Who was eligible

You may have qualified for the Gaining experience category through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot, if you

• had a genuine and valid job offer
• had the ability to do the job
• met the language level
• met the education requirement
• were admissible to Canada
• planned to live outside the province of Quebec as a permanent resident
• sent us proof of eligible work experience within 3 years of getting your occupation-restricted open work permit issued under the pilots

The work experience requirements have changed over time. The amount of work experience you needed depends on when we assessed your application:

• From June 18, 2019, to April 29, 2023: You needed 24 months of Canadian work experience, gained within the 36 months before the date you sent us proof.
• From April 30, 2023, to June 15, 2024: You needed 12 months of Canadian work experience, gained in the 36 months before the date you sent us proof.
• From June 16, 2024, onwards New: You needed 6 months of work experience from within or outside Canada. The experience must be gained
  • no earlier than 3 years before you submitted your permanent residence application
  • no later than the date you send us proof of work experience

If you’re currently working in Canada but you didn’t meet the requirements

If you’re working in Canada as a caregiver but you didn’t meet the requirements for either pilot, you may be eligible to extend your work permit.

Your employer will have to complete some steps first.

Genuine and valid job offer

To get an occupation-restricted open work permit, you needed a genuine and valid job offer. Your job must have been

• offered using the Offer of Employment IMM 5983 (opens in a new tab)  form
• full time, which means at least 30 hours of paid work each week
• outside the province of Quebec
• from an employer in Canada that is not a business, an embassy, a high commission or a consulate
  • It must have been from someone hiring you directly for
    • their own care or
    • the care of someone they have a personal relationship with (such as a parent, spouse or child)
• genuine, meaning there’s a real need to hire you

• in 1 of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) jobs, depending on which pilot you applied for:

  Home child care provider (NOC 44100)

  • You must care for children in your own home or in your employer’s private home.
    • The location can’t be an institutional setting such as a daycare.
  • You don’t need to live in your employer’s home to qualify.
  • Experience as a foster parent doesn’t count.
  Home support worker (NOC 44101)

  • You must care for someone who needs help from a home support worker in your employer’s private home.
    • The location can’t be an institutional setting such as a nursing home.
  • You don’t need to live in your employer’s home to qualify.

We’ll also review the salary on your job offer. You must have shown that you’ll be able to support yourself and your family members financially while working as caregiver in Canada.

Ability to do the work

We use any past experience or training you have to decide if you’re able to do the work described in the NOC job description (lead statement).

Language levels

You had to take a language test to prove you met the minimum language skills.

To measure your English or French skills, we use:

• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) for French

The minimum language skill was CLB 5 in English or NLCL 5 in French for all 4 language skills:

• writing
• reading
• listening
• speaking

Education

You had to have a completed post-secondary education credential of at least 1 year in Canada. If you didn’t have a Canadian education credential, you had to get your foreign education credential assessed to show that it’s equal to a completed Canadian post-secondary education credential of at least 1 year.

Live-in arrangements

Employers can’t require you to live in their home.

You and your employer may decide that a live-in arrangement is appropriate to meet the needs of the person(s) getting care or at your request. Living conditions must meet or surpass provincial or territorial employment standards. This may include that:

• the bedroom
  • is in the home of the person receiving care
  • is private and furnished
  • has finished floors, ceilings and walls
  • includes a bed with a mattress and bedding (sheets, pillows and blankets)
  • includes lighting and heating
  • includes a closet
  • has a door that can be locked from the outside (and you have a key)
  • has a door that can be locked with a safety bolt from the inside
  • includes a secure exterior window that closes and locks from the inside
  • meets both the municipal building requirements and provincial or territorial health standards
• there is an agreement about whether you will be charged for room or board

Your working hours must meet the requirements under provincial and territorial employment law, whether you live in

• your own home, or
• your employer’s private home.