Home care worker pathways to permanent residence won’t re-open in 2026
Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence through Canada’s home care worker pilots will not be able to apply in 2026.
In Ministerial Instructions published in today’s Canada Gazette, the immigration department wrote that it will accept no new applications under these pilots, effective from March 31, 2026 through to March 30, 2030.
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Prior to this announcement, the pilots had been expected to reopen in the spring of 2026.
The Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot: Child Care and Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot: Home Support first opened on March 31, 2025, with an application period set to run to March 30, 2026.
Both pilots hit their application caps within hours on the first day they opened.
The pilot programs are pathways to permanent residency for workers with job offers in home care or child care.
Workers must have at least a high school diploma and also meet a minimum language proficiency requirement, along with having the minimum required work experience or training.
To limit the number of permanent residence visas issued under any given pilot program, the federal government caps applications for each program on an annual basis, leading to a first-come, first-served system for foreign nationals who meet the program requirements.
Pilot programs can run for up to five years, after which they expire.
Successful pilots can lead to the establishment of permanent programs.
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