Caregiver Programs

Caregiver Programs

Canada values the essential role of carers. These are the people who help our children, seniors, and anyone in need. As a result, Canada oversees a number of programmes to aid carers in finding job and attaining permanent residency.

Interim Pathway for Caregivers

The Interim Pathway for Caregivers is a short-term initiative that will last from March 4th to June 4th, 2019. Foreign carers who have worked in Canada will be entitled to seek for permanent residency. Individuals with Canadian work experience as home child care providers or home support workers are eligible to apply for permanent resident status under the programme.

Home Child Care Provider Pilot

The Home Child Care Provider Pilot is intended to bring employees with expertise as Home Child Care Providers (NOC 4411) to Canada on temporary work permits, with the option of applying for permanent residency once they have gained sufficient work experience. The application period for this programme begins on June 18th, 2019, with a maximum of 2,750 individuals and their immediate families admitted each year.

Interim Pathway for Caregivers

The Interim Pathway for Caregivers is a short-term initiative that will last from March 4th to June 4th, 2019. Foreign carers who have worked in Canada will be entitled to seek for permanent residency.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for the Interim Pathway for Caregivers, a person must meet a number of eligibility criteria, with a specific requirement to have work experience in Canada as a home child care provider (NOC 4411) or home support worker (NOC 4412). Please refer below for the specific eligibility criteria.

Status in Canada

You must have a valid work permit in Canada, or you must have applied to extend your work permit and are awaiting a decision, or you must have applied to restore your worker status.
If your application to extend your work permit or restore your status is denied, you are ineligible. You are also ineligible for this option if your work visa was obtained through the Live-in Caregiver Program.

Work Experience

You must have completed at least 12 months of full-time work in Canada since November 30th, 2014. This job experience must have been gained in one of the following occupations (or a combination of both):

• 1. Home child care provider (NOC 4411)
• 2. Home support worker (NOC 4412)

Employment breaks are permitted; they do not have to be continuous. Work experience earned while the worker was a full-time student does not qualify.

Language Proficiency

All applicants must be fluent in either English or French. Applicants must present results from an official language test performed within the last two years that demonstrate CLB Level 5 proficiency.

Education

You must have a diploma comparable to a Canadian high school diploma. If the credential was earned outside of Canada, the candidate will be required to complete an Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA).

Home Child Care Provider Pilot

The Home Child Care Provider Pilot is one of two carer pilots that began in June of this year. This path is intended for foreign nationals who have worked in NOC 4411.

Other options for caregivers

The government is also launching the Home Support Worker Pilot in addition to the Home Child Care Support Pilot. These two pilots are likely to be similar, with the Home Support Worker focusing on those having NOC 4412 experience rather than NOC 4411.

Eligibility Criteria

Interested candidates must meet the prerequisites specified below.

• Job Offer At the time of application for a work permit, eligible individuals will have a job offer in Canada.
• Work Experience Caregivers with a work visa will be able to gain the two years of required work experience in order to seek for permanent residency in Canada.
• Language Prerequisites Candidates that meet the Canadian Language Benchmark level 5 will be considered.

Home Support Worker Pilot

The Home Support Worker Pilot is one of two career pilots that began in June of this year. This path is intended for foreign nationals who have worked in NOC 4412.

What does the Pilot offer?

The new initiatives address two major shortcomings of the prior carer pilot projects:

• 1. The ability for carers to change jobs: In the past, carer programmes have been criticised for tying carers to single families, creating a climate prone to workplace abuse. The new pilots will make it easier for carers to switch jobs.
• 2. Accompanying family members: Previously, spouses/partners and children were not required to accompany the carer to Canada. Family members will be able to accompany carers and apply for open work permits and/or study permits under the new schemes.