Launched on June 18, 2019, The Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot program provides a direct pathway to permanent residency for caregivers who would like to immigrate to Canada. Specifically,

1. Caregivers with experience in caring for children. Eligible occupations include babysitter, childcare provider in a private home, live-in caregiver, childcare, and nanny.
2. Caregivers with work experience in home support. Eligible occupations include attendant for persons with disabilities, family caregiver, home support worker, live-in caregiver for seniors, personal aide for home support, and personal care attendant at home.

Compared to the previous Live-in Caregiver program, this new program has addressed some of the concerns from the perspective of both employers and caregivers.

Previously, the caregiver could only work for a specific employer, meaning that if there was a breakdown in the employment relationship, the caregiver had to apply for another work permit. The new program addresses this issue by issuing occupation-specific work permits which will allow the caregiver to work for any employer as caregiver. In addition, accompanying family members can obtain open work permits or study permits, so the caregiver is not unnecessarily separated from their family members.

Further, the employer, under the previous regime, had to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment, which included a processing fee of $1,000 and months of processing time. The new program eliminates this requirement, but heightens the education requirements to ensure qualifications of caregivers.

To be eligible, the applicant must have:

1. a job offer;
2. experience as a caregiver;
3. CLB 5 in English or French; and
4. minimum one year of Canadian post-secondary education or foreign equivalent.

If you are interested in learning more, feel free to contact Leo, as the new program accepts a limited number of applicants per year.