Program Minimum Requirements.
About the Program
Canada’s two new pilot programs for caregivers are officially accepting applications. Foreign caregivers coming to work in Canada will no longer have to leave close family members behind and will have a more straightforward pathway to Canadian permanent residence, thanks to the new programs: The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots.
The new pilot programs opened for applications on June 18, 2019, replacing the expiring Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots, which have been criticized for keeping some workers stuck in abusive workplaces and apart from their families abroad. The Liberal government, which was not in office when those pilots were introduced in 2014, labeled them “ineffective”.
The government states that it heard directly from caregivers and interested parties that the previous changes made in 2014 were not well understood. Many caregivers began working for families in Canada, only to find out later that they were not going to qualify for permanent residence under an existing program.
Caregivers will now only receive a work permit if they have a job offer in Canada and meet standard criteria for economic immigration programs. Once working in Canada, caregivers will be able to begin gaining the required two years of Canadian work experience to apply for permanent residence.
Through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot, caregivers will also benefit from:
occupation-specific work permits, rather than employer-specific, to allow for a fast change of employers when necessary;
open work permits and/or study permits for the caregivers’ immediate family, to help families come to Canada together; and
a clear transition from temporary to permanent status, to ensure that once caregivers have met the work experience requirement, they will be able to become permanent residents quickly.
These new pilots provide caregivers from abroad and their families with a clear, direct pathway to permanent residence.
Canada is caring for our caregivers. We made a commitment to improve the lives of caregivers and their families who come from around the world to care for our loved ones and with these new pilots, we are doing exactly that,” stated Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen, one of three senior government personnel tasked with announcing details of the new caregivers pilots in a blitz of media activity in Scarborough, Winnipeg, and Edmonton Saturday morning.
The Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs programs have expired as of June 18, 2019, and will no longer accept new applications. Caregivers who have applied before this date will continue to have their applications processed through to a final decision.
Caregivers who have been working toward applying to the soon-to-be-expired pilots can now apply through either the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or the Home Support Worker Pilot.
The Interim Pathway for Caregivers, the short-term pathway for caregivers who came to Canada as temporary foreign workers since 2014 but were unable to qualify for permanent residence through an existing program, will be extended. It will re-open on July 8, 2019 and accept applications for three months. See below for details.
The new pilots, Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker, will each have a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants per year, plus their immediate family.
Initial applications to the new pilots will have a 12-month processing service standard. A six-month processing standard will apply for finalizing an application after the caregiver submits proof that they have met the work experience requirement.
With the move to occupation-specific work permits under the Home Child Care and Home Support Worker pilots, employers will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment before hiring a caregiver from overseas.
The Interim Pathway for Caregivers, the short-term pathway for caregivers who came to Canada as temporary foreign workers since 2014 but were unable to qualify for permanent residence through an existing program, was first announced in February.
To address this issue, the Interim Pathway for Caregivers is providing caregivers an opportunity to stay in Canada permanently. Initially scheduled to run from March 4 to June 4, the Interim Pathway for Caregivers will now reopen on July 8, 2019 and accept applications for three months.
The interim program will have modified criteria compared to the current pilot programs and offer a pathway to permanent residence for caregivers who, in good faith, have come to Canada and are providing care to Canadians, without a clear pathway to permanent residence.
To be eligible to apply, applicant must have the required:
status in Canada
work experience
language levels
education
Applicants must also have acquired at least one year of full-time Canadian work experience in an eligible caregiver occupation (that is, National Occupational Classification [NOC] 4411 and NOC 4412 for occupations other than housekeeper) since November 30, 2014.
Applicants must also plan to live outside the province of Quebec.
When applying through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers, applicants must:
have a valid work permit, or
have applied to extend a work permit and be waiting on a decision, or
have applied to restore status as a worker
You aren’t eligible for the Interim Pathway for Caregivers if:
your application to extend your work permit is refused
your application to restore your status as a worker is refused
your current work permit is in the Live-in Caregiver Program
you’re applying to extend your work permit or restore your status and your most recent work permit was under the Live-in Caregiver Program.
About the Program
You can apply for permanent residence through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers if you:
Positive LMIA.
Signed contract with future employer.
Equivalent of Canadian secondary school education as a minimum.
6 months full-time related training in a classroom OR 1-year full-time paid work (6+ months continuous with same employer) in the past 3 years.
High enough level of English or French to communicate effectively in an unsupervised setting.
Validity of up to 51 months (only first WP).
May apply for bridge extension (2 months) while looking for a job between contracts.
May apply for new work permit if changing jobs (new LMIA a signed contract required).
All extensions must be requested at least 30 days before WP expiry date.
If outside Canada for 1 year or WP expires, will need to re-apply to return.
About the Program
You can apply for permanent residence through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers if you:
Have at least 1 year of work experience as a home child provider or a home support worker
Meet minimum language and education requirements
About the Program
You can apply through the Caring for Children class if you:
Have been working as a home child care provider in Canada for at least 2 years
Meet minimum language and education requirements
The Caring for Children Program is scheduled to end on November 29, 2019. To be eligible to apply, you’ll need to meet the requirements and submit your application before November 29, 2019.
About the Program
You can apply through the Caring for People with High Medical Needs class if you:
Have been working in Canada for at least 2 years as a:
Registered nurse
Licensed practical nurse
Nurse aide or orderly
Home support worker
Meet minimum language and education requirements
The Caring for People with High Medical Needs Program is scheduled to end on November 29, 2019. To be eligible to apply, you’ll need to meet the requirements and submit your application before November 29, 2019.