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On June 18, Canada opened Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker, the two new pilot programs for caregiver immigration. The pilots offer a direct pathway for caregivers to migrate to Canada and allow them to bring their family members along. These programs have replaced the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots from June 18, 2019 onwards.
The maximum number of principal applicants to be admitted under each of these caregiver immigration pilot programs has been fixed by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) at 2,750. So the total number of caregivers to be admitted to Canada under these two pilot programs per year will be 5500, besides their accompanying family members.
In order to be eligible under these caregiver immigration programs, the candidates must have a job offer from a Canadian employer and meet the standard criteria for economic immigration programs. After obtaining two years of work experience, they can apply for permanent residence in Canada.
The federal government of Canada has also announced its decision to reopen the Interim Pathway for Caregivers on July 8, 2019 for three months. This short-term pathway targets caregivers who came to Canada as temporary foreign workers since 2014 but did not qualify for permanent residence through any existing program.
Important features of the new caregiver immigration pilots
- Occupation-specific work permits in place of employer-specific work permits. It allows candidates to change jobs if they want.
- Open work permits and/or study permits for family members
- Guaranteed permanent residence after the candidate acquires two years of work experience.
The initial applications to the new pilots have a targeted processing time of 12 months. The applications for permanent residence from these caregivers once they acquire two years of work experience in Canada is expected to be six months.
Caregivers who were planning to apply under the expiring pilots can now apply through either of the new pilots. Those who applied through the old system before June 18 will have their applications processed through to a final decision. Moreover, as the candidates are being issued occupation-specific work permits, employers will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before hiring a caregiver from overseas.
For the candidates who meet the eligibility criteria for caregiver immigration, the new pilot programs open a doorway for Canada migration. Please get in touch with us if you want to know more about caregiver immigration.
