Canada’s New Pilots for Caregivers Boost Employment and Residency Opportunities

Key Takeaways

• Canada has 15,000 permanent residency spots for caregivers in its 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan. 
• The programs will offer caregivers permanent residency on arrival in Canada. 
• The language requirement is lower for the new pilot programs.
• The new pilot programs will allow caregivers to work for agencies or other organisations that provide temporary or part time care for Canadian residents who are semi-independent or recovering from an injury/illness. (Previously, caregivers were not permitted to work for corporate employers.)

Why Is There a Need For Direct Permanent Residence Pathways for Caregivers? 

“Caregivers play a critical role in supporting Canadian families, and our programs need to reflect their invaluable contributions. As we work to implement a permanent caregivers program, these two new pilots will not only improve support for caregivers, but also provide families with the quality care they deserve.” – The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Canada’s existing pilots offer permanent residence pathways to caregivers, but they require the applicant to gain Canadian work experience before applying. The new pilots will offer home care workers with permanent residence (PR) on arrival in Canada. This is a streamlined program that will make Canada a more attractive location for foreign caregivers.  

Eligibility For Canada’s New Caregiver Programs

While we are waiting for the government to announce more details about these programs, we know the following eligibility criteria will apply: 

• Level 4 or higher language proficiency on the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). (This is lower than the previous requirement of a CLB 5 or higher under the previous pilot programs.)
• Minimum education of a high school diploma equivalent.
• Recent relevant work experience. 
• Job offer for a full-time home care role. 

Caregivers who arrive in Canada under these pilot programs will be granted permanent residence. 

More information about these two upcoming programs is scheduled to be announced in the coming weeks. We will update this post once the government releases further details. 

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