Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, has unveiled a groundbreaking permanent residency-on-arrival program for caregivers.

With the current Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot nearing their expiration, Miller announced that the new pilot program aims to address the home care needs of Canada’s diverse population by granting caregivers permanent residency (PR) as soon as they arrive in the country.

As the existing programs are set to end on June 17, the new initiatives will allow home care workers to gain permanent resident status upon arrival, bypassing the previous requirement for a specific amount of work experience in Canada.

Additionally, these caregivers will be eligible to work for organizations offering temporary or part-time care to individuals who are semi-independent or recovering from illness or injury.

The criteria for the new caregiver program represent a shift from the previous pilot programs. The older initiatives required a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 5, one year of Canadian post-secondary education (or its foreign equivalent), and at least six months of work experience.

To qualify for the new caregiver program, applicants must:

• Achieve a minimum CLB level of 4
• Hold the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma
• Have recent and relevant work experience
• Secure a full-time job offer in home care

In an IRCC news release, Immigration Minister Marc Miller emphasized the importance of caregivers, stating, “Caregivers play a critical role in supporting Canadian families, and our programs need to reflect their invaluable contributions. As we work to implement a permanent caregivers program, these two new pilots will not only improve support for caregivers but also provide families with the quality care they deserve.”

According to the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada plans to welcome over 15,000 new permanent residents through caregiver programs. Since the launch of the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot in 2019, about 5,700 caregivers and their family members have become permanent residents as of April 30, 2024.

The demand for caregivers is increasing as Canada’s population ages. Over the next six years, more than nine million Canadians are expected to retire, heightening the need for additional home or institutional care.

A report by the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence underscores the urgent needs of caregivers in Canada, highlighting that many caregivers are 65 or older and may require care themselves. Nearly one in five caregivers falls into this age group and are the least likely to access services or support to aid their caregiving responsibilities.

Moreover, the need for childcare providers is growing as more women, traditionally responsible for young children’s caretaking, seek to enter the workforce.

IRCC has not yet specified the work experience requirements for the new pilot programs and will provide further details as the full launch approaches, expected by the end of fall 2024 or early 2025.

This initiative marks a significant enhancement of the existing caregiver pilot programs, facilitating the continued arrival of caregivers to Canada while transitioning these programs into permanent solutions.