Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot – Gaining experience category: Who can apply
The pilot caps reset on January 1, 2023
As of January 1, 2023, you can apply under the 2023 caps for the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot.
There are changes for the 2023 application process
Read all the changes to these pilots before you apply. Make sure you follow our updated instructions.
The Home Support Worker Pilot is open to new applications
In 2023, we’ll accept up to the following number of applications in each category:
- Gaining experience category: 1,650 applications
- Direct to permanent residence category: 1,100 applications
The Home Child Care Provider Pilot
The online and alternate format application caps have been reached for the Gaining experience category
We’ve reached the cap for both online and alternate format applications for this pilot’s Gaining experience category. This means the Gaining experience category is closed to new applications for 2023. You won’t be able to start or submit an application for this category in our portal, and any paper applications will be returned. Online applications that weren’t submitted will expire from the portal after about 30 days.
Online applications for this category will reopen in 2024. You can also explore other immigration programs.
We’ll update you again when other caps have been reached.
2023 caps
In 2023, we’ll accept up to the following number of applications in each category:
- Gaining experience category: 1,650 applications, including
- 1,500 online applications Closed as of January 1st, 2023
- 150 alternate format applications Closed as of February 1, 2023
- Direct to permanent residence category: 1,100 applications, including
- 1,000 online applications
- 100 alternate format applications
Eligibility
You may be eligible to apply for the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot, if you:
- have a genuine and valid job offer
- are able to do the job
- meet the language level
- meet the education requirement
- are admissible to Canada
- plan to live outside the province of Quebec as a permanent resident
If you're currently working in Canada
If you’re working in Canada as a caregiver but you don’t meet the requirements for either pilot, you may be eligible to extend your work permit.
Your employer will have to complete some steps before you can apply to extend your work permit.
Genuine and valid job offer
To get or finish getting the work experience you need for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider or Home Support Worker Pilot, you need a genuine and valid job offer. The job you’re offered must be:
- made using Offer of Employment IMM 5983 (PDF, 2.33 MB)
- 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
We’ll also review the salary on your job offer. You must show that you’ll be able to support yourself and your family members financially while working as caregiver in Canada.
The job you’re offered must be in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) job that matches the pilot you apply 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 for this pilot
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
- Only home support workers are eligible under NOC 44101
National Occupational Classification 2021
On November 16, 2022, we switched to the 2021 version of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
If you submitted an application before November 16, 2022, your job offer or qualifying work experience will still be assessed as per the NOC 2016 requirements.
- Home child care provider – NOC 4411 was replaced with NOC 44100
- Home support worker – NOC 4412 was replaced with NOC 44101
Transition to NOC 2021
If you are applying under NOC 2021 in the Gaining experience category, we will still accept NOC 2016 job offers during the transition period. Your job offer will be considered valid so long as it meets the listed eligibility criteria of the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot.
Your qualifying work experience must be in 1 of these jobs. It cannot be a mix of both jobs. If you already have some experience as a caregiver in Canada, make sure the job you’re offered matches the work experience you already have.
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 need to take a language test to prove you meet 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 is CLB 5 in English or NLCL 5 in French for all 4 language skills:
- writing
- reading
- listening
- speaking
Education
You must have a completed post-secondary education credential of at least 1 year in Canada. If you don’t have a Canadian education credential, you need 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.
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