How can a bank help you start a new life?

The StartRight™ program† can help you start banking in Canada with access to credit, savings, no-fee international money transfers1 and help from Financial Advisors. It’s all part of why Scotiabank is the bank for newcomers.

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Open an International Account online today.

Use it to transfer money and show proof of funds before you move – and get a chequing account faster once you’re here2.

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Set up your Scotiabank account today.

Bank without monthly fees for one year2 with the StartRight™ Program

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Scotiabank. The bank for newcomers.

With the StartRight™ program, you can bank without monthly account fees3 and get a credit card with no credit history4

With the StartRight™ program, you can bank without monthly account fees2 and get a credit card with no credit history4

No Fee

No monthly account fees on the Preferred Package chequing account for one year3. A value of $203.40.

Unlimited Transfers

Unlimited no-fee international money transfers1

Vehicle Load

Credit cards designed for newcomers4.

Mortgage

Specialized mortgage for newcomers to Canada

Vehicle loan

Get a new vehicle loan with only 10% down5

No Fee

No monthly account fees on the Preferred Package chequing account for one year2. A value of $203.40.

Unlimited Transfers

Unlimited no-fee international money transfers1

Credit card

Credit cards designed for newcomers3.

Mortgage

Specialized mortgage for newcomers to Canada

Vehicle loan

Get a new vehicle loan with only 10% down4

The following accounts are eligible for the StartRight™ Program.

Package fees

  • After the first year, $0* or $16.95/mth

* Maintain a balance of $4,000 and we’ll waive your monthly fee.

Package fees

  • $0* or $11.95/mth

* Maintain a balance of $3,000 and we’ll waive your monthly fee.

Usage

  • Unlimited transactions
  • Unlimited Interac e-transfers†6§7
  • Once a month, get a free withdrawl from an ABM that isn’t Scotia

Usage

  • 25 free transactions78 per month
  • Unlimited Interac e-Transfers

Interest Rate Boost on MomentumPLUS Savings Account(s)

  • Preferred Interest Rate Boost2
  • (Currently, +0.05%. Latest rates are available at scotiabank.com/rates)

More perks

  • First year annual fee waiver on select Scotiabank credit cards109 up to $150
  • Earn points on everyday purchases with the Scene+TM program10

What you can get with every account:

  • Online and mobile banking
  • Mobile cheque deposit
  • Free TransUnion§§ CreditView§§
  • Earn rewards on your everyday purchases910
  • Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay

What documents do I need to open an account?

If you’re a permanent resident

Your Permanent Resident Card or confirmation of Permanent Residence

One additional piece of government photo ID such as your passport or Canadian driver’s licence

If you’re also planning on applying for a credit card, you can do so with the documents outlined above.

If you’re a foreign worker

Your work permit

One additional piece of government photo ID such as your passport or Canadian driver’s licence

If you’re also planning on applying for a credit card, bring a letter from your employer in Canada stating your annual income.

More reasons to love the StartRight™ Program…

More reasons to love the StartRight™ Program…

  • Scotiabank is Canada’s international bank with close to 24 million customers and over 2,700 branches around the world.
  • Scotiabank is Canada’s international bank with close to 24 million customers and over 2,700 branches around the world.
  • Access to over 900 Scotiabank branches and 3,600 ABMs across Canada.
  • Personalized support at the branch and in the language that’s most comfortable to you.
  • Safe and secure online and mobile banking 24/7.

View branch locations

Find a branch near me

“Scotiabank was the only bank who let us transfer our money to Canada before landing. It made things very smooth.”

Wei StartRight™ Program customer

“The Scotiabank employees I worked with were also Canadian immigrants, so they understood the challenges of moving to a new country and helped me in any way possible.”

Jian StartRight™ Program customer

No credit history? No problem.

We can help you get an unsecured credit card with a limit of up to $15,000 as soon as you arrive4.

Find the right card for me

A little more on your credit history...

A good credit history can make it easier for you to borrow money, while a bad credit history – or no credit history – can make getting loans for things like cell phones, credit cards, and housing more difficult.

Learn how to build a good credit history

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Don’t miss out on helpful newcomer advice and notifications that can make your move to Canada easier.

Don’t miss out on helpful newcomer financial advice and notifications that can make your move to Canada easier.

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Because your success here is about more than just money.

Get advice on all things Canadian.

Personal stories, articles and resources to help you settle in sooner.

Learn more about life in Canada

Have questions? We have answers.

Our StartRight™ Program support team is here to help.

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  • †Scotiabank StartRight Program, created for Canadian Permanent residents from 0–5 years in Canada, International Students and Foreign Workers. This program includes no monthly account fees for the first year3 on the Preferred Package™ account and unlimited Interac† e-transfer fee rebates5.
  • 1Foreign currency exchange rates apply. A transfer needs to be made from an eligible Scotiabank Chequing or Savings account
  • 2Scotiabank cannot accept more than one wire payment per family and such payment cannot exceed CAD $50,000. You are responsible to ensure that your wire payment to Scotiabank in Canada, including the amount, is in compliance with the local laws of your country. This is not intended to solicit transactions that are not permitted in the applicable jurisdictions.
  • 3Eligibility: To qualify for the 1-Year No Monthly Account Fee Offer (the “Offer”), open a new Preferred Package account under the StartRight™ Program (the “Account”) [Employees of The Bank of Nova Scotia (“Scotiabank”) and individuals who are currently or were previously holders/ joint holders of a Scotiabank chequing account within the last 2 years are not eligible for this Offer.
    How this Offer Works: During the first 12months, your monthly Account fee will be waived and will not appear as a charge on your Account. The Account must be open and in good standing at the time of the waiver. All applicable service charges on the Account will continue to be applied monthly. After the first 12 months, you will begin to see the monthly Account fee charged to your Account unless you maintain a minimum daily closing balance of $4,000, in which case the monthly Account fee will be waived per the Account terms and conditions. This Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offers. Maximum one Offer per customer. All rates, fees, features and benefits are subject to change. Offer may be changed, cancelled, or extended at any time without notice.
  • 4Subject to credit approval. To be eligible, you must be a participant in the Scotiabank StartRight Program. To qualify for a credit card, you must be a resident of Canada and the age of majority in your province/territory where you live. Your approval for a credit card and the credit limit assigned will be determined based on Scotiabank’s credit criteria, including your verifiable income and credit history (If available). The credit limit amount of up to $15,000 under the Scotiabank StartRight Program is subject to change by Scotiabank from time to time without prior notice. A credit history in Canada is not required in order to be eligible for a credit card under the Scotiabank StartRight Program
  • 5Subject to Scotiabank credit approval and financing terms and conditions. Maximum 60 month term. Minimum 10% down payment is only applicable to qualifying Permanent Residents. Qualifying Foreign Workers under the Scotiabank StartRight® program are required to make a minimum 25% down payment.
  • 6Fees may initially be charged for Interac e-Transfers† in excess of 99 in a month but will be reversed in the subsequent month
  • 7Additional fees apply for shared ABM services, cross-border debit transactions and other banking services not included.
  • 8Preferred Package holders will receive Preferred Package GIC interest rates (“Preferred Package GIC Rates”) on select GICs purchased 2 days after start of ownership of Preferred Package. Selected GICs are between 1 to 10 year non-redeemable GIC’s. To view the Preferred GIC Rates that are subject to change, visit Scotiabank.com/GIC.
    Interest is accrued daily on your GIC from the issue date up to, but not including, the maturity date. For Scotiabank GICs that pay interest during their term (monthly, semi-annually or annually) the last interest payment is paid at maturity.
  • 9Scene+ ScotiaCard® debit card: Earn 1 Scene+ point for every $5 you spend on debit purchase transactions and Interac Flash transactions from an eligible account using your Scene+ ScotiaCard debit card. Normal Interac Flash transaction limits apply. Other conditions and limitations apply. Visit www.scotiabank.com/sceneplusrewards for complete details. General information: A card must be connected to a Scene+ membership in order to earn and redeem Scene+ points. Scene+ points accumulated using a card will be updated within 2-3 days. Scene+ points can be redeemed for travel, entertainment, shopping, dining, banking or online at www.sceneplus.ca
  • 10If you open a Preferred Package account (the “Account”), on or after the date you open the Account (the “Account Open Date”), you will receive an annual fee waiver for the first year only (the “First Year Annual Fee Waiver”) on one eligible Scotiabank Credit Card account (an “Eligible Card”) opened on or after the Account Open Date. Eligible Cards are the Scotiabank Gold American Express, Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite*, Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite and Scotiabank Value® Visa* credit cards. Eligible Cards are subject to change.
    Each Account can only receive one First Year Annual Fee Waiver regardless of the number of accountholders on the Account or Eligible Cards opened. The First Year Annual Fee Waiver will be applied to the first annual fee for a primary card charged on an Eligible Card after the Account Open Date. If there is more than one Eligible Card opened after the Account Open Date, the First Year Annual Fee Waiver will be applied only to the first annual fee for a primary card that is charged on an Eligible Card after the Account Open Date.
    This First Year Annual Fee Waiver is only available for new Eligible Cards opened on or after the Account Open Date. Current or previous cardholders of an Eligible Card or cardholders that transfer to an Eligible Card on or after the Account Open Date will not receive the First Year Annual Fee Waiver.
    All other fees and charges applicable to the Eligible Card continue to apply. First Year Annual Fee Waiver will not be applied if the Account or Eligible Card is not open or is not in good standing and cannot be combined with any other annual fee waiver offer. Current annual fees, rates and other features for Eligible Cards are subject to change.
  • ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
    ™ Scene+ and the Icon Design are trademarks of Scene Plus IP Corporation, used under license.
    ®*Registered trademark of SCENE IP LP, used under license
    §Interac, Interac Flash and Pay in a flash are trademarks of Interac Inc. The Bank of Nova Scotia is an authorized user of the trademarks.
    §§CreditView is a service provided by TransUnion. The Bank of Nova Scotia and its affiliates are not responsible for the service. †† Registered trademarks of TransUnion LLC
    ◊ Registered trademark of Cineplex Entertainment LP, used under license.
    * Visa Int./Licensed User.
  • †Scotiabank StartRight Program, created for Canadian Permanent residents from 0–5 years in Canada, International Students and Foreign Workers. This program includes no monthly account fees for the first year2 on the Preferred account and unlimited Interac§ e-transfer fee rebates5.
  • ◊Terms and Conditions found in Scotiabank International Money Transfer Agreement
  • 1Foreign currency exchange rates apply. A transfer needs to be made from an eligible Scotiabank Chequing or Savings account
  • 2The 1-Year No Monthly Account Fee Offer (the “Offer”) is available to eligible clients who open a new Preferred Package account under the StartRight™ Program (the “Account”). Employees of The Bank of Nova Scotia (“Scotiabank”) and individuals who are currently or were previously holders/ joint holders of a Scotiabank chequing account within the last 2 years are not eligible for this Offer. If you are eligible for the Offer, during the first 12 months, your monthly Account fee will be waived and will not appear as a charge on your Account. The Account must be open and in good standing at the time of the waiver. All applicable service charges on the Account will continue to be applied monthly. After the first 12 months, you will begin to see the monthly Account fee charged to your Account unless you maintain a minimum daily closing balance of $4,000, in which case the monthly Account fee will be waived per the Account terms and conditions. This Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offers. Maximum one Offer per customer. All rates, fees, features and benefits are subject to change. Offer may be changed, cancelled, or extended at any time without notice.
  • 3Subject to credit approval. To be eligible, you must be a participant in the Scotiabank StartRight Program. To qualify for a credit card, you must be a resident of Canada and the age of majority in your province/territory where you live. Your approval for a credit card and the credit limit assigned will be determined based on Scotiabank’s credit criteria, including your verifiable income and credit history (If available). The credit limit amount of up to $15,000 under the Scotiabank StartRight Program is subject to change by Scotiabank from time to time without prior notice. A credit history in Canada is not required in order to be eligible for a credit card under the Scotiabank StartRight Program
  • 4Subject to Scotiabank credit approval and financing terms and conditions. Maximum 60 month term. Minimum 10% down payment is only applicable to qualifying Permanent Residents. Qualifying Foreign Workers under the Scotiabank StartRight® program are required to make a minimum 25% down payment.
  • 5Fees may initially be charged for Interac e-Transfers† in excess of 99 in a month but will be reversed in the subsequent month.
  • 6Additional fees apply for shared ABM services, cross-border debit transactions and other banking services not included.
  • 7Preferred Package holders will receive Preferred Package GIC interest rates (“Preferred Package GIC Rates”) on select GICs purchased 2 days after start of ownership of Preferred Package. Selected GICs are between 1 to 10 year non-redeemable GIC’s. To view the Preferred GIC Rates that are subject to change, visit Scotiabank.com/GIC.
    Interest is accrued daily on your GIC from the issue date up to, but not including, the maturity date. For Scotiabank GICs that pay interest during their term (monthly, semi-annually or annually) the last interest payment is paid at maturity.
  • 8SCENE®* ScotiaCard debit card: Earn 1 SCENE point for every $5 you spend on debit purchase transactions and Interac Flash§ transactions from an eligible account using your SCENE ScotiaCard debit card. Normal Interac Flash transaction limits apply. Other conditions and limitations apply. Visit www.scotiabank.com/scene for complete details. General information: A card must be connected to a SCENE®* membership in order to earn and redeem SCENE®* points. SCENE points accumulated using a card will be updated within 2-3 days. SCENE points can only be redeemed at participating Cineplex Entertainment◊◊ theatres, online at www.scene.ca for other points offers (or rewards).
    Earn 1 Scotia Reward Point for every $5 you spend on debit purchase transactions and Interac§ Flash transactions from an eligible account using your Scotiabank Passport Debit Card. Normal Interac§ Flash transaction limits apply. Other conditions and limitation apply. Visit scotiabank.com/travelrewards for complete details
  • 9Scene+ ScotiaCard® debit card: Earn 1 Scene+ point for every $5 you spend on debit purchase transactions and Interac Flash transactions from an eligible account using your Scene+ ScotiaCard debit card. Normal Interac Flash transaction limits apply. Other conditions and limitations apply. Visit www.scotiabank.com/sceneplusrewards for complete details. General information: A card must be connected to a Scene+ membership in order to earn and redeem Scene+ points. Scene+ points accumulated using a card will be updated within 2-3 days. Scene+ points can be redeemed for travel, entertainment, shopping, dining, banking or online at www.sceneplus.ca
  • ® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
  • ™ Scene+ and the Icon Design are trademarks of Scene Plus IP Corporation, used under license.
  • ®*Registered trademark of SCENE IP LP, used under license
  • §Interac, Interac Flash and Pay in a flash are trademarks of Interac Inc. The Bank of Nova Scotia is an authorized user of the trademarks.
  • §§ CreditView is a service provided by TransUnion. The Bank of Nova Scotia and its affiliates are not responsible for the service. †† Registered trademarks of TransUnion LLC
  • ◊◊Registered trademark of Cineplex Entertainment LP, used under license.
  • * Visa Int./Licensed User.