June 27, 2024
New Caregiver Pilot Programs Announced
On 3 June 2024, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced new caregiver pilot programs as the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot were set to close mid-June.
These new pilot programs will allow home care workers to obtain permanent residence (PR) upon arrival in Canada and will enable them to work for organizations that provide temporary or part-time care for those who are semi-independent or recovering from injury or illness offering candidates with more flexibility when applying.
Individuals interested in applying through these new pilot programs will be eligible if they meet the following criteria:
- meet a minimum of level 4 based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB)
- hold the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma
- have recent and relevant work experience
- receive an offer for a full-time home care job
This criterion provides a significant change from previous caregiver pilot programs as they lower the eligibility requirements. For example, education requirements for existing pilots required a candidate to have one (1) year of Canadian post-secondary education. The new pilots will reduce this requirement to candidates who have the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma. Similarly, under these new pilots, the candidate need only have recent and relevant work experience as opposed to having at least 12 months of full-time Canadian work experience under the existing pilots.
The new pilot programs mark an important step forward in Canada’s efforts to meet the evolving home care needs of its diverse population. More information regarding the new pilot programs will be available before their full launch, including full eligibility criteria and details on how to apply.
