CAREGIVERS
If you are a caregiver, there are pathways to become a permanent resident of Canada through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot which were launched in June 2019 to replace previous, closed Live-in Caregiver program. Each Program will accept a maximum of 2750 principal applicants per year.
These are two separate programs and candidates must ensure that they apply under the specific program that both their job offer and experience meets the eligibility requirements. If you’ve been offered a job in Canada as a caregiver or have experience working in Canada as a caregiver, you may be able to apply for permanent residence through one of these pilots. The application process will be different depending on your situation and how much qualifying work experience you have.
Home Child Care Provider Pilot Program
Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4411 will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot.
Under this stream, as a Home Child Care Provider:
- You must care for children under the age of 18 in your own home or in your employer’s home
- You don’t need to live in your employer’s home to qualify
- Experience as a foster parent doesn’t count
Home Support Worker Pilot Program
Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4412 will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Support Worker Pilot.
Under this stream, as a Home Support Worker:
- You must care for someone who needs help from a home support worker either in your own home or in your employer’s home
- You don’t need to live in your employer’s home to qualify
- Only home support workers are eligible under NOC 4412
- Experience as a housekeeper doesn’t count
Benefits of the two pilot programs
The pilots also provide:
Occupation-specific work permits for caregivers, providing the ability to change jobs quickly if necessary because the work permits will not be employer specific. Open work 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 caregivers from overseas will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). These pilot programs also allow you to get the work experience you need to be eligible for permanent resident. 
To be eligible to apply for the Home Childcare Provider Pilot Program or the Home Support Worker Pilot Program, you must meet the following:
- Have a Genuine and valid job offer from a Canadian employer (Outside of Quebec), that is a minimum of full-time, at least 30 hours
- Demonstrate you are able to do the job. You possess the experience and training for the position, as described in the lead statement of the National Occupational Classification Code (NOC 4411 or NOC 4412)
- Meet the minimum language level CLB 5 in English or NLCL 5 in French for all 4 language skills: writing, reading, listening, speaking
- You must have completed post-secondary education credential of at least 1 year in Canada. If you don’t have a Canadian education credential, you need to get your foreign education credential assessed to show that it’s equal to a completed Canadian post-secondary education credential of at least 1 year
- You are admissible to Canada
- You plan to live outside of the province of Quebec as a permanent resident
If you don’t have any qualifying work experience, you can still apply for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or the Home Support Worker Pilot as long as you meet the other eligibility requirements.
How the process works:
- Candidates apply to either the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or the Home Support Worker Pilot, depending on which occupation you plan to work in
- Then submit a work permit application together with your permanent residence application
- If you meet the requirements, you get a work permit to work in Canada temporarily
- Then you will receive work permit that is an occupation-restricted open work permit and lets you work as a caregiver for any employer
- Work as the Home Child Care Provider or Home Support Worker for at least 24 months of work experience to qualify for permanent residence
- Then send proof of your work experience to IRCC once you have enough and a final decision will be made on your application for permanent residence
For further information about the process to apply under the Child Care Provide Pilot Program or Home Support Worker Pilot Program, contact our office.