Canada's new caregiver immigration pilots set to launch this week

Canada is now accepting applications to its two new caregiver immigration pilots.

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.

Applications filed to the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots before June 18 will still be processed, but applications will no longer be accepted through these pilots after that date.

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

Language tests results showing a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 in English or French;
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.

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

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

IRCC said the new pilots have a 12-month processing standard for work permit applications and a six-month processing standard for applications for permanent residence from those who meet the work experience requirement.

Find out if you are eligible for any of Canada's current caregiver immigration programs

Key updates to new pilots

Major changes from the outgoing Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots include:

Occupation-specific work permits instead of employer-specific work permits. This change will allow caregivers to change employers;
Caregiver's immediate family will also be entitled to open work permits and/or study permits;
Employers will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before hiring a caregiver from overseas.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the new pilots will ensure "a clear transition from temporary to permanent status" for caregivers and their families once a caregiver has accumulated the required two years of Canadian work experience.

The work experience must be acquired in the 36 months before a candidate applies for 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, were are doing exactly that," Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, said in a news release.

The new pilots have a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants per year, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants, plus their immediate family.

"These pilots offer important updates like occupation-specific work permits and open work permits and study permits for family members that will give caregivers the support they need while putting in the hours toward Canadian permanent residence," said David Cohen, senior partner with the Campbell, Cohen Canadian immigration law firm in Montreal.

Interim Pathway for Caregivers extended

IRCC also announced that it will reopen its Interim Pathway for Caregivers to new applications for three months starting July 8.

This pathway is for individuals who have acquired work experience in Canada since November 30, 2014, as a home childcare provider, home support worker or a combination of both through Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

Work experience must match the initial description and list of main duties for Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) Group 4411 or 4412.

The Interim Pathway for Caregivers will reopen to those who intend to reside outside of Quebec and who have:

authorization to work in Canada on a work permit other than a Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) work permit (at the time of applying); or
applied for a renewal of a work permit other than a Live-in Caregiver Program work permit; or
applied and is eligible for restoration of status, and held a work permit other than a Live-in Caregiver Program work permit as their most recent work permit; and
language skills of at least a CLB/NCLC 5 in English or French; and
12 months of full-time work experience in Canada since November 30, 2014, in a relevant occupation; and
a minimum of a Canadian high school diploma or non-Canadian educational diploma, certificate or credential that’s equal to a Canadian high school diploma.
- Foreign credentials will require an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) — issued within five years before the date of application by an approved organization — that indicates that the foreign diploma, certificate or credential is equivalent to a completed Canadian secondary school diploma.