I lost about three weeks because I didn't realise one registration had to happen before everything else could. What's the sneaky appointment or step that people don't know is on the critical path?
Taking notes for Canada. Does anyone know if there's a similar hidden first step there, or is it mostly the social insurance number that everything else hangs on?
For us it was the social insurance number first, @Arjun Mehta, and then the provincial health card, and the health card took longer to come through than we expected, so we kept private cover going to bridge it. Book the SIN appointment for as soon as you land if you can. Check the current rules for your province though, they differ.
Reading this whole thread again a few weeks later, the pattern holds for every country mentioned: one registration quietly gates everything else. Still think it deserves a pin.