Eligibility for the New Caregiver PR pathway *March 2025
Home care workers can now access more information about the upcoming pathways to Canadian permanent residence.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has shared additional details about the upcoming Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP), including reduced eligibility criteria for language proficiency, work experience, and education requirements for applicants.
The Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots will offer two Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exempt immigration pathways, enabling foreign home care workers to secure employment and permanent residence (PR) upon their arrival in Canada. These pathways are set to launch on March 31, 2025.
IRCC clarified that the HCWP will initially accept applications only from candidates currently in Canada. Those outside Canada will be able to apply at a later date.
Further details regarding the HCWP pathways have been provided by IRCC:
- The specific streams available within the HCWP
- Eligibility criteria for language proficiency, work experience, and job offers
- HCWP eligibility for out-of-status workers in Canada
- Guidance for applicants to the previously closed Home Child Care Worker and Home Support Worker Pilots
What are the streams for the new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots?
Foreign nationals can apply to the new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) under two streams:
- The Workers in Canada stream
- The Applicants not working in Canada stream
When the program opens at the end of March, only the Workers in Canada stream will begin accepting applications. The Applicants not working in Canada stream will start accepting applications later in the year.
IRCC recommends that potential applicants to the Workers in Canada stream complete an approved language test and have their education assessed through an Education Credential Assessment (ECA) in preparation for the HCWP's March opening.
Details about the application process for the Applicants not working in Canada stream have not yet been released. More information will be provided by IRCC as it becomes available.
Who is eligible for the HCWP?
Work experience
Six months of recent, relevant work; OR A credential of at least six months of related home care training.
Language proficiency
CLB 4 or higher in English or French.
Job offer
Must have a job offer from either A private household OR An organization* that directly hires full-time home care workers to provide short-term or occasional home care.
Education
Secondary school diploma.
In addition to the criteria mentioned above, home care workers must also intend to reside in a Canadian province other than Quebec to be eligible for these new streams.
Candidates who meet the work experience requirement can have obtained this experience either in Canada or abroad.
Job Offer Conditions Foreign nationals applying to the HCWP may hold a job offer from any of the following organizations:
- Home health care service providers
- Home care support service providers
- Direct care agencies
- Personal care services in residential settings
- Pediatric home health care service providers
Job offers from recruitment and placement agencies are not eligible.
It is important to note that a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is not required to support these job offers.
Additional Eligibility for Out-of-Status Workers and Previous Applicants IRCC has extended eligibility for the HCWP to home care workers in Canada who are currently out of status. These individuals may still be eligible to apply under the HCWP due to a public policy, with a limited number of spots available for this group.
Furthermore, some previous applicants to the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots (which were closed in June 2024) may continue to apply under the previous pathways. Newcomers who applied under the "Gaining Experience" category of the old pilots before June 2024, and who have since accumulated enough eligible work experience, can submit proof of their experience to IRCC in order to have their permanent residence (PR) application considered.
Please reach out to us anytime at hello@foothillsimmigration.com
