New Canada programs for caregivers are Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot

The two new Canada programs for caregivers are Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot.

Key updates to new pilots

Major changes from the outgoing Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots include:

Occupation-specific work permits instead of employer-specific work permits. This change will allow caregivers to change employers; Caregiver’s immediate family will also be entitled to open work permits and/or study permits; Employers will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before hiring a caregiver from overseas.  

1. 4411 Home child care providers 
Home child care providers care for children on an ongoing or short-term basis. They care for the well-being and physical and social development of children, assist parents with child care and may assist with household duties.

They provide care primarily in their own homes or in the children's homes, where they may also reside. They are employed by private households and child-care agencies, or they may be self-employed. 

Example Titles 
babysitter 
child care live-in caregiver
child care provider – private home nanny parent's helper 

2. 4412 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations 
Home support workers provide personal care and companionship for seniors, persons with disabilities and convalescent clients.

Care is provided within the client's residence, in which the home support worker may also reside. They are employed by home care and support agencies, private households, or they may be self-employed. 

Housekeepers perform housekeeping and other home management duties in private households and other non-institutional, residential settings. 

Example Titles attendant for persons with disabilities – home care 

family caregiver home support worker housekeeper 

live-in caregiver – seniors 

personal aide – home support personal 

care attendant – home care 

respite worker – home support 

There is a two step process


Use the 2 step process above to get the rest of the work experience you need to get permanent status Or 
Keep working in Canada with your current work permit and apply for permanent residence once you have 2 years of work experience and meet the criteria.

You may be eligible to apply for this program if you answer is yes to the following questions: 

Do you have a genuine and valid job offer from an employer in Canada? (It may be one of your relatives, friends or any eligible employer) 

Do you have the training and/or legal work experience as a Caregiver? (to have a better chance, you must have a work experience) 

Do you have an IELTS Exam Results of at least CLB 5? (Listening 5, Reading 4, Speaking 5 and Writing 5) 

Do you have at least 1 year Post Secondary Credential Canadian Equivalent? (If you finished Grade 10, you must have at least 3 years post secondary credentials. If you finished Grade 12, you must have at least 1 year post secondary credentials. You need to have your credentials assessed) 

The job offer must be: 

full-time, which means at least 30 hours of paid work each week from a Canadian employer outside the province of Quebec from an employer who’s not an embassy, high commission or consulate genuine, meaning there’s a real need to hire you 

Information on how to apply is available at www.canada.ca. 

Already in Canada? You have choices! You can: 

  • apply to one of these pilots to complete your work experience, or
  • keep working on your current work permit until you have 24 months of work experience

Applicant from the Philippines? To qualify, it is no longer enough that you have 72 units in College. 

If you finished high school within 10 school years, you must have at least 3 years of post secondary studies. If you finished Grade 12, you must finish at least 1 year post secondary program. 

Quick facts about the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilot Programs 

The expiring pilots will close to new applications on June 18, 2019. Caregivers who have applied before this date will continue to have their applications processed through to a final decision. 

Caregivers who have been working toward applying to the soon-to-be-expired pilots can now apply through either the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or the Home Support Worker Pilot 

The Interim Pathway for Caregivers, the short-term pathway for caregivers who came to Canada as temporary foreign workers since 2014 but were unable to qualify for permanent residence through an existing program, will be extended. 

It will re-open on July 8, 2019 and accept applications for 3 months 

The new pilots, Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker, will each have a maximum of 2,750 principal applicants, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants per year, plus their immediate family. Initial applications to the new pilots will have a 12-month processing service standard. 

A 6-month processing standard will apply for finalizing an application after the caregiver submits proof that they have met the work experience requirement. 

With the move to occupation-specific work permits under the Home Child Care and Home Support Worker pilots, employers will no longer need a Labour Market Impact Assessment before hiring a caregiver from overseas.

CANADIAN IMMIGRATION CONSULTANCY-SM North EDSA

Address: Unit 301, 3rd Floor, NorthLink Bldg, SMNorth EDSA 1105 Quezon City, Philippines Tel No: 0917 820 2531 Email: iai@go2canada.com