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Live-in Caregiver
The Live-in Caregiver Program's goal is to bring qualified workers to
Canada to work as a live-in caregivers when there are not enough Canadians to fill the available positions.
What is a Live-in Caregiver?
The Live-in Caregiver Program allows professional caregivers to work in Canada. Caregivers are individuals who are qualified to work without supervision in a private household providing care for children, elderly persons or people who have disabilities. The live-in caregiver must live in the employer's home.
This program has a certain categories from the other program that would allow the live in caregiver to be eligible to apply as a permanent residence after working or completing their 24 months of authorized full time employment within four years from their date of arrival. Recently the legislation has approved that after the completion of the 24 months of full time employment, when the live in caregiver are ready eligible to apply for PR. They no longer need to undergo the standard mandatory requirement for a second medical exam.
There are four main requirements you must meet to qualify under the Live-in Caregiver Program:
- You must have successfully completed the equivalent of a
Canadian high school education. This requirement will help to ensure that if you apply for permanent
residence after two years as a live-in caregiver, you will be able to succeed in the general labour market.
- You must have six months of full-time training in a classroom setting OR twelve
months of full-time paid employment, including at least six months of continuous
employment with one employer in a field or occupation related to the job you are
seeking as a live-in caregiver. You may have gained your training
or experience in areas such as early childhood education, geriatric care, pediatric nursing or first aid. You
may also have completed your training as part of your formal education.
This experience must have been obtained within the three years immediately prior to
the day on which you submit an application for a work permit.
- You must be able to speak, read and understand either English or French at a level that allows you
to function independently in a home setting.
- You must have a written employment contract between you and your future employer. The contract defines your job duties, hours of work, salary and benefits. The contract also reinforces your employer's legal responsibilities to you. This requirement helps provide a fair working arrangement between the caregiver and the employer and provides both parties with a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
You are protected
As a live-in caregiver, you have legal rights respecting fair working conditions and fair treatment under employment standards legislation in most provinces and territories. Nothing in your contract must violate these rights. Employment standards legislation may cover rights in areas such as:
- days off each week;
- vacation time with pay;
- paid public holidays;
- overtime pay;
- minimum wage;
- other protection, including equal pay, equal benefits and notice of employment termination;
- maximum charges for room and board.
The application procedure
Your prospective employer will submit an application for
LMO
a request to hire you to Service Canada formerly known as HRSDC. The Service Canada will ensure that no Canadian, permanent resident or other temporary worker already in Canada is qualified and available to take the employer's offer of employment. Once Service Canada has confirmed the job offer, it will send the prospective employer a confirmation letter. This letter will instruct your prospective employer to send a copy of the confirmation letter to you. You and your prospective employer should check the visa office Web site for specific information about the next step: applying for a work permit. It is up to you and/or your employer to download the appropriate application forms from the CIC web site, complete them and send them with the application fee and supporting documents to the visa office.
You will be asked for your diplomas, school certificates or transcripts listing the courses you have taken. You could be disqualified from the program if you are not honest about your education, training and experience. You must provide information about your marital status and the number of children you have. This information will not affect the outcome of your application. You may be asked to attend an interview with a visa officer. If your application form is incomplete, or you have not submitted all the required documents, your application will be refused.
If the visa office approves your application, you will be given instructions for medical tests. When CIC officials receive proof that your medical results are satisfactory and that you have met all other requirements, you will be issued a work permit. A work permit is not a travel document. You must also get a passport and a Canadian temporary resident visa (TRV), if required. The requirement for a passport and temporary resident visa will depend on your country of citizenship.
Because of an agreement between the Government of Canada and the Province of Quebec, there are differences in
the way the program operates for caregivers who will be working in Quebec.
For more information, visit the
Web site of Quebec at
www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca.
Pro-Care is not an agency that provides an employer for a live-in caregiver applicant. However, we could assist or help you process the application, should you already have an employer or you are an employer and would like assistance about the live in caregiver program.
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