Action:
Upon your arrival in Canada you must send the Arrival Form to the Global Admin Unit (GAU) so they can start the appropriate allowances. Failure to do this will mean you will not start receiving your LOA.
Info:
The Global Admin Unit must be informed once you have arrived in Canada. There is no independent way of checking this, therefore, the service person is responsible for informing them directly.
Action:
Submit a Foreign Service Member Application for Blue Cross Card form including details for family members to
Medical.Finance@forces.gc.ca. The latest form should be provided to you by your predecessor.
Once the card(s) arrive(s) visit www.medavie.bluecross.ca/myinfo and create an account via the ‘Let us help’ button.
The card will look like the one below:
Info:
UK personnel and dependants can report to the clinics and receive a Medavie Blue Cross card that enables health care coverage in the same way they would use an Ontario Health Insurance Provision (OHIP) card and the same way that CAF personnel access care outside of CAF facilities. If all else fails then you should pay for treatment up front, and then submit a claim via JPA. Please note that you may only make claims for treatment that would have normally been covered under the NHS.
Action:
Confirm that your predecessor has arranged an appointment with the local Department of Defence Authority to issue you with your CAF ID including a new service number. You must bring along sufficient identification documents (passport/drivers license), your visitor record/work permit and letter of introduction. The ID card you will be issued will look similar to the one below:
Info:
Your UK/MOD ID and service number will not be recognised by the CAF. As a foreign service member in Canada you will be issued with a CAF ID and service number that will be used to identify you for all CAF related business.
Action:
Confirm that your predecessor has initiated a request to issue you with CAF IT suitable for your role. If your work involves access to SECRET via the CSNI or BICES systems, then you will be required to provide your Security Clearance credentials before access is granted.
Info:
You will be required to work on CAF IT system (Defence Wide Area Network (DWAN) and potentially other systems. Expect to be issued with a laptop/tablet, mobile phone and a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) card. The PKI card enables your laptop to access wifi sources, create digital signatures for documents and to encrypt messages sent on DWAN. Note that whilst you can continue to use your MODnet laptop is not allowed in secure areas.
Action:
Procure a Canadian/US Sim or activate an e-sim to enable your phone to work in Canada.
Info:
Networks are Rogers, Telus, Freedom, Fido, Virgin, Koodo and others. Mobile phone contracts and data allowance are expensive by comparison to the UK. Watch for provincial and USA roaming charges and patchy coverage, choose for best price/coverage in your area or province. If in UK use a pay as you go UK sim card, not your Canadian mobile.
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