Every year, one lucky newcomer wins a life-changing prize to help them get started in Canada. In 2025, the total value was over $65,000! In this post, we’ll go over who’s eligible and how to increase your odds of winning the grand prize.
Eligibility ✅
You can enter this contest if you are a legal resident of Canada who meets all of these requirements. You must be a legal resident of Canada on or before October 31, 2026, and you must have reached the age of majority where you live, which is 18 or 19 depending on your province or territory.
To qualify as a newcomer to Canada, you must either hold or have held a student visa, work visa, permanent residence visa, business immigrant visa, or express entry visa at any time since November 15, 2020, or you must have become a legal Canadian resident for the first time after November 15, 2020.
Increasing Your Odds
1. Double the Entries with a CIBC Account
Double (yes, double!) every single entry you’ve earned so far — and all future entries — when you open a CIBC account.
Eligible CIBC Accounts include:
- CIBC Smart™ for Newcomers Bank Account
- CIBC Aventura Gold® Visa Card
- CIBC Aventura® Visa Card
- CIBC Dividend Platinum® Visa Card
- CIBC Dividend® Visa Card
Go online, visit a CIBC Banking Centre near you, or download the CIBC Mobile Banking® App. Obtain an eligible CIBC product or account, then visit the dashboard feed and add the “Double Your Entries” prize.
That’s it! Check your dashboard — your entries should now be doubled.
2. Complete Everything in Your Feed
We mean everything! Add the prizes, claim every offer, and visit every page. Not only will you rack up entries, but you might also find some other great offers. You can go to your feed right now by clicking here.
3. Refer a Friend (or a Lot of Friends)
Unlock bonus entries by referring eligible family and friends to enter Canada’s Luckiest Newcomer. Starting with 100 extra entries for a single referral! Access your unique referral link here.
4. Find Codes in the CNN Newsletter
Did you know there’s an extra entry code at the bottom of every CNN newsletter? If you haven’t been keeping up weekly, now’s the time to start. And don’t forget to dig through your inbox for past newsletters — every code counts. You can also find links to all our past newsletters on our social media.
5. Follow Us on Social Media
We’re always looking for the best deals for newcomers in Canada. Follow us for the latest offers and updates, as well as helpful articles, events, and winner announcements:
Once you’ve done everything on this list, there’s nothing left but to check your feed and emails often for new prizes, offers, and more chances to earn entries. Good luck!
*Opinions expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of Student Life Network or their partners.
