Yes, if you plan to work and eventually immigrate to Canada and you are fulfilling the eligibility requirements, you can do so via the Caregiver pilot program. However, there should be some familiarization with the caregiver pilot process first. This program covers the following occupational classifications only.
- Home Child Care Provider: NOC 4411, excluding foster parents
- Home Support Worker: NOC 4412, excluding housekeeping work
Now, the interesting part in Canada’s two current pilot programs for caregivers is that , foreign caregivers coming to work in Canada will no longer have to leave close family members behind and will have a more straightforward pathway to Permanent residence in Canada.
The pilot programs opened for applications in 2019, replacing the earlier Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots, which have been massively criticized for keeping some workers stuck in abusive workplaces and working away from their families who are left back in their home country.The Liberal government, which was not in office when those pilots were introduced in 2014, labeled them “ineffective”.
Processing times for the two new caregiver pathways have been slow to start, with next to nothing happening in 2020, may be keeping the paper application and pandemic situation in consideration.
However like many other good news, it was announced by Canadian immigration ministerin on 15 April 2021, that the government will take initiative to process at least 6,000 caregiver applications by the end of the year.
According to the two pilot programs, Caregivers will now only receive a work permit if they have a job offer in Canada and meet standard criteria for economic immigration programs, as this is a program leading to permanent residence. Once working in Canada, caregivers will be able to gain the required two years of Canadian work experience to apply for permanent residence.
Through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot, caregivers will also have other privileges to make their process of gaining the work experience and attain permanent residence easier. The benefits are:
- The work permits any caregiver receives while moving to Canada is occupation specific, rather than being employer-specific, to allow for a fast change of employers when necessary; so that they are not bound to work in abusive and unfavorable working environments.
- The program also allows the accompanying family members to receive open work permits and/or study permit to help families of caregivers to come to Canada together and start a new life.
- The program also insures a clear transition from temporary to permanent status, to ensure that once caregivers have met the work experience requirement, they will be able to become permanent residents quickly.
This is indicative of the fact that Canada cares for their caregivers which come from different parts of world to care for families of Canadian workers so that they can give proper attention to their professional lives, thus contributing to Canada’s economy.
Things to consider:
- Who qualifies for this program?
- What is the process of caregiver pilot
You may apply under this program if you meet all of the following criteria:
- enough experience or training to do the job
- knowledge of either English or French languages
- meet the education requirements
- not being inadmissible to Canada
- have a valid job offer
You must also intend to live anywhere but in Quebec. Therefore, you may not apply if employment is in the province of Quebec (e.g. in Montreal or the Quebec city).
Enough experience or training to do the job.
When you apply under this program, you are usually taking care of children under 18. However, you may take care of an elderly or someone who needs care due to medical conditions. Consequently, you may need to have some or all of the following skills and experiences:
- First aid
- CPR – cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Administering medication
- Cooking and housekeeping
- Managing children
- Ability to move individuals safely
- Bathing children, elderly or disabled people
- Driving (to take a person to school or their appointments)
- Conduct routine health checks
- Feed a child, an elderly or a disabled person
It is advisable to show formal training alongside experience in these areas.
The process of caregiver pilot : The following figure shows simplified process of caregiver pilot program.
You must intend to live anywhere but in Quebec. Therefore, you may not apply if employment is in Quebec’s province (e.g. in Montreal or Quebec city). The process includes the following steps. The first three steps could occur concurrently.
- Evaluate your education in Canada
- Receive a job offer
- Take a language test
- Prepare and mail your package
- Go to Canada and start working
- Apply for the PR status.
Evaluate your education in Canada
You must show at least one year of post-secondary education as part of the pilot caregiver process. If your post-secondary education was outside Canada, you must refer to one of the following organizations to evaluate your education’s equivalency to the Canadian system.
Find employment in Canada:
Having a job offer is an essential step for the caregiver pilot process. Of course, a valid job offer must meet the following requirements:
- It is genuine: The employer needs a caregiver.
- The employer has enough financial resources to pay the salary.
- The salary is equal to or higher than the prevailing wage for these positions.
- The employer fills out the employer form IMM 5983 thoroughly and truthfully.
- The job is full-time (i.e. at least 30 hours per week).
- The employer is Canadian and outside the province of Quebec.
- The employer is not an embassy, consulate or high commission.
You may receive a job offer from your relatives. However, they must show the offer is genuine, not just to help you reach Canada.
Proving the language proficiency:
You need to take at least one of the following tests as part of the pilot caregiver process.
- CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (Only CELPIP General! Don’t take General-LS.)
- IELTS: International English Language Testing System (Only IELTS General! Don’t take IELTS Academic.)
- TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français
- TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français
The following table shows the minimum scores you need to receive under each language test.
| Test | Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
| CELPIP | General | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| IELTS | General | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| TEF | Canada | 226 | 181 | 151 | 226 |
| TCF | Canada | 6 | 369 | 375 | 6 |
Complete the application and mail your package.
Upon completing the caregiver pilot process’s first essential steps, you need to prepare and submit your package. Of course, a complete package includes the following:
- The ECA report
- The official language test results
- Personal documents (copy of passport, birth certificate, etc.)
- All the forms (e.g. IMM 5983, IMM 0008, IMM 5669, IMM 5562, either Schedule 19A or 19B, IMM 5406, etc.)
- Proof of qualifying work experience
- Proof of relevant training to work as child caregiver or home support worker
- Essential documents for accompanying family members (birth certificates for children, passports for all accompanying members, marriage certificate for spouse etc.)
- Police certificates from any country you have stayed for more than six months since the age of 18.
- Fee payment receipt.
- Passport size pictures
- It is advisable to get an u.front medical exam done for all family members.
The new caregiver pilot program provides you opportunity to include your family members in the package. To include family members in your application, you should :
- Include application for open work permit for your spouse or common law partner
- Apply for an study permit for your minor children
Fees:
The applicants currently need to pay the application fee for permanent residence, work permit fee for their spouse and themselves, study permit fee for accompanying children and biometrics fee for all the family members. You can pay the right of permanent residence fee later.
Mailing the completed application package
You must mail your complete package to the following addresses. Of course, the addresses may change at any time.
Home Children Care Provider Pilot Applicants,Home Support Worker Pilot Applicants,Case Processing Centre in Edmonton, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada.c/o PR HCCP Stage Station 806, 9700 Jasper Avenue NW, Suite 55, Edmonton, AB T5J 4C3
Case Processing Centre in Edmonton, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada
c/o PR (HSWP), Station 805 9700 Jasper Avenue NW, Suite 55 Edmonton, AB T5J 4C3
Go to Canada and start working
If the immigration authorities approve your work permit, you will need to move to Canada and start working as a caregiver under NOC 4411 or 4412. You may work for any employer. In other words, your work permit does not limit you to the original employer. However, consider the following:
- You must work under the NOC code you see on your work permit.
- Working as a housekeeper or as a foster parent is not an option.
- Respect all the restrictions that appear on your work permit document.
- You must work full-time for at least 24 months to qualify for the next stage of the process.
Apply for the PR status
If you work full-time for at least 24 months as a caregiver, you may move to the next stage of the caregiver pilot process. At this stage, you need to notify the immigration authorities of your progress. Of course, you need to present enough documentation to convince them you meet the PR requirements. Consequently, they will take the following steps:
- Making sure you meet the PR eligibility requirements.
- Asking you to go through a medical examination.
- Assessing your admissibility to Canada.
Anyone who has worked in Canada for 2 years in one of the two noc codes being talked about and have passed above requirements is eligible for permanent residence.