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New to Canada? Your Guide to Integrating Smoothly in 2025

May 15, 2025
2:15 am

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Last Updated On 15 May 2025, 1:24 AM EDT (Toronto Time)

Being new to Canada can be overwhelming, and even more overwhelming is figuring out how to fit in.

We’ve made this guide as straightforward as possible, with concrete and easy tips to help you on your way to integrating.

We won’t be focusing on the technicalities like your social security number, but rather on what you can do to start to feel that Canada is your new home.

Here goes: 6 tips for integrating in Canada in 2025.

New to Canada? Your Guide to Integrating Smoothly in 2025

The momentum of moving to a new country can often be used to propel you forward in your personal life and expand your circle of both social connections and hobbies.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to try bouldering, and are now finding that there’s a venue super close to your new home.

Try it out before you have time to settle into daily life! Or maybe you’ve always wanted to be someone who goes to the theater.

Start going right now, within the first week, whenever you can – even if you’ve got a lot going on.

Being actively involved in hobbies is one of the very best ways of meeting new people. Besides, when you’re trying something new, you’ll likely be in a more open mind state that makes new connections come more naturally.

Despite what we said in the previous point, it’s important not to change everything when you move to a new place. That can easily lead to an identity crisis – something you really don’t need when trying to navigate a new country.

It’s not just about new hobbies, either. It’s also important to maintain old hobbies to keep a sense of normalcy as you’re going through this big change in your life.

Still, you’ll want to get to know the local people’s way of doing things, from which Canadian poker sites have the highest traffic to the most popular board games in your city, if that’s your thing.

While you are starting afresh, it’s important not to abandon what you know you love amid all the newness. There will be plenty of time for reinvention without cutting all your previous connections to your past self.

An important part of becoming part of a community is investing in it. If you’re actively contributing to the community, you’re going to become a part of it, on top of the chance to meet like-minded people while you’re at it.

Even if you never have before, try out volunteering – whether it’s animal care, feeding the homeless community or something else your heart burns for.

If you’re studying or getting a job locally, all the better. Work and studies are some of the most natural ways of meeting people that you’re also likely to have quite a lot in common with.

Taking language classes can be a fantastic way to connect with others while learning something useful. This is especially true for those working from home, who might not otherwise meet a specific crowd of people again and again.

While a lot of the people attending class are likely to be expats like you, you might also run into some locals interested in learning the official languages they aren’t native in.

If English is your native language or you’ve simply got it mastered, why not brush up on your French?

Since French is the mother tongue of 22 percent of the Canadian population, speaking this language will significantly improve your interactions with the local population, especially if you live in or near Quebec.

If you want to learn to fit in, you might be hesitant to try expat groups – after all, won’t that just make you identify yourself with the outsiders?

While it’s important not to just keep to people with a similar background as you, there’s nothing wrong with connecting with others going through similar challenges as you.

There’s a lot to talk about, and you can share tips that have helped you integrate.

You will likely find that hosts of such events are expats who have lived in Canada for many years or even decades, making them great at introducing you to everything you need to know to start feeling at home.

6. Read a Book About the Culture

Not quite ready to meet strangers yet? One good way for introverts to learn about Canadian culture is to pick up a book on the topic.

Sure, it’s a rather indirect way of getting to know Canadians – but isn’t that a bit Canadian in itself? By reading a book, you can dip a toe in the water if you don’t know where to begin.

There are several funny books to consider, including How to Be a Canadian by Will Ferguson and The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Canadians by Vaughn Roste and Peter W. Wilson.

Even if you’re not interested in reading about culture, just checking out the local literature and the most popular movies in Canada will give you important insight into the culture and something interesting to talk about with the people you meet.

While Canadians might not be as straightforwardly friendly towards strangers as Americans, most are happy to share a moment with people when they do get the chance.

So, don’t overthink it. Bake cookies for your neighbors, check out a local pub, or chat with the café owner around the corner.

Go to the library in your city, and ask someone for a book recommendation. The only way to make authentic connections is to actually get out there!