Home Care Provider Pilot

The Home Care provider Pilot has two main streams under it. The federal government of Canada has designed this pathway in accordance with the Immigrants Refugees Citizenship Canada to allow eligible caregivers a chance to gain permanent residence in Canada and Canadian citizenship. 

Each application submitted through this program for Canada PR is assessed against certain selection criteria such as educational qualifications, language proficiency, validity of job offered by an employer in Canada and previous work experience. We have discussed some important aspects of the program and the qualifications you require to gain permanent residency in Canada through this program. 

Education.

To meet the educational requirements of this program, you should meet at least one of the following conditions.

• Education equivalent to one-year post-secondary study by Canadian standards.
• If you completed your education outside Canada, you must have an Educational Credential Assessment report made by an organization authorized by the Canadian government and the IRCC

If you require an ECA report to apply for this program, the report must contain the following.

• Your education must be equivalent to a one-year post-secondary study by Canadian standards. 
• This report must have been issued within the previous 5 years of submitting your application.
• When the report was issued, the organization must have been authorized by the IRCC.

If an immigration officer is concerned about the authenticity of the report, you will be made aware of it. Then you will be asked to send additional supporting documents. 

Qualifying Canadian work experience

You will be required to submit proof of having qualifying experience of working in Canada as a caregiver. This will be assessed by the authorities of the program. This assessment will be done in the initial stages of processing of permanent residence application-form, or after an open work permit is issued through the Home Care Provider Program. 

If your experience is of less than 24 months

If you fulfill all the eligibility criteria but have not worked for 24 months in a qualifying Canadian work, when you are submitting your application, you will be issued an Open Work Permit that is occupation-specific. From then, you will have 36 months to gain the required 24 months of work experience. 

If you have work experience less than 24 months before submitting your application, you can count this with the work experience gained during the 36 month period. However, you should be able to certify that it was gained within the specified 36 months. 

If you have 24 months of experience

If you have 24 months of qualifying Canadian work experience when you apply for PR Canada, you will have to submit proof of this with your application. This experience must have been gained within 36 months of submitting your application for Canadian permanent residence. 

Qualifying work

The work experience must have been gained as a full-time worker, doing 30 hours of paid work per week. This must have been gained in a qualifying occupation as described by the National Occupational Classification. 

Home Support Worker Pilot 

If you are applying through this stream, you will be required to have qualifying work experience as a Home Support Worker or in an occupation related to this (NOC 4412). However, if you have experience as a housekeeper or occupations related to that, you will not qualify for this stream. 

Breaks in work experience

You are required to have a job when you apply for this program. However, it’s not necessary to do the work in continuity. However, the following periods of time cannot be counted with your qualifying work experience. 

• Extended absence from Canada, even if it is to work for an employer outside Canada.
• Times when you are unemployed.
• Periods of prolonged sickness.
• Parental leaves.
• Periods when you were self-employed.
• Times when you were employed when you were a full-time student.

A reasonable period of vacation leave will be allowed to be counted in your work experience. You must have had a valid visa at the time of working in Canada, you must also have maintained a temporary resident status during this time. The work experience could have been gained under a combination of work visas. 

Job offer

If you have submitted proof of 24 months of qualifying work experience, you do not require a job offer for this program. However, if you do not have 24 months of qualifying Canadian work experience, you will have to have gained a job offer from an eligible employer. The job offer must fulfill the below-given conditions. 

• The offer must be from one employer living in Canada
• It must not be from a Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate. 
• The offer must be for a position outside of Quebec.
• The position must be for a full-time position 30 hours paid work per week.
• The work must be non-seasonal in nature.
• It must be as an in-house child-care provider or a home support worker.
• The offer must be legally genuine so that a job-specific open work permit can be issued to you.

Assessing if a job offer is genuine

A job offer can be considered genuine if it fulfills the following criteria.

• You should be satisfying a genuine need for a caregiver.
• The wage you will be offered must be specified in the job offer letter.
• The wage must be in accordance with the median wage in that province in that occupation.
• The financial stability of the employer must be sound and he/she should have funds to pay the specified wage to you.
• Reasonable accommodations should be provided if the job has a live-in arrangement.

Immigration officers can ask for additional information from the employer to verify the job offer. 

Supporting documentation

Supporting documentation is referred to while the application is being processed. Here are some supporting documents you can provide along with your Canadian permanent residency application and reduce the processing time of your application process. 

• Proof of the work experience mentioned in your application such as a reference letter from your employer, photocopy of the records of your employment, work contracts and pay stubs. 
• Photocopies of your educational qualifications and training. This includes your diploma, degree or certification.
• A copy of your language test score. 
• A copy of your Canadian work visa. 

If you are applying for permanent residency through this program but do not have 24 months of qualifying work experience, you will have to meet all the other eligibility criteria such as educational qualifications, language proficiency, valid job offer and you must have the ability to perform the job and meet all the requirements for the job. These will be assessed for admissibility by the immigration office before you are given an open work permit. 

The  Canadian government has also introduced other programs such as the Express Entry Program and the Provincial Nominee Programs to help those immigrating to Canada become a permanent resident of Canada, gain permanent resident status and become a Canadian citizen.  Special programs are also available for Canadian immigrants who are international students, foreign workers, temporary residents and skilled workers under the Provincial Nominee Program. 

So do not delay any longer. Find out from your Immigration consultant if you are eligible for permanent residence in Canada and Canadian citizenship through the Home Care Provider Program according to the Canadian Immigration Law, and grab the chance to immigrate to Canada today!