Caregiver Classes
Over the years, Canada has offered a number of pathways to permanent residence through various caregiver programs. Currently, there are only two open pathways - the Home Child-Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot. Both of these pathways require the applicant to have work experience in occupations specified by the National Occupation Classification.
Previous pathways such as the Live-In Caregiver Program, the Caring for Children Pathway, and the Caring for People with High Medical Needs Pathway, are all now closed; however, the government of Canada is constantly evaluating immigration needs and requirements and therefore, they often open new pilots temporarily or for a specified period of time.
Home Childcare Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots
The Home Child-Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots are economic programs for foreign nationals who are caregivers and have a job offer or Canadian work experience in an eligible occupation and meet the other minimum requirements of the program such as:
-
having the ability to become economically established in Canada
-
intending to reside in a Canadian province other than Quebec
-
meeting the language proficiency threshold
-
meeting the minimum education requirements
What is qualifying work experience
To be eligible for the Home Care-Giver Provider Pilot or the Home Support Worker Pilot, you must fall within one of the following NOCs:
-
home child care provider - NOC 4411
-
home support worker - NOC 4412
Qualifying work means full-time, paid work (30 hours per week). Being a foster parent or a housekeeper will not be considered qualifying work for the purpose of this program.
If you do not have 2 years of qualifying Canadian work experience, you can still apply for the program if you are eligible based on the other program criteria. In this case, you will receive an occupation-specific open work permit and must show, within 36 months, that you have obtained at least 2 years of full-time qualifying work experience in Canada. If you fall under the category of not having 2 years of work experience at the time of application, you will also be required to satisfy the following criteria:
-
you must obtain a job offer from a Canadian employer
-
for a position outside of the province of Quebec
-
for full-time employment
-
for non-seasonal employment
-
for a home child-care provider or home support worker position
-
that is genuine and likely to be valid when you are issued the initial occupation-specific open work permit
-
Your work experience does not have to be continuous; however, any extended absence from Canada, periods of unemployment, prolonged illness, or parental leave, will not count towards your 2 years of work experience.
Education
Education credentials are a requirement of this program. You will be required to show that you have completed a Canadian education, or that your foreign education is equivalent to a Canadian education.
If you have a Canadian education credential, it must be a one-year post-secondary (or higher) credential. If you have a foreign credential, you will be required to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).
Language proficiency
The Minister sets the threshold for language proficiency in English or French, for this program. You will have to show that you meet this threshold in all 4 categories - reading, writing, speaking, listening.
Your language results must come from a designated testing organization and must be less than 2 years old at the time they are received by the government.
