Permanent Residence for Caregivers

You may be able to apply for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider (HCCP) Pilot or Home Support Worker (HSW) Pilot if you:

• meet the eligibility requirements, and
• have a job offer to work in one of these occupations

The HCCP Pilot and the HSW Pilot are programs that let qualified caregivers and their family members come to Canada with the goal of becoming permanent residents. If you’ve been offered a job in Canada as a caregiver or have experience working in Canada as a caregiver, you may be able to apply for permanent residence through one of these pilots.
Through these pilots, you’ll get an open work permit to come to Canada and work temporarily. This work permit:

• is occupation-restricted (so you have to work in that specific occupation)
• doesn’t need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
• lets you get the work experience you need to be eligible for permanent residence

QUALIFYING WORK EXPERIENCE

Qualifying work experience means you’ve worked full-time in Canada in 1 of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) jobs:

• home child care provider - NOC 4411 (experience as a foster parent doesn’t count)
  OR
• home support worker - NOC 4412 (experience as a housekeeper doesn’t count)

The application process will be different depending on your situation and how much qualifying work experience you have.

If you don’t have any Qualifying Work Experience or have less than 24 months of Qualifying Work Experience

You can apply for permanent residence through the HCCP Pilot or the HSW Pilot as long as you meet the other eligibility requirements. The process is as under:

• You apply to either the HCCP Pilot or the HSW Pilot, depending on which occupation you plan to work in.
• You submit a work permit application together with your permanent residence application.
• If you meet the requirements, you get a work permit to work in Canada temporarily.
• Your family members are also eligible to come with you to Canada. If they want to work or study while in Canada, you can include their work or study permit applications with your application.
• The work permit you get is an occupation-restricted open work permit and lets you work as a caregiver for any employer except for one that is listed as ineligible on the list of employers who have failed to comply with the conditions or the one that regularly offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages
• You get at least 24 months of work experience to qualify for permanent residence.
• You send IRCC proof of your work experience once you have enough.
• IRCC makes a final decision on your application for permanent residence.

You must also provide proof of both of the following:

• a job offer
• the ability to perform the work

Provide Proof of a Job Offer

If you do not have 24 months of eligible Canadian work experience at the time of your initial application for permanent residence, you must demonstrate that you have obtained a job offer that is

• from a single Canadian employer
  • The employer cannot be an embassy, high commission or consulate in Canada.
  • The employer can comprise more than one individual (for example, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), but must constitute one simple employer (that is, one single Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number).
• for a position outside the province of Quebec
• for full-time employment (full time means at least 30 hours of paid work per week)
• non-seasonal
• in a home child-care provider or home support worker occupation
• genuine and likely to be valid when you are issued the initial occupation-specific open work permit

The job offer must also describe the work and duties to be performed by you. These duties must align with the actions described in the lead statement for the eligible occupation, as set out in the occupational descriptions of the NOC. The main duties of job offer cannot be for foster parent or housekeeper occupations.

Assessing whether a job offer is genuine and likely to be valid when initial work permit is issued

Proof that a job offer is valid and genuine may include but is not limited to

• a genuine need for a caregiver (for example, proof of a school-age child or a person with medical needs in the home)
• the fact that the wage specified in the job offer is aligned with the prevailing wage in the province where the work will be carried out
• the fact that the employer has the financial ability to pay the wages specified in the job offer
• in the case of a live-in arrangement, the fact that reasonable accommodations are provided (for example, a private room)

To assess the validity of the job offer, IRCC officers can request further information from the employer and use information provided on the job offer. For example, officers can assess whether the employer is financially able to pay you the salary described in the job offer or if there is a genuine need for a caregiver by examining

• financial information provided by the employer
• your salary
• the household composition declared in the job offer

Provide Proof of Ability to Perform the Work

If you have not obtained at least 24 months of qualifying Canadian work experience, you must demonstrate that you are able to perform the work described in the lead statement of the occupational description of the NOC.

• NOC 4411 if applying for the Home Child-Care Provider Pilot
• NOC 4412 if applying the Home Support Worker Pilot

Failure to do so may result in a refusal.
Note: Foster parents are excluded from NOC 4411 and housekeepers are excluded from NOC 4412.

Supporting documentation

When assessing your ability to perform the work, officers can refer to supporting documentation provided in the application. This may include, but is not limited to

• proof of relevant previous work experience (either paid or unpaid), for example employer reference letters, employment records, work contracts, pay stubs, etc
• copies of relevant education credentials or training, which can include diplomas or certificates
• a copy of your most recent work permit in Canada (if you have been working in Canada)

If you are applying with less than 24 months of qualifying work experience and have met the eligibility requirements relating to education, language, job offer and ability to perform the work, you will be assessed for admissibility before being issued an occupation-specific open work permit and being assessed for qualifying work experience.

Note

If you’re already working in Canada as a home child care provider or home support worker, you can:

• Apply to one of these pilots to complete your work experience, or
• Keep working on your current work permit until you have 24 months of work experience.

If you choose to keep working on your current work permit, when you have enough work experience, follow the process for caregivers who have 24 months of qualifying work experience.

If you have 24 or more months of Qualifying Work Experience

You and your family members may be eligible to apply for permanent residence through the HCCP Pilot or the HSW Pilot. When you apply, you need to include documents to prove you have enough qualifying work experience.

Eligibility to Apply for Permanent Residence

You may be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot, if you:

• have enough work experience
• meet the language level
• meet the education requirement
• are admissible to Canada,
• plan to live outside the province of Quebec

Work Experience

You must have at least 24 months of full-time work experience in Canada in the 36 months before you apply. Depending on which pilot you apply for, your work experience must be in 1 of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) jobs:

Home child care provider (NOC 4411)

• You must care for children under the age of 18 in your own home or in your employer’s home
• 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 4412)

• You must have cared for someone who needs help from a home support worker either in your own home or in your employer’s home
• You don’t need to have lived in your employer’s home to qualify
• Only home support workers are eligible under NOC 4412
• Experience as a housekeeper doesn’t count

For this work experience:

• Your qualifying work experience must be in 1 of these jobs. It cannot be a mix of both jobs
• you must show that your job matched the NOC job description and you must have done most of the main duties
• your 24 months of work experience must be gained in a 36 month period
• you don’t have to have worked 24 months in a row, just 24 months total
• full-time means at least 30 hours of paid work each week
• any work experience you had while you were a full-time student doesn’t count

Language Levels

You need to take a language test to prove you meet the minimum language skills. The minimum language skill is Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5 in English or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NLCL) 5 in French for all 4 language skills: writing, reading, listening, and 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.

NEED HELP?

Get in Touch for more information or applying for permanent residence as a Caregiver.