CIMM - Caregivers

Key messages

• The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots opened for applications on June 18, 2019, and will run for five years.
• They replaced the expiring Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots.
• Caregivers now receive a work permit if they have a job offer in Canada and meet standard criteria for economic immigration programs. Once working in Canada, caregivers can start working towards gaining the required two years of Canadian work experience.

Supplementary messages

• Through these pilots, caregivers also benefit from
  • occupation-specific work permits, rather than employer-specific, to allow for a fast change of employers when necessary;
  • open work permits and/or study permits for the caregivers’ immediate family to help families come to Canada together; and
  • a clear transition from temporary to permanent status, to ensure that once caregivers have met the work experience requirement, they will be able to become permanent residents quickly.
• These new pilots provide caregivers from abroad and their families with a clear, direct pathway to permanent residence.

Multiple Medical Exams

• Caregivers are required, under regulations, to have a valid immigration medical examination both when they come to Canada, and at the time that they become permanent residents, as their occupation involves close contact with vulnerable populations.
• A medical certificate is only valid for 12 months from the date of the exam. With these requirements, under the new pilots, caregivers and their family members will likely have to undergo two medical examinations, as the results of the initial exam will have expired by the time they are eligible to become permanent residents.
• We understand that caregivers will incur additional costs as a result, but up‑to‑date medicals are required to mitigate risks to public health and safety.

Why not make it permanent?

• As the experience with the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots has shown, it is vitally important to test programs before making them permanent.
• These previous pilots received low uptake and were criticized for not having a clear enough pathway to permanent residence.
• The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots will test a new approach. Any future decisions will consider the results of these pilots.

How will caregivers and their families support themselves once they are here? Will they be eligible for social services? How will they pay for international student tuition fees for their children?

• All foreign nationals are assessed for their ability to support themselves and any dependents in Canada as part of the admissibility requirements pursuant to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• Applicants will have temporary residence status in Canada until they complete their work experience and have their permanent residence applications finalized.
  • Their eligibility for social services will be the same as all other temporary residents: eligibility for social benefits, such as healthcare, are dependent on eligibility and residency criteria in each province.
  • Similarly, education is a provincial responsibility. We encourage potential applicants to visit the school board websites in the particular province where the child intends to study in Canada to learn more about tuition fees for minor students.
• Providing spouses/common-law partners and working age dependants with open work permits will also provide caregivers and their families with the opportunity to earn a dual income.

Supporting Facts And Figures

• In 2018, over 17,700 caregivers and family members were admitted to Canada (15,580 under the Live-in Caregiver Program under priority backlog processing, and 1,645 from the two 2014 pilots).
• IRCC has virtually eliminated the legacy inventory under this stream (with approximately 1,700 people left in inventory as of December 31, 2019). Live-In Caregiver applicants that have applied more recently can expect to be processed within 12 months.
• On June 18, 2019, the Home Child Care Provider pilot and the Home Support Worker pilot came into effect for five years, replacing the Caring for Children and High Medical Needs classes (which were processed under four months).
• In 2020, overall admissions targets for Caregivers are 5,000 persons. Expectations are that admissions will be largely through the 2019 program initiatives, as the inventory of applications under previous programs is now lower.
• In regards to the number of applications received in 2019 under the three new streams (as of December 31, 2019):
  • 790 caregivers have applied under the new Home Child Care Provider class (including their family members, over 1,800 people);
  • 277 caregivers have applied under the Home Support Worker class (including their family members, 576 people); and
  • Over 4,100 caregivers applied through the Interim Pathway for Caregivers public policies (initial and reinstated combined); including family members, that was over 8,600 people.
• In regards to the number of applications finalized in 2019:
  • At this stage, very few applications under the 2019 pilots have been processed to a final decision. 
  • IRCC started accepting applications for these pilots in June 2019. We continue to process applications with the aim of meeting the 12-month processing target. Once the applicant has obtained 24 months of relevant work experience there is a 6 month processing time to finalize permanent residence.
  • Based on the cases that have been finalized, the approval rate for the 2019 pilots is currently in the range of 66% (two-thirds approved; one third refused). It is important to keep in mind that this is based on a small number of applications.
  • Interest in the new pilots remains high, and we continue to support clients, representatives as well as caregiver organizations as they enquire about the eligibility requirements under the pilots. Reasons for refusal relate to requirements for eligibility
  • Roughly half of the inventory of applications received under the Interim Pathway for Caregivers have been finalized and data there is more reliable. The approval rate for the Interim Pathway is currently just under 80%; reasons for refusal are general eligibility based on the Minister’s criteria (including language proficiency, and eligibility of work experience claimed).

In the following tables please find the number of applications received and processed in 2019 for the Caregiver Pilot Programs and the Caregiver Interim Pathway Measure:

Note: Numbers are preliminary and subject to change.

Background

2014-2019: Previous Caregiver Programs:

• Phased-out in 2014 due to persistent concerns over vulnerability and family separation, the Live-in Caregiver Program has driven high volumes of admissions of Caregivers in recent years.
• The Department has processed 95% of the inventory backlog with fewer than 1,000 applications in the inventory (end of September 2019).
• The Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots, launched in 2014, replaced the Live-in Caregiver Program. They closed in June 2019 when the new pilots launched. While eligibility criteria are similar, the new pilots focus on two occupations where pathway demand is highest (home child care and support workers).

2019 Caregiver Pilot Programs:

• Consultations with a broad range of stakeholders in spring 2018 confirmed the many needs and hurdles faced by caregivers, especially around having a pathway to stay, vulnerability, and family separation. 
• In response, the Government introduced the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots in June 2019.
• The majority of caregivers who come to Canada to work temporarily hope to stay here permanently. A unique feature of the 2019 Caregiver Pilots is the ‘two-step’ process to apply.
• Overseas caregivers receive a work permit only if they meet the language, education and other requirements for permanent residence and have a job offer in Canada. When they complete the required two years of Canadian work experience, they apply to finalize their application to stay permanently.
• Caregivers in Canada who already have the required 24 months’ work experience can also apply (in one-step).
• The pilots can accept up to 2,750 principal applicants annually, for a total of 5,500 principal applicants per year (plus family).

Pause on New Work Permits (“Refusal to Process”)

• The Department has stopped processing new work permit applications in the two pilot occupations for the duration of the new pilots. The pause does not apply to caregivers in other occupations, those who will work in Quebec, or those applying for work permits from within Canada.

2019 Interim Pathway for Caregivers Public Policies: 

• The Government launched the Interim Pathway for Caregivers to provide another opportunity for caregivers in Canada to stay permanently.
• The pathway required reduced work experience and education criteria compared to the 2014 pilot programs.
• The pathway was open to applications for total of six months. Interest in the program was high: over 4,100 caregivers applied under the pathway, plus their families.