Why IMMIGRATING TO CANADA AS A CAREGIVER Succeeds
Our topic is why immigrating to Canada as a caregiver succeeds. Caregivers living in Canada or from abroad who are interested in immigrating to Canada have two options. There are currently two immigration programs in operation that are specifically designed for caregivers. These two programs were launched in 2019 following the closure of the Interim Pathway for Caregivers.
Immigrating to Canada as a Caregiver through Canada’s two pilot immigration programs.
Canada’s two current pilot programs for caregivers are 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 two programs:
- The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots.
The pilot programs opened for applications in 2019, replacing the expired 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”.
Processing times for the two new caregiver pathways have been slow to start. However, in 2021, the government announced a new initiative to process at least 6,000 caregiver applications by the end of the year.
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 former Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen.
How does immigrating to Canada as a caregiver work?
Source: IRCC
Under the current legislation, there are two programs for caregivers:
- Home Child Care Provider, and
- Home Support Worker
The changes to the program are significant for all caregiver applicants and we will mention a few:
- The caregiver applies for permanent residence from the very beginning and their family will be included in their application;
- They will not be restricted to working for a specific employer, thus trying to eliminate abuse and exploitation of the caregivers by their employers;
- The employer will not need to submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application to Service Canada (ESDC), thus making the job offer more “user-friendly” to the employers in dire need of caregivers;
- When the work permit as a caregiver is approved, the whole family (qualifying dependents) can accompany them to Canada with an immigration status of their own;
Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) established a cap of 2,750 visas per year for each of the two categories for a total of 5,500 Canadian immigration caregiver visas annually. This year, the cap for the first category (Home Child Care Provider) was reached by the middle of January 2022. The second category of caregivers (Home Support Workers) is still open. The requirements to apply are similar to the requirements for permanent residence and work permits:
- The application made is for both a work permit and permanent residence, submitted at the same time to Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC);
- The applicant must meet the requirements for a work permit in Canada, meaning mainly that they have experience as caregivers in one of the two streams (National Occupational Classification – NOC CODES 4411 or 4412)
- The work permit issued by IRCC to the applicant is an “occupation-restricted” open work permit, meaning the caregiver can work for any employer, but only as a caregiver, no other occupation;
- The applicant must receive a genuine offer of employment from the employer (no LMIA required);
- the employment will have to be full-time (at least 30 hours /week),
- paid work, with regular vacation time and at minimum the hourly rate established by IRCC for the occupation;
- the employment offer must be from a Canadian employer outside of Quebec;
- Language level requirement: the applicant must pass the General International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) language test (English or French) and score a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 in each skill: writing, reading, listening and speaking;
- Education requirement: the applicant must have completed a post-secondary program/credential of at least one year. If the degree or diploma was obtained abroad (outside of Canada), the applicant must obtain first the Educational Credential Assessment report, from an organization recognized by the IRCC. The report will show the equivalency of their credential compared to a Canadian credentials;
- The National Occupational Classification (NOC) used for the two streams of caregivers are codes 4411 or 4412;
- Lastly, the whole family (if applicable) that submits the application must be admissible to Canada. IRCC will conduct a background check for every family member of 18 years or older. The whole family will have also to pass a medical test.
A few reasons for inadmissibility might include:
-
- Security reasons;
- Human rights violations;
- Criminality including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, use or sale of drugs;
- Misrepresentation;
- Previous Removal Order from Canada;
- Financial reasons – meaning you and your family are not able to support yourselves;
- Medical reasons;
- If previously been to Canada and not complied with the conditions (example – one overstayed his/her status, studied or worked without a permit, etc.)
IRCC will review the permanent residence and work permit applications and, if the applicant and family meet the eligibility criteria, they will issue an open work permit for one of the two NOC codes, as stated above.
Processing times for Canadian caregiver applications take approximately 12 months or longer, for a successful foreign worker to receive a work permit. Therefore, employers who want to hire caregivers from abroad, must plan ahead as this might take some time.
If you meet the eligibility requirements and are interested in applying to immigrate to Canada as caregiver, Contact Chugo Immigration Services at 1 403 836 1861 (WhatsApp) or book a Book Consultation for more information on how to apply and to find out if you are eligible.
Optimize your chances of success when applying to immigrate to Canada as a caregiver with Chugo Immigration Services!
What are your other options for Canadian Immigration?
Let us help you to navigate any of the following pathways to Canadian Immigration:
- Provincial Nominee Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
- Humanitarian and Compassionate
- Study to Immigrate
- Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program
- How to Become a Canadian Citizen: Applying for Canadian Citizenship
- Family Sponsorship
- Spousal Sponsorship
- Express Entry
- Federal Skilled Workers Program
- Caregivers
- Canada Business Immigration Programs
- Refugee and Asylum
- Visa rejections and Appeals
Chugo Immigration Service is authorized to offer Canadian Immigration and Citizenship services under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The Principal Consultant, Pius Chukwuma Ekwulugo RCIC, is a member in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and has helped many foreigners to start a new life in Canada. We will help you too!
For effective and diligent legal help regarding Canadian Immigration matters, we partner with Weekes Law Office.
For international recruitment of foreign workers to Canada, we partner with Godzone International Recruiting.
2 Comments
Ayanda Damilola
January 6, 2023Good morning sir,
Please I’m a registered nurse in Nigeria with over 7 years experience.i am interested in the caregiver pathway to Canada.i want to know if I am qualified and how to start the process.
Thank you
admin
January 6, 2023Please send an email to chugoimmigration@gmail.com. We will follow up with you.
Thank you.