Driving is a big part of life in Canada. If you are planning to move to Vancouver or anywhere in British Columbia (B.C), you will need to learn about the process for getting your driver’s licence in British Columbia. The steps to complete will differ depending on your current driver’s licence status. Below we will outline the steps to get your driver’s licence in B.C.

You Have 90 Days to Switch to a B.C Driver’s Licence

The local licencing authority is called the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). Newcomers to the province are allowed to drive using a foreign licence for up to 90 days after arrival. This is referred to as the 90-day rule. After this point, you can only use a driving licence in Canada issued by British Columbia.

How to Apply for a B.C Driver’s Licence

New residents can apply for a licence at an ICBC licencing offer. For the appointment you will need to bring:

• Personal identification
• Your current driver’s licence
• Proof of previous driving experience (driving record)
• Funds to pay for licencing fees.

To get a B.C licence you will need to surrender your previous licence to ICBC. Experienced drivers from approved countries can exchange their foreign licence for a British Columbia equivalent right away.

Reciprocal Licence Exchange List

Licencing requirements are based on your current licence and the country it is from. ICBC has licence exchange agreements with the following countries:

• Austria
• Australia
• Belgium
• France
• Germany
• Guernsey
• Isle of Man
• Jersey
• Ireland
• Japan
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• South Korea (not motorcycles)
• Switzerland
• Taiwan (for passenger vehicles only, not motorcycles)
• United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
• United States.

If you hold a license from any of these countries, you will need to bring identification, (including a permanent resident card, or work/study permit). You will also need to surrender your existing licence and answer basic questions about road safety to get a British Columbia licence. 

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Related Posts: 

• Driving in Canada: 10 Essential Facts to Know
• Driving Test in Canada: A Full Guide
• What to Know About Living in Vancouver, British Columbia
• What to Know About Living in Prince George, British Columbia
• Settle in Canada with Confidence and Ease

What if I am Not from a Country on the Licence Exchange List?

If you have a licence from a country that is not on the list, you can still apply for a B.C driver’s licence. You will need to fill out an application and pass a knowledge test and road test.

• Complete the knowledge test: Book an appointment to complete your knowledge test. This is a multiple-choice quiz about road rules and road signs. You will need to get at least 40 out of 50 questions correct to pass. You can take the practice knowledge test online here.
• Take the class 5 road test: Once you pass the knowledge test you can make an appointment to complete your road test. If you pass the test, you will be issued a B.C driver’s licence.

You will have 90 days to complete the process.

Steps to Complete if You Have Less Than Two Years of Driving Experience

If you have less than two years of driving experience in your home country, you will have to take more steps to get a driver’s licence. 

Those with more than two years of driving experience will get a full, Class 5 licence right away as outlined above. People with less than two years of experience will receive a Class 7 novice licence and may then apply for a full Class 5 licence when they have accumulated two years of experience. Foreign experience will be credited towards the two-year total.

You will enter the graduated licencing program. This is also applicable to newcomers who do not have a driver’s licence and want to get a B.C licence. Here’s how it works:

• Get your learner’s licence – your L: you will need to pass the knowledge test and a vision test
• Get your novice licence – your N: You will need one year of driving experience with a qualified supervisor. You will need to pass the Class 7 road test.
• Get your full licence: Complete 2 years of safe driving with your Class 7 licence and pass the Class 5 road test.

What to Know About Driving in British Columbia

Now that you know how to get a driver’s licence, let’s briefly talk about what it is like to drive in British Columbia. Here are some must-know facts:

In B.C. all drivers must:

• Have car insurance to drive a car
• Wear a seatbelt when driving (including passengers)
• Install winter tires in the winter months
• Be aware of driving conditions that can change quickly – you will experience rain, snow, icy roads at different times of the year
• Watch for wildlife – wild animals often cross the roadways, especially on highways and in mountainous regions.
• Obey speed limits and other traffic signs
• Pay fees to drive on toll roads in the province
• It is illegal to use your cell phone while driving
• The legal blood alcohol level is 0.05 in BC.

Also, to ensure your safety, it’s illegal to use your cell phone while driving and the legal blood alcohol level is 0.05 in B.C. However, it’s best to avoid drinking and driving. 

For more information about living and working in Canada, check out our free webinars. We’ll help you to achieve success in Canada!

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Virtual fairs are fast becoming one of the most convenient ways to speak directly to who you need to, there’s no longer any need to wake up early, travel across the country, set up a booth and spend several days at the location.  Not only are virtual fairs a more convenient way to engage with people, they are much easier and more effective.  They also provide a much higher return on investment.

Prepare for Canada is launching a series of career fairs that give settlement and government agencies, education providers a platform to speak directly to newcomers to Canada, both before and after they arrive.

Learn more about how Virtual Fairs are changing the way people connect with companies like yours.

Virtual fairs are able to allow newcomers to find out the information you want to deliver to them in a clear and concise way and as each attendee is required to provide contact information before they can enter the virtual environment, you will have the ability to follow up with supplementary materials and details on your services.

Tips for hiring firms going virtual:

Make your booth stand out – The provider of the virtual fair will ask you for some creatives so that they can build out your virtual booth.  This will usually be your logo and some downloadable assets such as brochures or presentations.  You should also be able to work on a live webinar that can be shown to attendees at the time of the fair.

Get your best team ready – As the virtual fair is a great way to connect with newcomers to Canada before and after they arrive, you will want to make sure that you have your best people available to talk to them while they are at the fair.  This can make a huge difference to how effective you can be on a day to day basis.

Have a clear message – Just as you would at a traditional fair, you should make it clear what you and your company do and how you can help newcomers to Canada.

Give attendees something to remember you by – You will need to be able to offer those who come to your booth with something that they cannot get elsewhere.  This could be worksheets, ebooks, presentation documents or anything that they can take away with them and refer back to.

Acknowledge attention – Thank everyone who visits your booth

Have a plan to re-engage – After the fair is over you should have a plan in place to follow up with everyone that you spoke to at the fair.  This will allow you to make sure that you are getting the most you can out of your investment in attending the fair and also serve as a healthy reminder to attendees.

Online fairs also offer an unparalleled ability to communicate with those who attended the fair and visited your virtual booth.  The audience can be segmented and you can provide them each with the information that is pertinent to them.  Get in touch with a representative from Prepare For Canada to learn more about how the upcoming online fairs can help you achieve your goals.  

The way that newcomers to Canada find work has changed. Looking for ads in local newspapers and magazines have become a thing of the past. Now it seems that the best way to find out about the latest and greatest jobs is online.  Technologies such as online career fairs have helped to improve the ability for companies and recruiters to contact the right candidates.  

While online job boards have proven very successful, there has not been a way for companies that rely on in-person job fairs to replicate the experience online until now.

The standard format of career fairs has a major flaw when it comes to reaching out to immigrants to Canada during the pre-arrival stage.  Quite simply, they are not in the country to attend.  There is some great news though, Virtual fairs are able to bridge this gap and allow you to speak directly with future newcomers to Canada anywhere in the world.

The benefits to taking part in an online fair when hoping to speak with the pre-arrival immigrant community are great.

• No travel required

At a virtual or online fair, you will be able to speak directly with newcomers from the comfort of your own office.  Avoiding the need to get in a car and travel to the location of the fair.

• Recruit and inform worldwide

You will have the ability to communicate with newcomers from anywhere in the world as they prepare to leave their home country and get on a plane to Canada.

• Job seekers are already online doing their pre-arrival research

Online is where a great deal of the pre-arrival research is done by newcomers, this is because they don’t have access to traditional media in Canada.  For this reason, you can be sure that they are online and ready to learn about potential opportunities in Canada.

• No tables to set up

You don’t need to bring a lot of resources to an event, just log in from anywhere and speak to attendees.

• Save time, money, and resources

Your team will not need to give up multiple days of work to travel, setup and present at the event.  Online fairs streamline the whole process.

Prepare For Canada’s online fair series provides those that are committed to helping newcomers settle in Canada more benefits than a traditional fair at a fraction of the cost (no travel, accommodation, brochure expense, etc.)

Traditional shows involve investment in time and money in booth costs, preparation costs, travel and accommodation costs. Virtual fairs give you the targeted audience you want in a more cost effective manner.

Online fairs also offer an unparalleled ability to communicate with those who attended the fair and visited your virtual booth.  The audience can be segmented and you can provide them each with the information that is pertinent to them.  Get in touch with a representative from Prepare For Canada to learn more about how the upcoming online fairs can help you achieve your goals.  

Q.  I’m preparing to move from Pakistan to Winnipeg. I have lots of furniture, expensive jewellery and other possessions, and I am just wondering what I am allowed to bring with me? (more…)

Finding Childcare in Canada

Childcare is the responsibility of the parents. If both parents work and you don’t have grandparents or other family or friends to watch your children in your absence, you’ll have to find — and pay for — suitable childcare.

To help offset the costs, Canada offers the Universal Child Care Benefit, which provide financial assistance to all Canadian families with young children, regardless of where they live, their family circumstances or preferences. Parents receive $100 a month for each child under six years of age. This is in addition to being eligible for the Canada Child Tax Benefit.

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