Before you start

One primary document proving your status in Canada
One secondary document proving identity
For temporary residents: a work or study permit that authorises work

Step-by-step

1
Apply at a Service Canada Centre, in person
With complete documents you receive your SIN during the visit and keep your documents — nothing is retained. This is materially faster than the alternatives.
In personWho: YouSame visitFree
2
Or apply online, if you can't get to a centre
Online applicants can view the SIN in My Service Canada Account within 5 days and receive it by mail within 10 business days of submitting.
OnlineWho: You5 days online; 10 business days by mailFree
3
Give the SIN to your employer
Employers need it to run payroll and remit deductions. Give it directly to payroll — never by email, and never to anyone who asks for it casually.
Via employerWho: You
4
Register for CRA My Account
This is your portal for tax slips, benefit payments and refunds. Registration requires information from a filed return, so newcomers usually complete it after their first filing.
OnlineWho: You
5
File your first return by 30 April
The Canadian tax year is the calendar year and returns are due 30 April. File even in a part-year — that first return is what triggers benefit eligibility.
OnlineWho: YouAnnually

Documents you’ll need

Primary: PR card, Confirmation of Permanent Residence, work permit or study permit authorising work
Secondary: passport or provincial driver's licence
Proof of address, for correspondence

Things most newcomers don’t know

In person is same-day; online is up to ten business days.

Everything downstream — payroll, the bank's credit application, benefits — waits on the SIN. If you're already in Toronto, the trip to a Service Canada Centre buys back more than a week.

Source: Service Canada — Social Insurance Number: Apply

A SIN starting with 9 expires, and an expired one silently breaks your payroll.

Temporary residents get a 9-series SIN tied to the permit's validity. Renew the permit and you must update the SIN too — people miss this and discover it when their employer's payroll system rejects them.

Source: Service Canada — SIN for temporary residents

File a return even if you earned almost nothing in your first part-year.

The GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit and provincial credits are all triggered by an assessed return, not by your income alone. Newcomers routinely skip the first filing and forfeit payments they were entitled to.

Source: CRA — Newcomers to Canada

Nobody legitimate asks for your SIN by phone or email.

It's the single most valuable number for identity fraud in Canada, and impersonating the CRA is the most common scam newcomers meet. The CRA does not demand payment or your SIN by phone.

Source: CRA — protect yourself against fraud

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying online while already in Toronto and waiting ten days for something available same-day.
Letting a 9-series SIN lapse when renewing a work permit.
Skipping the first tax return and losing benefit entitlements.
Giving the SIN to anyone other than an employer, bank or government body.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.