Newcomers get up to a $15,000* credit and no monthly account fee** with StartRight™.
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Simplify your banking with the Scotiabank StartRight® Program and get up to $2,200* in value the first year as a newcomer.
Learn more about banking with Scotiabank.
Having to build your credit history from scratch can be challenging and usually takes time and effort. The good news is, with Scotiabank’s new partnership with Nova Credit, eligible clients can now use their foreign credit history reports to apply for a higher credit limit on their credit card. You can learn more about this exciting partnership and all things related to credit here.
Building a solid financial foundation is one of the top priorities for newcomers to Canada, and having the right banking partner makes things far easier. The Scotiabank StartRight® Program is Ratehub’s 2025 winner for best newcomer banking offer due to its comprehensive offering.
Earn up to $2,200* in value the first year with the Scotiabank StartRight® Program designed for newcomers.
Choose the worry-free investment and get easy access to your money to help pay for living expenses while studying in Canada.
Planning to study in Canada? Book an appointment with a Scotiabank expert and set up an account specifically for international students.
Get up to a $15,000 credit on an unsecured credit card as soon as you arrive — even without a credit history.
Book an appointment to speak with a Scotiabank representative to discuss your banking options.
Book an online appointment here.
Get in touch with a Scotiabank representative at [email protected].
Speak with a Scotiabank representative over the phone.
For all inquiries:
Free: 1-866-800-5159
Monday to Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. EST, Friday: 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. EST, and Saturday: 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.
(Monday to Friday: 4 am to 9pm EST)
For the International Account opening program:
For the Scotiabank Student GIC program:
Contact your local phone operator to place a free collect call. Long distance charges will apply for direct calls.
Ready to get started? Be sure to schedule an appointment in advance to speak with a multilingual Scotiabank advisor at one of over 1,100 Scotiabank branches across Canada.
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Receive emails from Scotiabank. Moving2Canada’s trusted banking partner will provide you with the right tools, resources, and advice to guide you through your banking journey as you settle into your new life.
‡ Scotiabank StartRight® Program is available only for Canadian Permanent Residents from 0-5 years in Canada, International Students and Foreign Workers.
* Value of up to approximately $2,200 includes the following: i) up to $583.30 first year value with the StartRightTM Program + ii) Up to $2,083 in Preferred Package, a registered account and Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite welcome offer and first year point earn potential:
i) Value of up to $583.30 is an annual potential value for the first year based on the following benefits and savings available to StartRightTM clients as of August 1, 2025:
Actual value will depend on individual usage of the StartRightTM Program features and products. Conditions apply. All products and features are subject to change.
ii) Value of up to $2,083 in Scotiabank welcome offers and first year point earn potential includes the following offers as of August 1, 2025:
Actual offers and rewards earned will depend on individual card usage and eligibility for applicable offers. Conditions apply.
1 The Scotiabank Cash Bonus Bundle Offer Terms and Conditions
$500 Cash Bonus for Preferred or Ultimate Package Conditions
$100 Money Master Savings Account Bundle Conditions
$100 Registered Account Bundle Conditions
Offer Eligibility and Exclusions
Offer Fulfillment
General Terms
2 To qualify for the 1-Year No Monthly Account Fee Offer (the “Offer”), open a new Preferred Package account under the StartRight™ Program (the “Account”). During the first 12 months, your monthly Account fee will be waived and will not appear as a charge on your Account. The Account must be open and in good standing at the time of the waiver. All applicable service charges on the Account will continue to be applied monthly. After the first 12 months, you will begin to see the monthly Account fee charged to your Account unless you maintain a minimum daily closing balance of $4,000, in which case the monthly Account fee will be waived per the Account terms and conditions. Employees of Scotiabank and individuals who are currently or were previously holders/joint holders of a Scotiabank chequing account within the last 2 years are not eligible for this Offer. This Offer is non-transferable and cannot be combined with any other offers except as otherwise permitted. Maximum one Offer per customer. All rates, fees, features and benefits are subject to change. Offer may be changed, cancelled, or extended at any time without notice.
3 Savings and reward potential in first 12 months includes welcome offer value, first year point earn potential, foreign transaction fee and airport lounge savings as of April 9, 2025
$350 in travel rewards (35,000 bonus Scene+ points) for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients who spend $2,000 within the first 3 months
$100 in travel rewards (10,000 bonus Scene+ points) when you spend $40,000 annually on your Account each year (12-months).
$50 supplementary card annual fee waiver on the first supplementary card for new Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card clients.
$136 in foreign transaction fee savings based on average first year annual foreign spend per account (save the 2.5% foreign transaction fee markup typically charged by other card issuers);
$366 value with a complimentary Visa Airport Companion Program Membership that includes 6 lounge passes (based on a ‘Preferential’ membership valued at approx. CAD$366/USD$259). Currency conversion as at April 9, 2025.
Potential First Year Value = up to $1,383
Actual offers, savings and rewards earned will depend on individual card usage and eligibility for applicable offers. Conditions apply.
4 For customers onboarded as a part of the Scotiabank StartRight® Program we do not charge a service fee for the transfer, however, foreign currency exchange rates apply. A transfer needs to be made from an eligible Scotiabank Chequing or Savings account. Subject to daily limits and additional terms and conditions as set out in the Scotiabank International Money Transfer Agreement found at https://www.scotiabank.com/international-money-transfer.
5 Conditions apply. Offer valid for new Scotia iTRADE® accounts, excluding Cash Optimizer Investment accounts, opened by new Scotia iTRADE clients who do not already have an existing account with Scotia iTRADE. If you open one or more new Scotia iTRADE account(s) (each, a “New Account”) and fund the New Account(s) within 60 days of opening the New Account(s) with at least CAD $1,000 in cash or in Net Equity (cheque deposit, electronic funds transfer or transfer of assets) (“Minimum Amount”), from an account that is not held at Scotia iTRADE, (1) the commissions associated with the first 10 online commissionable trades of Equities, Options and ETFs placed within 365 days of the date when you funded your New Account(s) with the Minimum Amount will be credited back to the corresponding New Account within 30 days of each order fill, to a maximum amount of $9.99 per trade in the currency of the account (maximum total commission rebate of $99.90), (2) the amount of the transfer-in fee charged by another Canadian broker will be credited to your New Account (up to $150 per client) subject to Scotia iTRADE’s receipt of the documentation evidencing such transfer-in fee. Scotia iTRADE reserves the right to charge you all or part of the commissions associated with the first 10 online trades completed within 365 days of funding your New Account(s) (when such commissions were previously credited back to your New Account(s)) if the conditions of the offer are not complied with. Scotia iTRADE reserves the right to modify and/or cancel this offer at any time without notice in its sole discretion. Clients must enter the promotional code SRPE15 (English) or SRPF15 (French) when submitting the New Account application to qualify. To qualify for this offer, you must satisfy Scotia iTRADE’s Canadian residency requirements, have a valid Social Insurance Number, be eligible to open a Scotia iTRADE account, maintain all of your accounts at Scotia iTRADE in good standing, not be in a disallowed debit position and not have any outstanding margin calls due. This offer has no cash redemption value. This offer cannot be transferred or combined with any other promotional offer (excluding Refer-a-Friend). Limited to one offer per client. In case of joint account only one account holder will be entitled to receive free equity trades.
® Registered trademarks of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
™ Trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia.
™* Scene+ and the Icon Design are trademarks of Scene Plus IP Corporation. Used under license.
§ Interac is a registered trade-mark of Interac Corp. Used under licence.
** Visa Int./Licensed User.
® Scotia iTRADE® (Order-Execution Only Accounts) is a division of Scotia Capital Inc. (“SCI”). SCI is a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Scotia iTRADE does not provide investment advice or recommendations and investors are responsible for their own investment decisions.
® Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under license.
Newcomers can earn up to $2,200* in value the first year with the Scotiabank StartRight® Program.
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