MOVING HERE
Residents coming to the province will receive a travel allowance of up to $600 for one-way travel. Original receipts must be submitted with your claim – https://www.med.mun.ca/PGME/Current-Residents/Forms.aspx. Personal expenses only will be considered for reimbursement: airfare; or gas, meals, lodging and ferry; and/or shipping. Expenses incurred upon arrival in St. John’s are not eligible for reimbursement. Unfortunately current graduates of Memorial University’s Medical School are not eligible for reimbursement.
Although $600 is the maximum that can be claimed, it’s important to keep your receipts as additional costs may be deductible on your income tax.
How to get here
St. John’s International Airport provides daily connections between St. John’s and Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary. A year-round ferry service to Newfoundland is provided by Marine Atlantic from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port-aux-Basques. Driving time from Port-aux-Basques to St. John’s via the Trans Canada Highway is approximately nine hours. Due to COVID-19, Marine Atlantic will not operate the summer ferry service from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Argentia, Newfoundland.
Getting Your Driver’s License
If you plan on driving in Newfoundland and Labrador, you have 90 days to transfer your driver’s license and you are required to register your vehicle within 30 days of entry into the province. To do so, you must visit your local Motor Registration Office and provide your vehicle registration certificate and/or driver’s license from your previous jurisdiction. If your vehicle was previously registered outside of Canada, you must produce a Canada Customs Clearance. If you hold a valid driver’s license from outside Canada or the United States, you may be required to complete a written, vision and road test. Please visit Motor Registration for further information – https://www.gov.nl.ca/snl/drivers/ .
Prior to transferring your license, we suggest you copy your current license in the event it is destroyed by MRV. It may be helpful in getting car insurance and/or proof of your driving record.
Housing/Utilities
PARNL understands that finding accommodations during your residency may be challenging, particularly with low vacancy rates. While residents are ultimately responsible for finding their own accommodations, we will do our best to provide assistance if possible.
We are unable to visit or recommend any specific sites. Many accommodations are not able to accommodate pets so please confirm your landlord’s pet policy well in advance as well as the date when it will be ready for you to rent/lease.
Affordable rental units are available throughout St. John’s. Accommodations are advertised in local newspapers and listings are posted online by The Telegram and the City of St. John’s; on Kijiji as well as https://www.facebook.com/groups/PARNL or Off-Campus Housing Options & Resources | Internationalization Office | Memorial University of Newfoundland (mun.ca).
Communities on the Avalon Peninsula are serviced by https://www.newfoundlandpower.com/. Some rural sites are serviced by https://nlhydro.com/.
Cable/Phone/Internet
Bell Aliant – https://aliant.bell.ca/
Eastlink – https://www.eastlink.ca/mobile
Rogers – https://www.rogers.com/home?setProvince=NL
Finding a Family Physician
PARNL members are encouraged to have a family physician. The MUN Student Wellness and Counselling Centre is available to members and/or their families in the St. John’s area – https://www.mun.ca/studentwellness/index.php.
For a provincial listing, please visit – https://findadoctornl.ca/.
Provincial Health Insurance
In December 2022, the Province announced that MCP had made changes to its registration eligibility criteria for medical residents. A medical resident who plans to reside in Newfoundland and Labrador for a minimum of one year to complete the residency portion of their studies are now eligible to apply for MCP coverage. Medical residents without MCP coverage are strongly encouraged to check out the Department of Health and Community Services’ website using the following link Medical Care Plan (MCP) – Health and Community Services (gov.nl.ca) for the updated application form and details on how to register for coverage.
Completed applications can be mailed (address noted below) or dropped off at MCP’s Majors Path location using the 24-hour mail drop slot.
MCP, 45 Major’s Path
PO Box 8700
St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6