Canada has publicized two new ways that would give caregivers from overseas permanent residence upon entrance into the country. The new streams are intended to substitute two current programs that were established to wind down on June 17: the Home Child Care Provider Model and the Home Support Worker Model. The five-year pilots were first established in 2019 and were intended to bring foreign caregivers into the country to care for children, elders, and people with incapacities. The new pilots, which the administration says are a move toward establishing an enduring caregiver program in Canada, address some long-held worries that criticizers of the country’s method to foreign caregivers have spent years highlighting.
Formerly, applicants to the present programs required 12 months of Canadian work experience to succeed in permanent residence, and some said that several caregivers stay stuck in unsafe working situations Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that vastly anticipated variations to language and education necessities to qualify for the new pilots, which are set to be introduced sometime between this fall and early 2025. Where candidates were previously required to validate a language ability of level 5 in either English or French, that necessity has now been reduced to level 4. Education necessities have also been dropped: caregivers formerly needed to have the equivalent of at least one year of post-secondary education or a foreign educational qualification equivalent.
Under the incoming pilots, the equivalent of a Canadian high school qualification will suit, along with “recent and related” work experience. A proposal for a full-time home care job is also compulsory. Through the streams, caregivers will also be able to work for establishments that offer part-time care for individuals who are recuperating from injury or illness and those who are not fully self-governing. Caregivers have an extensive legacy here in Canada as they’re influential in helping families take care of loved ones, Miller said in a news discussion in Toronto. I believe these variations will offer families the facilities they need and endure to advance protections for home care workers. Miller further added that in 2023, Canada recognized more than 3,000 caregivers and their relatives under the present pilots and that this year, 2,000 more became permanent residents. We still do have an accumulation under the pilots, he said. There’s a matter of fairness in there. It is anticipated the new streams will be covered by a maximum number of candidates per year, though Miller’s office was not able to offer specific numbers. The current programs cover 2,750 applicants annually apiece.
