Canada has a number of immigration pathways to facilitate permanent residence in Canada for eligible foreign caregivers.
NOTE:
This page provides information on both active and recently terminated pathways to permanent residence for caregivers:
Although the LCP is officially closed to new applicants, individuals can apply for permanent residence through the program if they have at least two years of work experience in the program and:
In order to qualify for Canadian Immigration under the Caring for Children program, caregivers must:
Applicants must have cared for children under the age of 18, in their own home or in their employer’s home. Caregivers do not need to have lived in their employer’s home to be considered eligible. Foster parents are not eligible to apply under this program.
In order to qualify for Canadian Immigration under the Caring for People with High Medical Needs program, caregivers must have:
Note: Applicants can have breaks in employment (for example, periods where you were not employed, sick leave, parental leave).
The Interim Pathway for Caregivers is for caregivers who:
Candidates whose educational credential was obtained outside Canada and who cannot obtain an ECA before the Interim Pathway for Caregivers closes on June 4, 2019, are still eligible if they provide proof that they have applied to get an ECA. This proof includes written confirmation from an IRCC-approved agency that they have submitted a request for an ECA and/or receipt of payment.
There is no maximum number of applications that IRCC will accept through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers.
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.
Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4411 (excluding foster parents) will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot.
Caregivers with work experience in NOC 4412 (excluding housekeepers) will be eligible for permanent residence through the Home Support Worker Pilot.
Both the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot will only provide work permits to caregivers who have a job offer in Canada and who meet the following criteria:
Caregivers already working in Canada on a work permit who meet these criteria can also apply for permanent residence through the new pilots.
Each program will accept a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants each, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants, per year.
The pilots also provide:
Employers hiring a caregiver from overseas will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment.
Canada’s Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot opened June 18, 2019, and replaced the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots.
Note: The Interim Pathway for Caregivers reopened for applications on July 8, 2019, for three months.
Caregivers with two years work experience under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) may apply for permanent residence in Canada if they also are already working in Canada with a LCP work permit, or were approved for their first LCP work permit based on a LMIA on or before November 30, 2014.
Caregivers who have at least one year of work experience in Canada as a home childcare provider (NOC 4411) or home support worker (NOC 4412) accumulated since November 30, 2014, may be able to apply for permanent residence through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers.
It depends on your status at the time of applying. When applying for permanent residence through the Interim Pathway, individuals must:
It is important to note that IRCC will consider you ineligible for the Interim Pathway if:
Individuals are not eligible for the Interim Pathway for Caregivers if:
Under the new pilots, IRCC will issue eligible caregivers’ occupation-specific work permits rather than an employer-specific work permit. This means caregivers will have the freedom to change employers if need be. Also, family members of caregivers working in Canada will be eligible for open work permits or study permits.
Yes. You can use your work experience in Quebec to apply for permanent residence through one of the caregiver programs if you plan to live in a province other than Quebec. You may wish to include supporting documentation with your application to help prove that you plan to live elsewhere in Canada.