Canada has a number of immigration pathways to facilitate permanent residence in Canada for eligible foreign caregivers.

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NOTE:

• The Interim Pathway for Caregivers is no longer accepting applications.

• New Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots launched June 18, 2019, and replaced the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots.

 

Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP)

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Although the LCP is officially closed to new applicants, individuals can apply for permanent residence through the program if they have at least two years of work experience in the program and:

• They are already working in Canada with an LCP work permit; or

• They were approved for their first LCP work permit based on an employer's positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application submitted on or before November 30, 2014. 

 

Caring for Children (*terminated June 18, 2019)

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In order to qualify for Canadian Immigration under the Caring for Children program, caregivers must:

• Have a minimum of 24 months (within the past four years, or 48 months) of full-time work experience (at least 30 hours per week) in Canada as a home childcare provider, with a valid work permit;

  • Note: Applicants can have breaks in employment (for example, periods where you were not employed, sick leave, parental leave)

• Meet the description of a home childcare provider as defined by NOC 4411;

  • Applicants will need to show they performed the duties in the job description, including most of the main duties listed. 

• Have completed a one-year Canadian post-secondary credential, or equivalent foreign credential proven with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA); and

• Prove minimum language ability of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for one of Canada's two official languages, English or French.

Applicants must have cared for children under the age of 18, in their own home or in their employer’s home. Caregivers do not need to have lived in their employer’s home to be considered eligible. Foster parents are not eligible to apply under this program.

 

Caring for People with High Medical Needs (*terminated June 18, 2019)

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In order to qualify for Canadian Immigration under the Caring for People with High Medical Needs program, caregivers must have:

• A minimum of 24 months (within the past four years, or 48 months) of full-time work experience (at least 30 hours per week) in Canada as:

  • Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (3012)

  • Licensed practical nurses (3233)

  • Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates (3413)

  • Home support workers and related occupations (4412)

    • Housekeepers are not eligible under this occupation classification.

• Demonstrate a license to practice in Canada if work experience in Canada was as a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse (NOC 3012) or as a licensed practical nurse (NOC 3233);

• Have completed a one-year Canadian post-secondary credential, or equivalent foreign credential proven with an ECA; and

• Prove minimum language ability for one of Canada's two official languages, English or French.

  • NOC 3012 must demonstrate CLB 7

  • NOC 3233, 3413, OR 4412 must demonstrate CLB 5

Note: Applicants can have breaks in employment (for example, periods where you were not employed, sick leave, parental leave).

 

Interim Pathway for Caregivers (*no longer accepting applications)

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The Interim Pathway for Caregivers is for caregivers who:

• Are authorized to work in Canada on a work permit other than a Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) work permit (at the time of applying);

• Intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec;

• Have acquired at least one year of full-time Canadian work experience in an eligible caregiver occupation, since November 30, 2014;

  • Eligible caregiver occupation includes: Home child care provider — National Occupational Classification (NOC) Group 4411; and/or Home support worker — NOC Group 4412

• Have a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent foreign credential proven with an ECA; and

• Have a minimum proficiency in English or French equivalent to a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 for all four language abilities (reading, writing, speaking, and listening).

Candidates whose educational credential was obtained outside Canada and who cannot obtain an ECA before the Interim Pathway for Caregivers closes on June 4, 2019, are still eligible if they provide proof that they have applied to get an ECA. This proof includes written confirmation from an IRCC-approved agency that they have submitted a request for an ECA and/or receipt of payment.

There is no maximum number of applications that IRCC will accept through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers.

 

Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots (*effective June 18, 2019)

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The Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot replace the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots and provide eligible caregivers with a pathway to permanent residence once they’ve acquired two years of Canadian work experience.

Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4411 (excluding foster parents) will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot.

Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4412 (excluding housekeepers) will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Support Worker Pilot.

Both the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot will only provide work permits to caregivers who have a job offer in Canada and who meet the following criteria:

• Language tests result showing a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5;

• One year of Canadian post-secondary education or the foreign equivalent; and

• Admissible to Canada.

Caregivers already working in Canada on a work permit who meet these criteria can also apply for permanent residence through the new pilots.

Each program will accept a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants each, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants, per year.

The pilots also provide:

• Occupation-specific work permits for caregivers, providing the ability to change jobs quickly if necessary.

• Openwork permits for spouses/common-law partners and study permits for dependent children, to allow the caregiver’s family to accompany them to Canada.

Employers hiring a caregiver from overseas will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment. 

 

Canada Caregivers: Questions and Answers

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1. Which caregiver permanent residence pathways are currently open?

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Canada's Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot opened June 18, 2019, and replaced the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots.

Note: The Interim Pathway for Caregivers reopened for applications on July 8, 2019, for three months. 

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2. Can I apply for permanent residence under the closed Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP)?

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Caregivers with two years of work experience under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) may apply for permanent residence in Canada if they also are already working in Canada with an LCP work permit, or were approved for their first LCP work permit based on an LMIA on or before November 30, 2014.

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3.  Who can apply to the Interim Pathway for Caregivers?

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Caregivers who have at least one year of work experience in Canada as a home childcare provider (NOC 4411) or home support worker (NOC 4412) accumulated since November 30, 2014, may be able to apply for permanent residence through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers.

 

4. Can I apply to the Interim Pathway for Caregivers while outside Canada?

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It depends on your status at the time of applying. When applying for permanent residence through the Interim Pathway, individuals must:

• have a valid work permit, or

• have applied to extend their work permit and be waiting on a decision, or

• have applied to restore your status as a worker. 

It is important to note that IRCC will consider you ineligible for the Interim Pathway 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 LCP, or

• you are applying to extend your work permit or restore your status and your most recent work permit was under the LCP. 

 

5. Who is not eligible to apply to the Interim Pathway for Caregivers?

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Individuals are not eligible for the Interim Pathway for Caregivers if:

• Their application to extend their work permit is refused

• Their application to restore status as a worker is refused

• Their current work permit is in the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), or

• They are applying to extend their work permit or restore their status and their most recent work permit was under the LCP.

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6. How do the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots differ from the previous programs?

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Under the new pilots, IRCC will issue eligible caregivers’ occupation-specific work permits rather than an employer-specific work permit. This means caregivers will have the freedom to change employers if need be. Also, family members of caregivers working in Canada will be eligible for open work permits or study permits.

 

7. Can I apply to the caregiver programs with Quebec work experience and move to another province?

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Yes. You can use your work experience in Quebec to apply for permanent residence through one of the caregiver programs if you plan to live in a province other than Quebec. You may wish to include supporting documentation with your application to help prove that you plan to live elsewhere in Canada.

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