On December 6, 2022, IRCC published updates for the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot that come under the Canada Caregiver Program. There are a changes to the experience, language and education requirements, and updated job offer assessment and admissibility criteria.
Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot will start accepting application as enter the new year 2023. IRCC has a quota of accepting only 2,750 applications under each of the pilot programs.
Program deliver updates contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders. Learn about the new program updates below.
Updated language requirements
The candidate must demonstrate that they have achieved a level 5 in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in either English or French for each of the four language skill areas:
- reading
- writing
- speaking
- listening
Updated application process and who can apply
Under the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots, all applications for permanent residency (APR) must be filed at the Case Processing Centre in Edmonton (CPC-E) in Alberta.
There are two caps for each pilot:
Intake cap: In each pilot, a maximum of 2,750 applications will be accepted for intake per calendar year. It applies to all applicants, even if their applications are incomplete.
Processing cap: Each pilot will process a maximum of 2,750 applications per fiscal year. To be deemed complete and eligible for processing, applications must meet the conditions outlined in section 10 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) and the application kit.
- You may also like:
- Reasons That Put IRCC Application In “Review Required” Delay
- Here Are IRCC Service Standards For Processing Various Applications
- IRCC Testing New Automation Tools To Improve Processing
- Dual Intent Canada Immigration Applications-All You Need To Know
About the updated process
Category of gaining experience (Category A)
You must meet the eligibility and admission standards directly if you have less than 24 months of relevant Canadian work experience. These include the following:
- Satisfy the minimum language requirements
- Fulfill the minimum education requirements
- Posses a valid job offer and is likely to accept it
- Be able to perform the work
- Must be admissible to Canada
Officers evaluate applications based on the criteria listed above. If the applicant is eligible and admissible, an occupation-restricted open work permit (OROWP) is issued, and the permanent residency application is placed on hold.
Dependents who apply for permanent residency with the principal applicant may be entitled to join the principal applicant and may be granted open work permits or study permits.
When applying for permanent residence through one of these pilot programs, applicants must submit an application for a work permit for themselves, as well as applications for work or study permits or applications to enter Canada as a visitor or to extend their stay as a visitor for any accompanying dependents.
The principal applicant must obtain 24 months of valid, full-time Canadian work experience after receiving an OROWP. To remain eligible for the program, this must occur within three years of receiving their OROWP. Applicants must provide documentation of gaining this work experience within three years of receiving their OROWP.
If the officer believes that the work experience submitted before issuing the OROWP does not match the criteria for valid work experience (e.g., inadequate time or inaccurate NOC) after the issuance of the OROWP, they may decline the application.
Direct entry into the permanent residence category (Category B)
A candidate with at least 24 months of qualified Canadian work experience must meet the following requirements:
- Satisfy the minimum language requirements
- Fulfill the minimum education requirements
- Complete the Canadian work experience requirement
- Must be admissible to Canada
The application may be rejected if the officer determines that the provided work experience does not satisfy the requirements for acceptable work experience (e.g., the applicant does not have sufficient work experience or appropriate work experience).
Updated completeness check upon receipt
Applications submitted for the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilot programs must be checked for completeness following the standards and the application kit specifications in effect at the time of submission.
If the application satisfies all requirements, the Case Processing Center does the following:
- Inputs application information into the Global Case Management System (GCMS)
- reimburses the processing fee
- provides the applicant with an acknowledgement of receipt with an E number
If the application is incomplete, the CPC notifies the applicant and records the incident in GCMS before returning the package and fees to them. In general, there are exceptions. As for assessing applications for completeness, offices can provide assistance when necessary. It is especially true when a document is missing and a documented explanation for its absence is provided.
Examining the application against the selection criteria
Based on the information and documentation provided in the application, applicants are evaluated against the pass-and-fail selection criteria listed below. In addition, to get authorized, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Education -The candidate must submit proof that they have completed either of the following items:
- A 1-year post-secondary (or higher) educational credential in Canada or
- a foreign educational credential equivalent to the above, as well as an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report issued for immigration reasons by an IRCC-designated organization
- Official language proficiency – as explained in the first section of this article.
In addition, applicants must provide proof of either of the following:
- Have a minimum of 24 months of qualifying Canadian work experience, or
- a valid job offer and the ability to perform the work
Updated admissibility requirements
Whether or not they are accompanying, the primary candidate and their family members must undergo security, criminal background checks, and medical exams.
After the application has met specific eligibility requirements and either of the following, an officer will evaluate these admissibility conditions:
- Once all requirements, including those pertaining to work experience, have been satisfied and the candidate has demonstrated that they have at least 24 months of verifiable relevant work experience in their original application (Category B – Direct to permanent residence)
- Before the application is granted an occupation-restricted open work permit (OROWP), if the applicant has less than 24 months of qualifying work experience (Category A – Gaining experience – stage 1)
- Before granting permanent residence status, the officer checks that the applicant and family members, whether accompanying or not, are still allowed to Canada when the applicant presents documentation of obtaining 24 months of qualifying work experience. This may necessitate extra medical examinations (if they have not expired) and additional police checks.
Applicants are highly advised to provide police certifications with their application. If the police certificates are not included, the processing office must seek one for the applicant’s current country of residence and one for any country where they have lived for 6 months or more since they were 18.
What is Canada Caregiver program?
Families can hire foreign caregivers to look after children, seniors, or anyone with documented medical needs in their homes. However, with the ongoing labour shortage, Canada has a severe shortage of caregivers. Due to this, the government introduced the pilot caregiver program.
Currently, two programs under the Caregiver pilot enable Canadian citizens and permanent residents residing in Canada to employ foreign caregivers to work in their homes, Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot.
The Home Child Care Provider Pilot focuses on those who work with young children under 18. While the Home Support Worker pilot is for those who assist the elderly, people with disabilities and recovering patients.
New IRCC Temporary Policy For Spousal Open Work Permit Eligibility
Phase 1 of new IRCC temporary policy expanding eligibility for spousal open work permit will come in effect on January 30, 2023.
Ontario PNP (OINP) Sent 692 New Invitations For PR
First Ontario PNP (OINP) Masters Graduate Stream of 2023 invited 692 profiles having EOI cut off score at 44 or above. Details inside.
Here Are New Updated IRCC Processing Times As Of January 25
Here are newly updated official IRCC processing times as of January 25, 2023 as well as comparison with last week’s processing times.
BC PNP Draw Sent More Than 270 New Invitations For PR
Latest BC PNP Draw (British Columbia) invited 221 applicants for permanent residency (PR). Minimum cut off score reduced by 3 points for 4 categories.
Ontario PNP (OINP) Draw Sent 620 New Invites For PR
First OINP International Student Stream of 2023 invited profiles having a score of 82 and above in general draw. Details inside.
Canada Immigration Backlog Drops To 918,300
Canada immigration backlog finally drops below 1 million as per latest available official IRCC data. Backlog reduces for citizenship & temporary residence files
International Students Protest Calling For New Changes to Manitoba PNP
International students calling on Manitoba PNP to lower the cut off points and work permit extensions that are expiring soon. Details inside.
Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) for Canada Immigration
Most Canada immigration and visa programs require a police clearance certificate commonly known as PCC. Check out PCC requirements and where to get it from.
IEC 2023: Second Draw of The Year Sent 7,118 New Invites
IEC 2023 Second draw sent 7,118 new invitations under three categories. As usual, most of the invites went to Working Holiday category.
IRCC Doubles PR Quota For Out-Of-Status Construction Workers In GTA
Today, IRCC announced doubling the Permanent Residency (PR) quota, for the out-of-status construction workers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
Canada Permanent Resident Travel Document-All You Need To Know
Permanent residents outside Canada without valid PR cards need a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return to Canada. Here’s how to apply.
Alberta PNP – New Updated Numbers As Of January 17, 2023
Last Alberta PNP Express Entry draw was in December 2022 inviting 129 profiles having CRS cut off score 305 and above. Get full details here.
Express Entry Draw Sent 5,500 New Invites For PR-January 18
Express Entry draw Cut off score dropped by 17 points to 490 in the second draw of 2023! Get full details and Express Entry draw history here!
Check Out Latest IRCC Processing Times As Of January 18
Here are newly updated official IRCC processing times as of January 18, 2023 as well as comparison with last week’s processing times.
British Columbia PNP Sent More Than 190 New Invites For PR
January 17 – BC PNP Draw (British Columbia PNP) invited more than 190 applicants for permanent residency (PR) under 5 different categories. Details inside.
IRCC Considering New Measures To Clear Visitor Visa Backlog
IRCC hopes to significantly reduce or eliminate visitor visa backlog with “Aggressive Actions.” Announcement could be made within days as per internal sources.
Canada Study Permit – Know How to Address Gaps In Study!
If you have a study gap, but looking to apply for study visa in Canada. Learn about the most common reasons for a gap and how to justify them.
New Immigration Appeal Rules Effective January 14, 2023
Immigration Appeal Division will be implementing new rules effective January 14, 2023. These new rules will be replacing old Rules introduced in 2002.