Q: I am moving from the States and was hoping to set something up online. I have a job offer and housing arranged, but I am waiting on my work permit to arrive. Is this something I can do from the States?
A: I think you'll have trouble setting up a bank account online. Banks like to know who they're dealing with and like to see some ID to open an account. Perhaps your bank can make an arrangement with a Canadian bank to transfer funds to be held for you, but you might have to wait until the Canadian bank sees your ID before you can access the money. As far as banks to deal with, my favourite for everyday banking is TD Canada Trust, because they are open longer than the others in most places. Other large banks to consider are Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank, CIBC(Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce), and there are other smaller ones. One difference between the US and Canadian banks is that ours are nationwide. If you have an account with a branch in Vancouver, you can go to a branch anywhere else in the country and as long as you have your ATM card (sometimes they'll ask for confirming ID but not usually), you can do most of your business as if you were at your home branch.