Credit cards for newcomers to Canada in 2026: what you can get with no credit history

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If you have just arrived in Canada with no Canadian credit history, you can realistically get a credit card within your first weeks here — usually through a bank's newcomer program or a secured card that you back with a refundable deposit. What you cannot get is instant "good credit"; that takes months of on-time payments. This guide explains the categories, the eligibility rules that differ for permanent residents, workers and students, and the process to build a score from zero.

A note before we start: card terms, fees and offers change often, and several offers below carry promotional end dates. Treat this article as a map of the categories and the process — not a live rate sheet. Always confirm current details on the issuer's own website before you apply.

Your credit history does not cross the border. Canada has two credit bureaus — Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada — and neither receives your file from your home country. Even someone who held an excellent rating abroad lands in Canada with no file at all, which the bureaus call a "thin" or "no-hit" file.

There is one narrow, verified exception. Scotiabank has partnered with Nova Credit, a service whose Credit Passport lets newcomers from select countries share their home-country credit history digitally. Per Nova Credit's August 2025 announcement, Scotiabank was the first Canadian bank to partner with Nova Credit in 2023, and in August 2025 became the first to embed this capability directly into its digital credit card application. Importantly, this does not create a Canadian score — it is used to support a higher credit limit on a Scotiabank card, not to skip building Canadian history.

The eligible countries, per Scotiabank's StartRight pages (last updated February 26, 2026), are Australia, Austria, Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Ukraine, and are subject to change without notice. Per Scotiabank, this service is available to clients who have been in Canada for less than five years and are from an eligible country.

A newcomer program is a bank offering that waives the usual requirement for Canadian credit history. These are typically unsecured cards — you don't put down a deposit — and they are bundled with a newcomer chequing account. Approval is never automatic; the bank still assesses your income, status and identity.

To apply, you will generally need a Social Insurance Number (SIN), your immigration document (PR card, Confirmation of Permanent Residence, work permit or study permit), government photo ID, and a Canadian address. Some banks let you start online before you arrive and finish at a branch.

One consumer-protection point worth knowing: the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) requires federally regulated banks to open a basic personal bank account for anyone who provides acceptable ID, regardless of employment or credit history. In November 2025, FCAC also confirmed that more groups are eligible for accounts costing $0 per month, including newcomers to Canada in their first year, under its Commitment on Low-Cost and No-Cost Accounts. A newcomer promotional package is a commercial product layered on top of that right — useful, but not the same thing as your legal entitlement to a basic account.

Here are the major programs verified against each bank's own pages in 2026. Fees and limits are the banks' published figures; confirm them before applying.

Scotiabank StartRight

Open to Canadian permanent residents who have been in Canada zero to five years, international students, and foreign workers, per Scotiabank. A Canadian credit history is not required to be eligible. Per Scotiabank's program disclosures, the credit limit assigned can be up to $5,000 for permanent residents and foreign workers and up to $1,000 for international students, based on Scotiabank's criteria. The Scene+ Visa carries a $0 annual fee with a 21.99% purchase interest rate (22.99% on cash advances), per Scotiabank's card page as of 2026. Eligible clients from Nova Credit countries who have been in Canada less than two years can request a higher limit — up to twice the current limit, per Scotiabank — using their home-country history.

RBC Newcomer Advantage

Per RBC's newcomer pages, an RBC credit card with no credit history required is available to newcomers who are permanent residents or international students who arrived within the last 12 months, or temporary resident workers who arrived within the last 48 months, subject to RBC's eligibility and credit criteria. The RBC Cash Back Mastercard is offered with no annual fee, and RBC states a credit limit of up to $15,000 based on income.

TD New to Canada Banking Package

TD offers newcomers unsecured cards such as the TD Cash Back Visa ($0 annual fee, 21.99% purchase interest, 22.99% cash advances, per TD as of 2026). Per TD's newcomer pages, you could be approved for a limit up to $15,000 with no credit history required; TD also notes that a secured TD card can offer higher limits, and that an unsecured TD card may be available with a limit up to $1,000 for those with no credit history. TD states that lack of Canadian credit history is only available to customers who have been permanent residents in Canada less than five years.

CIBC Welcome to Canada

CIBC's newcomer banking bundle includes credit cards for newcomers alongside the CIBC Smart Account for Newcomers, which per CIBC is offered to those with landed immigrant status, a Canadian Permanent Resident Card, or Confirmation of Permanent Residency (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688) issued within the past five years.

BMO NewStart

Per BMO, the program serves permanent residents, foreign workers and international students, and lets eligible newcomers get a card such as the BMO CashBack Mastercard ($0 annual fee) without a credit check. BMO advertises up to two years of no monthly account fees on the bundled chequing account for newcomers.

National Bank

National Bank's newcomer offer is open to people who plan to move to Canada within 90 days or have been living in Canada for five years or less, per National Bank, and includes a National Bank Mastercard for those with no credit history, plus a chequing account with no monthly fees for up to three years.

The pattern across all six: permanent residents get the widest access; work-permit holders are generally eligible (RBC gives them a longer 48-month arrival window versus 12 months for PRs and students); and international students are eligible but often with lower starting limits. Study-permit holders may need to apply in person at a branch rather than online — Scotiabank, for example, directs international students to book an in-person appointment to apply.

A secured card requires a refundable security deposit that usually becomes your credit limit. It is a genuine credit card that reports to the bureaus, and it is the working route if you are declined for an unsecured newcomer card, are on a status the bank programs exclude, or want the most predictable path. Your deposit is returned when you close the account in good standing.

Home Trust Secured Visa

Per Home Trust's official card page, the deposit ranges from $500 to $10,000 and sets your credit limit. Home Trust's page states that "cardholders can choose between no annual fee and 19.99% interest or an annual fee of $59 and 14.90% interest." Home Trust reports to Equifax and TransUnion every month and charges a 2% foreign-exchange fee. Note: per Home Trust, this card is not available in Quebec.

Neo Secured Credit (Secured Neo Mastercard)

Per Neo Financial, the minimum security deposit is $50 (up to a maximum of $10,000), and Neo reports to both TransUnion and Equifax. On fees, the current picture per Forbes Advisor Canada and Neo's materials is a $0 annual fee but a $7.99 monthly membership fee to access the credit-building features, which can be waived if you hold at least $5,000 in a Neo chequing account (or are also approved for Neo's World Elite Mastercard). Confirm the current fee on Neo's own site before applying, as fee structures here have changed over time.

Capital One Guaranteed Secured Mastercard

This card remains open to new applicants in 2026 and is available to permanent or temporary residents of Canada. Per Capital One, the annual fee is $0 and the purchase interest rate is 29.9% (21.9% for Quebec residents), applied to purchases, balance transfers and cash advances. Per Finder Canada, the minimum security deposit is $75 and the deposit acts as your credit limit up to a maximum of $2,500; confirm the deposit figure directly with Capital One at application. (Older third-party sources cite a $59 annual fee; that appears outdated against Capital One's current $0 figure.)

You will see products marketed to newcomers that help build credit but are not credit cards. It is worth understanding the difference so you know what you are signing up for.

KOHO Credit Building pairs a reloadable prepaid Mastercard — where you spend money you have already loaded, so there is no borrowing — with a separate credit-building feature. Per KOHO, its Credit Building tool works as a line of credit and reports on-time payments to Equifax. It is a credit-building service, not a revolving credit card.

Borrowell Credit Builder is an installment loan designed purely to add a tradeline to your file; per Borrowell, payment history is reported to Equifax. Again, this is not a credit card.

The practical distinction: a credit card gives you revolving credit and, for newcomers, the most widely recognized type of tradeline. Credit-builder products can add positive history, but several report to only one bureau (Equifax in KOHO's and Borrowell's case), and their effect depends on the scoring model a given lender uses. They are a supplement, not a substitute, for a card.

When you open your first card, the issuer starts reporting your activity, but a score does not appear immediately. Julie Kuzmic, Head of Consumer Advocacy and Compliance at Equifax Canada, has said that "within about 3 to 6 months of starting to use a credit account which is being reported to a credit bureau, we would typically expect to" generate a score. Treat "roughly six months" as the realistic milestone for a first score, and 12 to 24 months of consistent payments for reaching solidly "good" territory (in Canada, Equifax considers a score between 660 and 900 to be good).

What matters most early on is payment history — pay on time, every time — followed by credit utilization, the share of your limit you use. Per FCAC's guidance on improving your credit score, you should "try to use less than 30% of your total credit limit," because low credit use shows lenders you don't rely too heavily on borrowed money.

Two practical mechanics: checking your own score is a "soft inquiry" and does not hurt it, while each card application is a "hard inquiry" that can. And because different lenders report to different bureaus, your Equifax and TransUnion scores can differ, and one may become scorable before the other.

The most common errors are avoidable:

• Applying for several cards at once. Multiple applications in a short window create multiple hard inquiries and can look risky. Start with one product — often the newcomer bank package that comes with your account.
• Paying only the minimum. Federally regulated issuers must show on your statement how long it takes to clear the balance at the minimum payment; that number is sobering. (In Quebec, the minimum payment rose to 5% as of August 1, 2025, per FCAC.) Pay in full to avoid interest, which on common newcomer cards runs at 21.99% (for example, the Scotiabank Scene+ Visa and TD Cash Back Visa) and reaches 29.9% on the Capital One Guaranteed Secured Mastercard outside Quebec.
• Maxing out the limit. High utilization drags your score even if you pay on time. On a small first limit, a single large purchase can push you well over the 30% mark FCAC suggests staying under.
• Closing your first card too early. Length of credit history helps your score. Keeping your first card open and active preserves that history.

There is no single right card — the right one depends on your status, income and how quickly you can put down a deposit. Use this framework instead of a ranking:

1. Check your status against the program windows. Permanent residents have the widest access. Work-permit holders should look for programs with longer arrival windows (RBC allows 48 months for temporary workers). Students should expect lower starting limits and may need to apply in branch.
2. Try an unsecured newcomer card first if you qualify. No deposit is required, and the card reports like any other.
3. Use a secured card if you are declined, are on a temporary status that the programs exclude, or want certainty. Your deposit sets your limit and comes back when you close in good standing.
4. Compare the fee, the interest rate and the foreign-exchange fee in each card's disclosure box. Per FCAC's rules, banks must present these key features in a single, prominently displayed information box at the beginning of the application.
5. Decide whether your home country is on the Nova Credit list if a higher starting limit matters to you.

For an independent, no-sales comparison, FCAC runs a free Credit Card Comparison Tool (at itools-ioutils.fcac-acfc.gc.ca) that lets you "compare features for different credit cards, including interest rates, annual fees and rewards." Your other reliable next steps are to talk to the bank directly and to read the issuer's own current disclosures.

The honest path for a newcomer is unglamorous but reliable: open a newcomer bank account, get one newcomer or secured card, use it for small purchases, pay it in full every month, and let six to twelve months of history do the work. Avoid multiple applications, keep utilization below the 30% FCAC suggests, and keep that first card open.

Terms change frequently, so confirm every fee and rule on the issuer's own site before you apply. This article teaches the categories and the process, not live offers.

TopRates.ca is educational. We don't sell credit cards or earn commissions from the banks mentioned here.