Caregivers and employers welcomed the recent announcement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC that Canadian work experience required for a caregiver to qualify for permanent residence is being reduced from 24 months to 12 months. This means that caregivers and their families will now benefit from a faster path to permanent residence. Those who have applied under the Home Child Care Provider Pilot (HCCP) and Home Support Worker Pilot (HSWP) will now need 12 months Canadian work experience to qualify for permanent residence. This change will be effective as of April 30, 2023, and will be retrospective for caregivers who have already applied. According to IRCC, nearly 1,600 caregiver and their family members have become permanent residents. In 2022 alone, nearly 1,100 caregivers and their family members became permanent residents through the two pilots. With the change in the work experience requirement, it is expected to benefit around 90 % of applications currently in processing.
As per IRCC’s website, current processing time under Home Child Care Provider Pilot direct to permanent residence category is 31 months. Applicants are hoping for a shorter processing time to benefit from a faster permanent residence and successful settlement in Canada.
For 2023, the Home Child Care Provider Pilot is already closed for the gaining experience category, while applications are still being accepted under the Home Support Worker Pilot.
The two pilots namely the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Work Pilot will conclude in June 2024 and IRCC is working on the future of caregiver programming in Canada.
VISITORS CAN CONTINUE TO APPLY FOR WORK PERMITS INSIDE CANADA UNTIL FEBRUARY 28, 2025.
Canada’s temporary public policy allowing visitors in Canada to apply for an employer specific work permit without having to leave the country has been extended for up to two years. Announcement came on the last day that the public policy was set to expire on Feb 28, 2023.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced that IRCC is continuing this measure to help businesses find workers as Canada continues to experience significant job growth and acute labour shortages.
This temporary public policy was originally intended as a covid measure which has been extended by 2 years, until February 28, 2025. Prior to this temporary policy change, those applying to work in Canada would typically need to apply for their initial work permit, they would need to leave Canada to be issued their work permit, with this policy in place, leaving Canada is no longer required.
To be eligible for the employer specific work permit, the foreign national must be in Canada with a valid temporary resident status as a visitor including status extensions, has submitted an employer-specific work permit, has remained in Canada with status since application submission and intends to remain in Canada through out the period during which their work permit application is being processed and submitted the application on or before Feb 28, 2025.
Visitors in Canada must have a job offer that is supported by a labour market impact assessment or LMIA or an LMIA exempt offer of employment and must meet all other standard admissibility criteria.
Statistics Canada identified five sectors facing labour shortage namely construction, manufacturing, retail trade, health care and social assistance and accommodation and food services.
IRCC reported that in November 2022 alone, over 260,000 visitor visas were processed and that Canada is now processing more visitor visa applications than it did prior to the pandemic.
If you have questions regarding the above article, you may contact Marjorie at [email protected]
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
A word of caution: You should not act or rely on the information provided in this column. It is not a legal advice. To ensure your interests are protected, retain, or formally seek advice from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing of CICC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.
