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