Caregivers are recognized by Canada because of the important work that they do in the country. They provide care and support to the children, senior citizens, and others who require the care in Canada. To ensure that there are always enough caregiver workers in the country, Canada offers a wide range of programs to help them find work and also gain permanent residency in the process. Canada offers the following programs for the caregivers: The Interim Pathway for Caregivers was a temporary caregiver program that ran from March 4, 2019 to June 4, 2019. Under this program, the foreign caregiver workers with Canadian work experience who got selected became eligible for the Canadian Permanent Residence.
The program allowed individuals with Canadian work experience as home child care providers or home support workers to apply for permanent resident status before two new caregiver programs were opened later in 2019. After the June 4th deadline, the program no longer accepted new applications, paving the way for two new pilot programs:
In order to be eligible for the Interim Pathway for Caregivers, a person must meet a number of eligibility criteria, with a specific requirement to have work experience in Canada as a home child care provider (NOC 4411) or home support worker (NOC 4412). Please refer below for the specific eligibility criteria:
You must have a valid work permit in Canada, or have applied to extend your work permit and be waiting on a decision, or have applied to restore your status as a worker.
You are not eligible if your application to extend your work permit or restore your status is refused. As well, if your work permit was issued through the Live-in Caregiver Program, you are not eligible for this pathway.
You must have at least 12-months of full-time work experience in Canada gained since November 30th, 2014. This work experience must be in one of two occupations (or a combination of both):
You are allowed to have breaks in employment, it does not have to be continuous. Work experience does not qualify if it was gained while the worker was a full-time student.
All applicants must demonstrate proficiency in either English or French. Applicants must submit results from an official language test taken less than two years prior showing proficiency at CLB Level 5.
You must have an educational credential equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma. If the credential was completed outside of Canada, the applicant will require an Educational Credentials Assessment (ECA).
The Interim Pathway for Caregivers uses a paper-based application system. This means that all forms and documents must be printed, signed, and submitted in hard copy by mail. Please refer to the IRCC official webpage to download the application form and document checklist. In order to be considered complete, an application must include the following:
Certain applicants will require medical exams, police certificates, educational credentials assessment (ECA), and/or biometrics. If in doubt, contact an immigration professional to advise on your application.
Once you are confident your application is complete, you must mail it to IRCC’s Case Processing Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.
Processing times for the Interim Pathway for Caregivers are listed at 12 months.