Apply For A Social Insurance Number

To apply for a Social Insurance Number in Canada you must first complete the required application form, which you can obtain from your local Human Resources Centre of Canada office. If no such office exists near you, or for more convenience, you can also download and print the forms yourself from the Human Resources and Social Development Canada website. You will be required to provide the requisite primary identification documents. These documents are meant to prove your real identity and legal status in Canada. Don’t forget that in order for the documents to processed properly, they must be original and completed in either English or French only.

Temporary residents of Canada are issued Social Insurance Numbers that begin with the number 9. Some examples of those that receive this SIN are those people using work visas, or those who are not permanent residents of Canada. These specially issued Social Insurance Numbers contain an expiry date that normally coincides with the work holder’s expiration of work permits.

In 2002, the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities discovered that for people over 20 years of age, the number of usable SINs exceeded the total related census figure by nearly 5 million. The Human Resources Department has declared over 2.6 million of those Social Insurance Numbers dormant, though these dormant SINs could be used to access some federal benefit programs.