caregiver program
Caregivers are essential health care workers. This program allows Canadian families to engage foreign employees to help provide private care to children, elders or people with disabilities when there is a lack of Canadian and permanent resident carers.
The Caregiver Program has undergone many changes by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in recent years. Some programs have closed, such as the Live-In Caregiver Program and the Caring for Children Program, while others have opened. Caregivers and their families can now apply for an occupation-specific open work permit and permanent residence.
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Types of caregivers program
- Caregivers who live in their employer’s home are eligible for the Live-in Caregivers Program.
- In-home caregivers – you no longer have the option of not living with your employer (new section recently added to the caregiver’s program)
If you have at least one year of work experience caring for children, the elderly or people with disabilities or at least six months of college training in this area, the Caregivers program may be right for you.
If you have worked in Canada for 2 years under this program, both you and your family may be eligible to apply for permanent residency in Canada. Once you obtain your permanent resident status in Canada, your family members will receive an immigrant visa in their home country. As part of the application process, members of your family must meet Canada’s immigration requirements and undergo medical and criminal investigations before being granted permanent residency in Canada.
Qualified caregivers with permanent employment offers may be eligible for a special open work permit as well as a spousal open work permit while gaining caregiver experience in Canada in order to qualify for permanent residency. Home Child-Care Providers and Home Support Workers are two types of caregivers who are eligible for this benefit.