this a lot. If you are planning to stay more than 1 year, make sure to extend your working
permit at least 2-3 months in advance (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/extend-stay.asp).
2. Housing
Settle your housing as soon as possible. Almost all of the following require a mailing address.
3. Social Insurance Number (SIN)
Apply for a Social Insurance Number (SIN). Check the details at http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca .
The closest place to get this is the Human Resource Development office at Motel Village (about 15
min walk from hospital), but the website also provides a list of Service Centers. This is required
because you will have to pay Canadian taxes on the income you receive in Canada. You will require
a local address and a copy of your work permit. The SIN number will be issued to you immediately,
but the card will be mailed to you.
5. Open a Canadian bank account
All you need to open a bank account is your passport (photo-ID), work permit, and your local
address. There are a number of banks in Calgary, but any will suffice. Canada Trust has the longest
bank hours (up to 7-9 pm), if you expect to bank late or after work. Royal Bank of Canada offers a
student banking account with a credit card line. There is a Scotia Bank just across 16th Ave (i.e. 5
min walking distance).
Make sure to get a couple of cheques, which, when voided, supply you with numbers for direct
deposit (your salary) and debit (some expenses such as CMPA, see below). You will typically be
issued a temporary bank card and the permanent card mailed to you. If you have a work visa only,
you can only apply for a credit card if you secure some amount of money in the account ($5002000). This security deposit may be released depending upon your usage and time. Otherwise you
can only get a debit card. Unfortunately the University of Calgary payroll system only pays once a
month at the end of the month, therefore do not expect to get paid until the end of your first full
month of work.
9. UofC ID and campus card
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You need a UofC ID to get an IT account and access to internet, full-text online journals, and
internal websites. Proceed to university main campus, MacEwan Hall , Security section. They will
take your photo and issue your card.
10. UofC IT account
Register for an IT account at https://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/itutil?process=WebRegister . This will
give you your ucalgary.ca email address, user name, and password. This will be used for most
internal website access and for wireless throughout the UofC campus.
12. Health insurance [this may not be valid anymore]
With a work permit visa valid for at least 6 months, you are eligible to register for the Alberta
Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) at http://www.health.gov.ab.ca. You must do this to obtain a
number. The government has recently eliminated insurance fees for health care benefits but you
must still register. There is a government office in downtown Calgary and if your forms are ready
(also bring a document that proves you are living in Calgary, i.e. a telephone/electric/water/gas bill
issued on your name or your home rental lease agreement) you can get your healthcare card within
10-30 minutes. If you need to see a doctor before you get your healthcare card, you may be asked to
pay some money which you can get back after your healthcare card is ready. Because it is
expensive, it is recommended to have full dental and vision care before you come to Canada.
13. Miscellaneous info:
 For furniture which is not too expensive: garage sales are best for used furniture (but you need
to drive around neighborhoods on weekends, some are advertised in the newspaper), also check
the postings in hospital and university bulletin boards, and there is always
www.ikea.com/ca/en/

How to get an Alberta Driving license: http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/543.htm

For bus travel outside Calgary: www.greyhound.ca/ and for Edmonton (www.redarrow.ca/)

Legal issues, especially as regards rental arrangements, see
www.legalaid.ab.ca/help/helptoday/Pages/AlbertaLawLine.aspx#content
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