This article focuses on a not-so-common way you can relocate to Canada as a caregiver. Caregivers who want to immigrate to Canada have two options.
There are currently two immigration programmes in operation that are solely for caregivers. As a result of the Interim Pathway for Caregivers’ closure, these two projects were launched in 2019.
Canada has two experimental carer immigration programmes.
- Home Child Care Provider
- Home Support Worker
Applications are being accepted for Canada’s two pilot programmes for caregivers.
The pilot programs for Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker will make it easier for foreign caregivers to get permanent residence in Canada and eliminate the need for them to uproot their immediate families.
When applications for the pilot programmes opened in 2019, they replaced the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs trial programmes, which had since expired and had been criticized for keeping some workers in harsh workplaces and apart from their families abroad.
The processing dates for the two new caregiver pathways have been pushed back. Nevertheless, in 2023, the government presented a new plan to deal with at least 6,000 caregiver applications by the end of the year.
According to the government, previous improvements made in 2014 were not fully recognized. This is because it got direct feedback from caregivers and interested parties.
Several caregivers began assisting families in Canada. However, they discover that they would not be eligible for permanent residence through an existing programme.
Caregivers must have a job offer in Canada. Also, they must meet other standards in order to be eligible for economic immigration programs. They will only be issued a work permit after that. Once hired, caregivers can begin earning the two years of Canadian work experience required to apply for permanent residence.
What caregivers will benefit from the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot
To encourage families to immigrate to Canada together, open work permits and/or study permits for the caregivers’ immediate family; work permits that are occupation-specific rather than employer-specific; and ensure a clear transition from temporary to permanent status to ensure that once caregivers have satisfied the work experience requirement, they will be able to become permanent residents quickly.
These new pilot programmes provide overseas caregivers and their families with a clear, direct path to permanent residence.
Canada takes excellent care of its caregivers. Former Canadian Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, one of three senior government officials entrusted with revealing the parameters of the new caregiver pilots in a frenzy of media activity in Scarborough, Winnipeg, and Edmonton, said:
“We made a pledge to better the lives of caregivers and their families who travel from all over the world to care for our loved ones, and these new pilots are helping us to accomplish just that.”
Related:
- Untold Guide to Obtaining a Canadian Work Visa
- New Canada Work Visa Application Process That WorksÂ
- Unskilled Jobs in Canada with Visa Sponsorship
- Permanent Residency in Canada, How to Apply
Updated Information on Canadian Caregivers
[a] As of June 18, 2019, the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs programmes are no longer accepting new applications. Applications received prior to this date will be processed until a decision is reached.
[b] Caregivers who were planning to apply to the soon-to-expire pilot programmes can now do so via the Home Support Worker Pilot or the Home Child Care Provider Pilot.
[c] The Interim Route for Caregivers closed to new candidates on October 8, 2019. This was a temporary pathway for caregivers who entered Canada as temporary foreign workers after 2014. However, we were unable to obtain permanent residency under an existing programme.
[d] Each of the two new pilot programs will accept a maximum of 2,750 candidates every year. That is, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants and their immediate families.
[e] As is normal, initial submissions for the new pilots will be reviewed within a 12-month period. If the caregiver produces evidence that they have met the job experience condition, there will be a six-month processing time for the application to be finalized.
[f] Businesses will no longer need to conduct a Labour Market Impact Assessment before hiring an international caregiver, thanks to the transition to occupation-specific work permits under the Home Child Care and Home Support Worker pilot programmes.
Go here to learn more about these changes affecting caregiver immigration to Canada.