Alberta Health Services IEN Information Centre

Gathering the required documentation can take time depending on your country and situation. We recommend looking ahead and preparing what you will need.

How to Prepare

We look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful province! Please review the following processes and resources before you come to Alberta.

Transitional Pathway

• We will connect with you to determine your pathway once your immigration is approved.
  1. Pathway 1: you are coming alone & staying in AHS accommodations for a total of 3 months.
  2. Pathway 2: you are bringing your family & securing your own accommodation

Important Information

• We strongly recommend you delay family arrival until you have:
  1. settled in your community,
  2. signed a family residential lease (not AHS housing),
  3. secured paychecks,
  4. budgeted expenses and
  5. have passed your NCLEX exam.
• Please do not initiate your own travel plans.
• The Community Integration team will assist in facilitating travel once you get a start date.
• All international travel must be booked through AHS to qualify for flight coverage.
• You will receive an electronic Welcome & Onboarding Package upon receiving a start date. This package includes common travel and accommodation questions.

Pre-Arrival

• Research banks in Canada and select a bank.
• Review Pre-Arrival Services: Prepare to live in Canada
• Learn about applying for your Social Insurance Number.
• Obtain an international SIM card or mobile plan for your mobile devices.
• Book your NCLEX exam.
• Begin studying for your NCLEX exam (if you haven't already written & passed).
• Make a detailed budget.
• Review information on taxes in Canada benefits, credits, and taxes for newcomers
• Use Google to research your community’s website for schools, amenities & events.
• Familiarize yourself with using Google Maps.

Items/Documents to Bring

• Travel and immigration documents
• Driver's abstract for the past 5 years (current within 90 days)
• Driver’s license (in English)
• Marriage certificate and birth certificates where applicable
• An international credit card that works in Canada
• Canadian currency (aim for a minimum of 1-2 months of expenses)
• Keep your receipts

Budgeting

• The cost of living in Alberta is very expensive. It is important you start saving your own money now to live in Canada.
• Many nurses also take out bank loans or borrow money from friends & family to help ease their financial transition.
• Resources for creating a budget:
  1. Budget planner
  2. Making a budget
  3. Newcomer Budget Calculator
  4. Canadian Budget Guide for Newcomers
  5. Canadian Guidelines for Budgeting
  6. Living in Alberta – Budgeting & Expenses
  7. Living in Alberta – Shopping for Groceries

Travel & Baggage

• AHS will arrange & book your travel to Alberta when on the individual pathway. Do not book independent travel as it will not be covered, unless approved by ACNO.
• Your travel will be booked between 10 days (at minimum) to one month before your start date.
• We will arrange your travel for you to arrive in Edmonton on the Thursday before your start date (i.e., if your start date/first day of centralized orientation is Monday March 31st, we will arrange for you to arrive in Edmonton on Thursday March 27th)
• AHS is unable to cover & transport more than 2 bags per IEN for travel within Alberta.
• Allowable baggage dimensions are: 23 kg (50 lbs.), L+W+H = 157 cm (62 inches)
• You will be responsible for organizing and paying for shipping extra bags (could cost ~ $800 CAD/bag). This may involve significant coordination on your part. Items purchased in Edmonton must fit in your suitcase.
• AHS is not responsible for lost bags.
• Regardless of airline baggage policy, you must follow the AHS requirements above or risk paying additional expenses.

When you arrive in Edmonton on your start date

1. Attend Centralized Orientation
2. Open a bank account
3. Apply for Social Insurance Number (This number is private. Do not share it with anyone.)
4. Apply for your Alberta Health Care card
5. Apply for Personal Identification Card ($30 upfront)
6. Start the process of obtaining an Alberta driver’s license – review the Driving in Alberta pathway and consult local registry.

Room Cleanliness (Centralized Orientation, AHS Housing)

• Cooking in your hotel room (during Centralized Orientation) is not permitted.
• Keep your hotel room tidy to avoid extra charges.
• Keep your AHS/community housing accommodation tidy to avoid extra charges.
• A good impression may lead to a good reference for future rentals.
• Leave the space in better condition than when you found it.

Accommodation

Centralized Orientation

• AHS provides one shared hotel room during their Centralized Orientation in Edmonton.
• Employees will share 1 room with another employee of the same gender (2 beds/room).
• If coming with family, employees must book their own hotel room at their own cost through our travel agent.

Pathway 1 – IEN Traveling Alone

AHS Housing during Transitional Employment Period (1st 3 months)

• AHS arranges 3 months of housing for IENs arriving in their matched community alone.
• AHS housing is a shared accommodation with other AHS employees.
• AHS housing is not for families.

*If attending extended orientation (1 month stay in Edmonton), AHS will cover your 1 month stay in Edmonton and you will enjoy 2 months of accommodations in your matched community.

Pathway 2 – IEN Bringing Family

Housing during Transitional Employment Period (1^st 3 months)

• AHS will not arrange any housing for IENs planning to bring family during the transitional employment period.
• IENs bringing their families to their matched community in the transitional employment period must sign a housing lease at least one month before your start date for verification purposes and to ensure you will qualify partial reimbursement support for your family accommodations. You must provide copy of your signed lease before booking your travel. Immigration Canada will ask for this address at the border.
• AHS will help reimburse a portion of this rent. Receipts are required. IENs must notify AHS if they sign their own lease.
• AHS strongly recommends IENs delay family arrival until they have settled and learned about their community in person, signed a residential lease, secured paychecks, and budgeted their expenses carefully.
• Family housing in Alberta can be expensive (upwards of $2000/month or higher).

Finding Permanent Housing

After Transitional Employment Period

• Please start looking for permanent housing as soon as you arrive in your community (or sooner).
• You will need to move out of AHS housing after the transitional period (2-3 months depending on if you are attending extended orientation) as it needed for other employees.
• All IENs must locate and sign their own lease for permanent housing. You will be responsible for costs associated with signing a lease (for example, security deposit, first month’s rent, etc.) but you can use a portion of your relocation support towards rent costs.
• Consider distance from the hospital when choosing housing, especially if you won’t have a driver’s license in Canada.
• Use Google Maps to search for walking/driving distance between home and work.
• To find and secure permanent housing, you can:
  1. Ask your co-workers,
  2. check your community Facebook page (where existing),
  3. look online and
  4. check with your community support contact (when available)

Living in Alberta: Driving

• Communities and amenities in rural Alberta can be very far apart. A car and driver’s license are often required to live and work in Alberta.
• All services and resources may not be available in every community. You may need to drive to other communities to access specialized medical care and items you can’t obtain at your local grocery store.
• In urban areas, while it’s possible to access public transportation, winters can get very cold with wind chills and walking to and from bus stops may not be recommended. Having access to a car and driving license may be ideal in this situation.
• Visit the driving pathway to learn more about getting a driving license in Alberta.

Bringing Family

We caution you to not bring your family until you have a thoughtful plan in place for their arrival. We recognize having your families present is an important part of your integration and comfort & hope they can join you as soon as you are ready for them in your communities.

The appropriate time to bring your family will be after:

• writing & passing your NCLEX
• securing your own long-term family housing
• receiving regular paychecks
• creating a budget for monthly expenses, including childcare, groceries and utilities
• you are well acquainted to your community and the weather
• you have a car & have arranged for car seats for young children
• you are ready to enroll school aged children in school
• your private lease is furnished & includes cribs/bassinets if required

Please note, when you bring your family, you will need to have a credit card to book your family's transportation and hotel within Alberta before they arrive.

Community Integration

• AHS will try to connect you to a community volunteer where available.
• You will also be a key partner in navigating your community integration journey.
• Check out your community’s website for events.
• Join a social media platform for your community.
• Research community clubs/organizations/churches that you are interested in joining.

AHS Financial Support

• Relocation Expenses for Overseas IENs
• AHS provides some relocation assistance. This is not enough for sustainable financial planning or to cover basic needs.
• We caution you against solely relying on this relocation assistance
• It is very important to have your own financial plan as outlined above in “Budgeting”