Caregiver immigration programs to Canada are re-opening on Jan. 1 and immigration officials are advising potential applicants to prepare as much as possible ahead of time because the caps on the Home Child Care Provider Pilot (HCCP) in particular tend to be reached very quickly.
“Caps for the pilots reset on Jan. 1, 2024 at 9 a.m. ET,” notes Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). “We’ll accept new applications until the caps are reached or until the last day of the pilots on June 17, 2024.”
In 2023, the IRCC accepted 1,650 applications for the HCCP but the cap of 1,500 online applications was reached on the very first day, on Jan. 1. The cap of 150 alternate format applications was reached exactly a month later, on Feb. 1.
The Home Support Worker Pilot’s (HSWP) cap of 1,650 applications received either online or in alternate formats was reached on Nov. 28.
With the upper limit on applications being reached so quickly, Canadian immigration officials are advising foreign nationals to get everything ready ahead of time before they attempt to apply through either of these two caregiver pilots.
“You may want to prepare as much as possible before the cap resets,” “You can create an account in the permanent residence portal if you don’t already have one)
“If you already have an account, you won’t be able to access any applications you started before the cap reset. This is because online applications expire about 30 days after a cap has been reached. You’ll need to start a new application once the cap resets on Jan. 1.”
In 2024, the caregiver pilots may fill up even more quickly as Ottawa has slashed the amount of experience foreign nationals need to apply for permanent residence under these programs in half, reducing that work experience requirement to only one year instead of two years.
“Caregivers are an important option for families in Canada and have played an instrumental role in the lives of many growing children, aging parents, and those who need additional specialized care,” said the immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
Work Experience For Caregiver Programs Was Slashed In Half In 2023
“By reducing the work experience required in Canada to one year, more caregivers and their families will become eligible to transition to permanent residence sooner, meaning that they can settle down and start the next chapter of their lives here in Canada.”
The IRCC is hoping the change would dramatically improve processing times for these applications, benefiting up to 90 per cent of applications that were then in processing and providing an advantage for both the caregivers who are just starting out and those who have been providing care in Canada already.
The immigration minister also hinted the current pilot caregiver programs could become permanent programs starting in June 2024.
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“Caregivers are indispensable in assisting Canadian families and it’s an honour for us to provide them a more expedited route to permanent residence and prosperous integration into Canada,” said Scarborough Centre MP Salma Zahid.
“The decreased work experience requirement and reserved pathways to permanent residence recognize the sacrifices that caregivers make and the value of their work to Canadian society.”
The Caregiver pilots are part of Ottawa’s strategy to tackle the labour shortage challenges facing Canadian employers.
Under the HCCP and HSW candidates must meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for permanent residence:
a job offer;
CLB 5 language level, and;
one year of Canadian post-secondary education or its foreign equivalent.
Applicants For Caregiver Pilot Programs Must Have Valid Job Offers
Here’s how to apply. First, the applicant must get a work permit by submitting an application for permanent residence and work permit or study permit for themselves and their family.
That should include an occupation-specific work permit to obtain the work experience the applicant will need for permanent residence.
Once the work experience requirement is met, the applicant must submit proof of that to the IRCC to get their permanent residence.
Candidates who already have work experience as an in-home caregiver in Canada can choose one of two options:
They can use the two-step process outlined above, then complete the required work experience to get permanent residence or they can keep working in Canada with a current work permit and apply for permanent residence once the work experience term is completed, provided the general requirements are met.
