Check if you’re an eligible employer
On this page:
Who is eligible
To hire through the pilots, you (the potential employer) must be
a private household
a business or non-profit organization
If you’re a business or non-profit organization, you must have
- a direct relationship with your employee, meaning you must be directly responsible for
- hiring the employee
- managing work conditions
- paying the employee
- been providing the same type of care services as the job being offered for at least 1 year before the job offer was made
This includes organizations that directly hire full-time workers to provide short-term or occasional home care for those who are semi-independent or recovering from an injury or illness, for example
- home health care service providers
- home care support service providers
- direct care agencies
- personal care services in residential settings
- pediatric home health care service providers
You must also
- have a Canada Revenue Agency business number (or get one before you make the job offer)
- have a genuine need to hire the applicant
- be able to fulfill the terms of the employment, including paying the applicant
- follow all the rules and laws set by
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
- federal and provincial legislation
Who is not eligible
You can’t be
- an embassy, high commission or consulate, or a person accredited to these missions in Canada (for example, a diplomat)
- an employer found non-compliant
- a business that recruits candidates to be transferred or contracted to other businesses (for example, a recruitment or placement agency)
- the applicant’s spouse, common-law partner, parent, grandparent or child
Your responsibilities as an employer
As an employer, you have important responsibilities when hiring a home care worker. Some of them are listed below, but it’s your responsibility to follow all the rules that apply in your province or territory.
Fair work conditions
As an employer, you must provide
- acceptable working conditions
- reasonable duties
A home care worker is protected by employment standards legislation in most provinces and territories. This means they’re entitled to
- days off each week
- statutory holidays
- extra pay for overtime work
The home care worker’s working hours must meet the requirements under provincial and territorial employment law, whether they live in their
- own home or
- employer’s private home
It’s your responsibility to understand and follow the laws of your province or territory. Find out more about workplace standards.
Pay and taxes
If you hire a home care worker, you must register as an employer with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This allows you to get a business number and open a payroll account, if you don’t already have them. This applies even if you’re a private household and not a business.
You must also
- make the appropriate deductions from your employee’s pay
- calculate your share of employer contributions and send these amounts to the government
All employers in Canada must keep written employment records. You must provide your employee with
- a statement of earnings with each paycheque, showing
- the employee’s gross and net pay
- deductions and their purpose
- total hours worked (including overtime) during that pay period
- a T4 slip for the previous year’s employment by the end of February each year, showing the employee’s total gross earnings and deductions for income tax purposes
- a record of employment (ROE), if the employee leaves or the position is terminated
Recruitment fees
Hiring an employee may include costs such as
- third-party recruitment fees
- advertising fees
- fees for assistance or advice in the hiring of foreign nationals
You or anybody recruiting on your behalf cannot charge or recover any recruitment fees from the employee, directly or indirectly.
Verifying the social insurance number and work authorization
As an employer, for each new employee you must request their social insurance number (SIN) within 3 days of their start date.
SINs beginning with a "9" are issued to temporary workers who are neither Canadian citizens nor permanent residents.
If you hire a home care worker who is not yet a permanent resident or Canadian citizen, you must verify that
their SIN has not expired
they have valid authorization to work in Canada, meaning
- you must check the employee's existing immigration document authorizing them to work in Canada
- you’re responsible for verifying that it has not expired. If it has, you must verify that they have maintained their status.
- you must determine if their work permit allows them to work in the specific job you’re offering
It’s illegal to employ a foreign national who does not have authorization to work in Canada.