Resources

The official sources first — always. Then the services most SA families end up using. Some service links may become affiliate links in future (they never change what you pay, and we only list what we'd use ourselves).

Official — start here

IRCC (canada.ca)

The only source of truth for programs, fees, forms and processing times.

canada.ca →

College of Immigration & Citizenship Consultants

The official register — verify any consultant's licence before paying anyone for immigration advice.

college-ic.ca →

SAPS Criminal Record Centre

Police clearance certificates — start early, they gate your timeline.

saps.gov.za →

DHA (Home Affairs)

Unabridged birth and marriage certificates, passports.

dha.gov.za →

SARS

Tax compliance status for moving funds abroad.

sars.gov.za →

SARB

Current rules on taking money out of South Africa.

resbank.co.za →

Credentials & language

WES Canada

The most commonly used Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) provider.

wes.org/ca →

IELTS

General Training for most immigration streams — test centres in major SA cities.

ielts.org →

CELPIP

Canada's own English test — check current availability for South Africa.

celpip.ca →

Money & moving

Cross-border money transfer

Compare specialist forex providers against your bank's rates — the spread difference on a household's savings is real money.

International movers

Get at least three quotes for container shipping vs selling up and starting fresh — our cost guide covers the trade-off.

Cost guide →

Canadian newcomer banking

Most big Canadian banks have newcomer packages you can research before you land — see the first-90-days guide.

First 90 days →