Landed on a working holiday? Here's the practical list — the things every new arrival in Montréal actually needs in week one, in roughly the order you'll need them. Nothing here is sponsored: where a link leads somewhere else, it's because it's genuinely the best place we know of, not because anyone pays us to say so.
You'll need a Canadian SIM or eSIM to receive verification codes for your bank, your SIN and pretty much everything else. Two solid, no-contract options popular with newcomers: Fizz — prepaid plans, no contract · Public Mobile — $0 eSIM, plans from $15/month
Most employers pay by direct deposit, so this comes before your first paycheque. Several banks run newcomer programmes with fee waivers for your first year — worth comparing before you walk into a branch: Scotiabank StartRight — newcomer programme · Desjardins — Québec's own co-operative bank (handy if you'd rather deal with a caisse in French)
You cannot legally be paid in Canada without a SIN — apply as soon as you land. It's free and usually takes a few business days online. Service Canada — apply for a SIN
An OPUS card ($6, reloadable) is your ticket for the Métro and buses — a monthly pass covers the whole island. For shorter hops, BIXI's bike-share docks sit outside most metro stations from April through November. STM — OPUS card · BIXI Montréal
Looking for a bed-for-shifts arrangement, or your next hostel job down the road? BunkMate is our own marketplace for hostel and hospitality work worldwide — built for exactly this: travellers who want to work where they stay. BunkMate — hostel jobs & work exchange
Francisation Québec bundles every free government French course into one registration — full-time, part-time, evenings, weekends, or fully online. Tuition is free, and anyone living in or moving to Québec can register. Francisation Québec — Gouvernement du Québec
Flashfood lists near-expiry groceries at up to 50% off inside participating stores across the city. For fresh produce at real prices, Montréal's public markets — Jean-Talon is the big one — beat the supermarket most weeks. Flashfood · Marché Jean-Talon
A note on these links: none of them are affiliate or sponsored links today — we don't earn anything from any of them, aside from BunkMate, which we run ourselves. If that ever changes, we'll say so here, not bury it.