How to Immigrate to Canada Under the Caregiver Program

Immigrating to Canada under the Caregiver Program offers a unique pathway for individuals seeking to work in a caregiver role and eventually obtain permanent residency. As Canada faces a growing demand for caregivers due to its ageing population and a shortage of healthcare professionals, the Caregiver Program has become a vital component of the country’s immigration strategy. This guide will provide an overview of how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program. Whether you’re an experienced caregiver or considering a career in caregiving, understanding this program can be the first step toward making Canada your new home.

What is the Role of a Caregiver in Canada?

The role of a caregiver in Canada involves providing essential support services to individuals who cannot care for themselves, such as children, seniors, people with disabilities, or those who are ill. Caregivers can work in various capacities, including as home childcare providers or home support workers. Home childcare providers care for children either in their own homes or at an employer’s home, while home support workers provide personal care and companionship for seniors, persons with disabilities, and convalescent clients in the employer’s home. The role of a caregiver does not include providing medical or personal care or companionship in an institution. Whether it’s a daycare centre, nursing home, or other institutions.

How Much Do Caregivers Earn in Canada?

Caregivers in Canada earn varying salaries depending on factors such as their roles, responsibilities, experience, and the province or territory they work in. Some sources calculate the average salary for a caregiver in Canada to be around $39,782 per year. However, specific figures can differ significantly across different regions. For example, in Ontario, caregivers earn an average of $37,735 annually, while in British Columbia, the average salary is $42,179. For hourly wages, the pay typically falls between $15 and $25 per hour, with variations depending on the factors mentioned above.

In-demand Caregiver Jobs in Canada

Home Child Care Providers (NOC 44100)

As the title implies, this job type involves helping parents to raise their children, and may also include assistance with house chores. It is a good option on how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program for people who love to take care of kids. You can work either from your own home or from your employer’s home. Some of the titles this role might be described with include:

Nannies
Babysitters
Live-in childcare providers
Private home-based childcare providers
Child’s helpers
Child foster care providers

Home Support Workers (NOC 44101)

Unlike the home child care provider, it is not the main duty of health support workers to care for children. Their job mostly involves providing personal care and company to elderly persons with disability or who are incapacitated or are recovering. This job may be described in different ways including:

Home care attendants for those with disabilities
Household caregivers
Home-based caregivers
Housekeepers
Elderly live-in caregivers
Personal care assistance – offering in-home personal care

How Can I Find Caregiver Jobs in Canada?

The caregiver market in Canada is unique and as such has its requirements. Beyond having sufficient experience as a caregiver, here are some extra tips that may prove helpful. Using a combination of these tips will increase your chances of finding caregiver jobs in Canada.

Determine Your Skills and Certifications

Caregiver roles in Canada often require specific skills and certifications. Determine if you have the necessary qualifications, such as Personal Support Worker (PSW) certification, Health Care Aide (HCA) certification, or other relevant training. If you don’t have these certifications, consider enrolling in a program at a community college or vocational school. This can increase your chances if you are looking for how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program.

Explore Online Job Portals and Specialized Job Boards

Some popular job portals include:

Indeed.ca: Search for caregiver jobs by location and filter by role, experience, or employer.
Monster.ca: Offers a range of job listings across Canada, including caregiver positions.
Workopolis.com: A Canadian-focused job site with caregiver opportunities.
Glassdoor.ca: Provides job listings along with company reviews and salary information.

Specialised job boards that focus on healthcare and caregiving jobs include:

HealthcareJobs.ca: Lists healthcare-related positions, including caregiver roles.
Care.com: Specializes in caregiver and childcare jobs, allowing you to create a profile and apply for positions.
AllStarJobs.ca: Offers a section dedicated to health and medical jobs, including caregiving roles.

Connect with Caregiver Agencies

Caregiver agencies specialise in matching caregivers with clients or employers. Research agencies in your area and contact them about job opportunities. Some well-known agencies include:

Bayshore Home Health: A large provider of home health care and personal support services.
Home Instead: Focuses on in-home care for seniors and often hires caregivers.
ParaMed: Offers a range of healthcare services and frequently recruits caregivers.

Attend Job Fairs and Career Events

Job fairs and career events provide opportunities to meet employers and learn about job openings. Look for healthcare or caregiving-focused job fairs in your area or online. You may also learn some tips on how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program at these events.

Seek Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering in healthcare or caregiving settings can provide valuable experience and lead to job opportunities. Check with local hospitals, long-term care facilities, or community centres for volunteer positions.

How to Relocate to Canada as a Caregiver

As a caregiver, you can relocate to Canada to become a permanent resident or work temporarily. The pathways for these two options are different and so are their eligibility criteria.

How to Get a Temporary Work Permit as a Caregiver

The temporary work permit for caregivers applies only to people who want to work as home childcare providers (NOC 44100) or home support workers (NOC 44101). If you want to work in another caregiver occupation, you will have to follow the regular work permit process.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply for a work permit for any of the caregiver jobs mentioned earlier, you must:

Be outside Canada at the time of your application.
Intend to work in Quebec (you can’t apply to work in any other province or territory)
Resident in Canada at the time of application and have a valid study or work permit.
Resident in Canada and allowed to work in Canada without a work permit (this does not apply to business visitors).

After securing a job, your employer needs to get a positive labour market impact assessment (LMIA) through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). This is to prove that there are no available candidates in Canada for the job. Also, obtaining the LMIA may help make the processing time for your work permit faster.

There are two types of work permits.

Employer-specific work permit – Allows you to work for a specific employer. Hence, it requires that you must provide a copy of your employment contract. You must also provide other details including the name and location of the employer to ascertain that you have secured a job in Canada.
Open work permit – Allows you to work for any employer in Canada except those who are not eligible to hire you for one reason or another. This is how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program without necessarily having a job offer.

If you are applying for your work permit from outside Canada, you will probably qualify for an employer-specific work permit than an open work permit. However, if you apply for permanent residence, you may qualify for an open work permit.

Permanent Residence for Caregivers in Canada

If you would rather go through the route of permanent residency, there are currently two Canada caregiver programs (2024) available.

Home Child Care Provider Pilot
Home Support Worker Pilot

Other programs that were available in the past include:

Live-in Caregiver Program – Closed to new applicants. The last batch of LMIA that was considered for this program were those submitted before December 2014
Caring for Children Pilot – Closed since June 17, 2019.
Caring for People with High Medical Needs Pilot – Closed since June 17, 2019.
Interim Pathway for Caregivers Program – Closed since October 8, 2019.

You may be able to secure a permanent residence as a caregiver in Canada if you have a job offer or experience working in the country as a caregiver. Keep in mind that to qualify for a home child care provider, experience as a foster parent does not count. For both home childcare providers and home support workers, the location of employment cannot be an institutional setting such as a daycare or nursing home.

Whether you are applying to work as a home child care provider (NOC 44100) or a home support worker (NOC 44101), there are two possible categories you can apply to in the pilot programmes. The first category is for people without sufficient Canadian work experience. While the second one is for those who have adequate Canadian work experience.

Gaining Experience Category

You can apply to this category if you have never worked full-time as a caregiver in Canada or you have less than 12 months of work experience. This is how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program with minimal experience. You will have to apply for a work permit alongside your permanent residency. If you qualify, you will receive a work permit that allows you to work in the country for 12 months. At the end of your work period, you will send proof of completion to the IRCC for them to make a final decision on your PR application.

To be eligible for this category you must:

Have a genuine and valid job offer outside the province of Quebec – It must be from someone who has a real need to hire you directly for their own care or the care of a relative (such as a parent, spouse or child).
Are able to do the job – It must be a full-time job, at least 30 hours of paid work each week. You should show your work experience in only 1 of the two job options. You cannot mix both job experiences.
Meet the language level – Meet the minimum writing, reading, listening and speaking scores for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English and Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) for French.
Meet the education requirement – Must have completed post-secondary education credential of at least 1 year. Foreign credentials will be assessed.
Are admissible to Canada – The Canadian immigration officer will decide whether or not you are admissible.
Plan to live in other provinces other than Quebec as a permanent resident.

Direct to Permanence Category

If you have 12 months of work experience as either a home child care provider or a home support worker, you may be able to apply directly for permanent residence under the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot. This category offers how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program with your family members because you can equally apply for a PR for them.

The Eligibility criteria for this category are similar to that of the gaining Experience category except that you do not need a job offer, but you need adequate work experience. You should have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in Canada in the 36 months before your application. Keep in mind that this does not mean you have to work 12 months in a row, but your cumulative work period should be up to 12 months. Also, any additional experience you gain after submitting your application does not count.

Below are the criteria for acceptable work experience:

Must be a full-time authorised work in Canada (at least 30 hours of paid work each week)
Experience gained from working for a business is acceptable
Work done under a work permit, public policy or maintained status is acceptable.
Any week that doesn’t sum up to 30 hours of work does not count
Any work done as a full-time student does not count.

Conclusively,

Immigrating to Canada under the Caregiver Program can be a rewarding journey, offering opportunities to build a career while providing essential care to those in need. Now, armed with the knowledge of how to immigrate to Canada under the caregiver program, you can set yourself on a path toward permanent residency in Canada. As you navigate the process, remember that Canada values the contributions of caregivers and provides a supportive environment for newcomers.