Caregivers Program

The Caregiver program is for individuals who want to migrate and work in Canada as caregivers.

THE NEW CAREGIVER PILOT PROGRAM

The Caregiver program is for individuals who want to migrate and work in Canada as caregivers.

On June 18, 2020 the new caregiver immigration pilot program was launched. This program replaced all expired or expiring caregiver programs. The new caregiver pilot program has more flexibility for the prospective applicants. It has a total quota of 5,500 applications every year under both caregiver pilots programs. The Home Child Care Provider Pilot (CHCP) (2,750) and the Home Support Worker Pilot (HSWP) (2750).

The Home Child Care Program

This program which starts in June 18, 2020 is a five-year pilot program that allows caregivers to migrate to Canada along with their family members. This program will allow caregivers to eventually become permanent residents of Canada. For applicants to be eligible for the Home Child Care Program they must have a valid job offer as Caregivers. They must have qualifying work experience according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC). They must also have at least a one year of full-time experience as Home Child Care Provider.

Home Support Workers Program

Together with the Home Child Care Program which was launched in June 18, 2020, this program is for health care professionals who have experience in providing care for senior citizens, people with disabilities, and people with illness or undergoing medical treatment.

Features Of The New Caregiver Programs

The new caregiver pilot program is no longer employer-specific although it is still employer-driven; meaning caregivers still need Canadian employers to hire them but now employers are not required to undergo the LMIA process to hire a caregiver.
The new caregiver pilot program is now regarded as occupation-specific, meaning caregivers are not bound to work for that specific employer or location once they receive their work permits and are free to work for any or as many employers or locations as they want or able to find but with the same National Occupation Classification Code.

The new caregiver program, allows the whole family like spouses and children can come to Canada together with the principal applicant even at the work permit stage and later can be part of the application for the permanent residence; whilst living in Canada.

Eligibility Requirements For The New Caregiver Pilot Program:

To qualify for the new pilot program the caregiver must;

Have a valid full-time job offer from a qualified Canadian employer.
Have a valid one-year verifiable job experience in the same discipline under which they are applying for. i.e. under HCCP or HSWP.
Have language test results with a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of at least 5 in English or French.
Have at least one year of Canadian post-secondary education or the equivalent in foreign education.
Be admissible to Canada.

How The New Caregiver Application Process Works

Under the new caregiver program, the caregivers will be assessed for their permanent residence applications before they will be able to get the work permit to work with their Canadian employers as Home Child Care Provider or as Home Support Worker. Caregivers will receive the decision on their work permit applications in around 10-12 months while their PR applications will be held until they complete their 2 years of work experience with the Canadian employer(s). The caregiver who is already in Canada on old live-in Caregiver or Home Caregiver programs can also apply to convert into this new program or either they can file for the permanent residence application provided they meet the PR requirements of the new caregiver program.

The new caregiver program has 2 simultaneous applications at the same time:

Application for work permit of caregiver and if applicable dependent spouse open work permit and study permit(s) or visitor visa(s) of dependent children (if applicable)
Permanent Residence application for the whole family.

Eligibility Criteria For New Caregiver Pilot Program

To qualify for a work permit and for permanent residence under Home Child Care Provider (HCCP) or Home Support Worker Pilot (HSWP) the following conditions needed to be met:

The applicant should have a valid full-time job offer from a Canadian employer (a private home where the care will be provided to child or children or high medical needs patent(s).
Applicants should have a valid one-year verifiable experience in the same discipline under which they are applying i.e. under HCCP or HSWP.
Have language test results with a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 in English/French.
The applicant has one year of Canadian post-secondary education or has an equivalent foreign education.
The applicant is admissible to Canada.

Furthermore following conditions should also be met for the processing of their PR application:

Should be admissible on both medical and security or background checks and meet a certain set of eligibility requirements.
Should have gained 2 years of Canadian work experience with Canadian employer on a valid work permit, in the same discipline as was their original work permit.