CANADA LAUNCHES 2 NEW PILOT PROGRAMS FOR CAREGIVERS

June 15, 2019 – Toronto –

Canada is caring for its caregivers by launching 2 new pilots that will help caregivers who come to this country make it their permanent home.

The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots will open for applications on June 18, 2019, replacing the expiring Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots.

Through these new pilots, caregivers will also benefit from:

• occupation-specific work permits, rather than employer-specific, to allow for a fast change of employers when necessary;
• open work permits and/or study permits for the caregivers’ immediate family, to help families come to Canada together; and
• 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.

Quick facts

• The Interim Pathway for Caregivers, the short-term pathway for caregivers who came to Canada as temporary foreign workers since 2014 but were unable to qualify for permanent residence through an existing program, will be extended. It will re-open on July 8, 2019 and accept applications for 3 months.
• The new pilots, Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker, will each have a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants per year, plus their immediate family.
• Employers will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment before hiring a caregiver from overseas.