Planning to immigrate to Canada? One of the first steps to facilitating your arrival will be to open an everyday transaction account remotely. Good news: Desjardins provides you with free tools and friendly advisors to guide you through this important process.
Opening an everyday transaction account from abroad
By opening an everyday transaction account a few weeks or months in advance, you could free up valuable time upon your arrival to get settled and explore your new environment.
Whether you settle in Quebec or Ontario, having access to this account could give you peace of mind and facilitate many of the transactions you may wish to make, including depositing your future salary.
Before you move
To take advantage of a fully operational Canadian account upon your arrival, you’ll need to apply to open an everyday transaction account External link. This link will open in a new window..
If you’re properly prepared, you’ll be able to complete a single interbank transfer from your home country. Within hours or days of arriving in Canada, you may be able to withdraw funds in Canadian dollars.
Upon your arrival, an appointment will be scheduled at your Desjardins caisse to authenticate your documents and finalize the everyday account opening.
On Canadian soil
On the agreed-upon date and time, simply come to the meeting. You’ll be greeted by an advisor who will officially open your account.
If you’ve completed all the formalities remotely at the application stage, you could receive your debit card during the same visit!
You could then make your first withdrawal from the banking machine in Canadian dollars and use the same card to make purchases.
Are you arriving in Canada through the Montreal airport?
If you’ve started the account opening process with Desjardins from your country of origin, you can go directly to Espace Desjardins, which is located at the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau airport.
That way, before you leave the terminal, you’ll have your debit card ready to make your first withdrawal. An ideal approach to embarking on your new life with peace of mind.
Credit card or debit card?
If you’re unsure about the difference between a debit card and a credit card, we recommend watching this 2-minute video.
Why choose Desjardins?
Founded in 1900, with more than 48,000 employees and more than 7 million members and clients, Desjardins is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada1.
For 120 years, this cooperative movement has taken the reality and aspirations of its members to heart. You’ll benefit from down-to-earth, personalized advice from dedicated and committed advisors.
Desjardins has up-to-date expertise to respond to questions and potential issues related to your financial preparation and transition.
Ready to open your account in Canada?
Whether you’re coming to Canada to live, work or study, you’ll find the information, links and contacts you need here to open your account with Desjardins:
I want to open my everyday transaction account before arriving in Canada!
Welcome to your new home!