Foreign Caregivers
Please Note **We Do Not Provide Asylum Or Refugee Sponsorship Services**
Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, also referred to as TFWP, permits Canadian citizens to employ foreign workers as caregivers for loved ones via a unique set of immigration standards. A program run cooperatively by Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, both the potential candidate and the employer are required to meet certain established criteria and submit a completed application to be considered for approval.
What is the Difference Between an In-Home Caregiver and a Live-In Caregiver?
There are different requirements for foreign workers depending on the conditions of their offer of employment. In-home caregivers are defined as employees whose duties occur in the private residence of their patient but who maintain their own home outside working hours. A live-in caregiver both lives and works within the private residence where they are employed.
Past legislation required all caregivers to remain in the residence of the family who sponsored their employment within Canada. However, this is no longer necessary. Effective immediately, new foreign caregivers entering Canada are required to have an approved Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) dated prior to November 30th, 2014. All other foreign caregivers are now mandated by a different set of rules governing their employment within the country. These workers can only gain the necessary work permit via the standard procedure for hiring a foreign worker. There is also a different set of requirements for those who are already employed as live-in caregivers who want to continue dwelling in their current residence.
With so many regulations which must be adhered to, it is not difficult to understand why both employers and prospective foreign caregivers are looking for assistance from a reputable immigration services team like Racer. We have the experience with foreign caregiver work permits that our clients need to effectively file the required documentation and guide them through the approval process in a time and cost-effective manner.
Caregiver Pilot Programs
Effective until November 29th, 2019, there are two current caregiver programs under which a foreign worker may be employed in Canada. They are the:
- Caring for Children Program (for the care of children under age 18)
- Caring for People with High Medical Needs (for the aged, infirm, incapacitated, or those with chronic or terminal medical needs)
In place of these two pilot programs will be two new five-year plans for caregiver immigration. Slated for release in late 2019 are the:
- Home Child Care Provider Pilot Program
- Home Support Worker Pilot Program
Since both of these new pilot programs are in their infancy stages, Immigration Canada restricts applications to 2,750 people per category on an annual basis, meaning acceptance into the program is extremely limited. Provisions exist for spouses/common-law partners and dependent children to be named on the application without affecting the total number of accepted applications. These new pilot programs are designed to reduce hardships on foreign caregivers who under former immigration laws would be forced to immigrate to Canada independently of their families.
What are the Requirements to Apply for a Foreign Caregiver Pilot Program?
All candidates for one of the foreign caregiver pilot programs are required to meet the following criteria:
- Be in possession of a favorable LMIA
- Display language competency in French and/or English
- Have received a signed contract of employment from a future employer
- Be in receipt of a work permit prior to entrance into Canada
Once eligibility has been determined, all foreign caregivers are also required to commit to providing full-time care for their patients at a minimum of 30 hours per week and demonstrate the ability to work without supervision within the residence where they will be employed.
In addition to this, Immigration Canada requires each prospective employer to:
- Make a good faith effort to first source a qualified Canadian, permanent resident, or already established foreign worker for the position within Canada
- Demonstrate adequate income to pay a foreign caregiver for in-home assistance
- Provide a job offer with appropriate caregiving responsibilities for a child, elderly, or disabled person
- Have a signed contract with the prospective foreign caregiver
What is Involved in Gaining Approval to Hire a Foreign Caregiver?
There are a number of steps involved in obtaining entrance into one of Canada’s foreign caregiver programs. These include:
- A signed contract between the employer and the prospective employee which meets the eligibility requirements outlined by Employment and Social Development and Immigration Canada
- An approved LMIA
- The required processing fee of $1,000 per application (There is no processing fee of $1000 if the family has a combined income of less than $150,000)
- The appropriate work permit
- An electronic travel authorization (eTA) if required
Racer helps with the hiring process by providing employers with a list of qualified foreign workers with the skills they need to properly care for their loved one. Once an employer has interviewed and selected the appropriate candidate, we handle the entire application process to gain swift approval into the correct pilot program.
Why Hire Us?
Racer recognizes that when it comes to an employer bringing a new foreign caregiver to Canada, time is of the essence. We make it our priority to provide our valued customers with the most direct and cost-effective route to navigating through the selection of Canadian foreign caregiver pilot programs to select the appropriate one for each prospective employer’s needs. We then help with procuring and completing the correct documentation for the candidate to gain entrance into the appropriate foreign caregiver program for employment in Canada.
We provide the following services for our Canadian clients:
- Legal representation in government matters
- Customized immigration solutions to meet each client’s needs
- Strategic immigration planning
- Cost-effective services and affordable payment plans
- Hands-on assistance for each step of the process
- Support to resolve any issue that arises
For assistance or advice, please contact Racer Immigration Consulting Inc. at (778) 688-4848 or racerimmigration@gmail.com for all foreign caregiver immigration questions.
