Live-in caregivers are individuals who are qualified to provide care for children, elderly persons or persons with disabilities in private homes without supervision. Live-in caregivers must live in the private home where they work in Canada.
Both the employer and the employee must follow several steps to meet the requirements of the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
Changes to Canada’s Caregiver Program took effect on November 30, 2014.
If Caregiver choose to live out of your employer’s home, you will be leaving the Live-in Caregiver Program:
You will need to apply for a regular work permit. Your current or future employer will need a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) before you apply.
The work you do on a live-out basis may count towards the work requirement in order to apply through either the Caring for Children or Caring for People with High Medical Needs pathway.
Determine your eligibility – Live-in caregivers
You must meet certain requirements to be eligible for the Live-in Caregiver Program in Canada.
You will need:
A positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from an employer in Canada
A written contract with your future employer, signed by you and the employer
Successful completion of the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school education
At least six months’ training or at least one year of full-time paid work experience as a caregiver or in a related field or occupation (including six months with one employer) in the past three years
Good knowledge of English or French
A work permit before you enter Canada
Requirements to become a permanent resident
You may be eligible to apply for permanent residence in Canada after you have had the following work experience under the Live-in Caregiver Program:
24 months of authorized full-time live-in employment, or
3,900 hours of authorized full-time employment. You can complete these hours within a minimum of 22 months. When calculating your hours, you can also include up to 390 hours of overtime; and
When calculating your work experience, you cannot include:
Any period of unemployment
Any extended time outside Canada. For example, if you leave Canada for longer than the period of vacation time allotted in your employment contract, that period does not count.
Any period you work for your employer outside Canada. For example, time spent on a family vacation outside of Canada will not count.
Any period you work in Canada as a caregiver while living outside the home of your employer. If you have work experience as a live-out caregiver that you would like to include in your application, you must apply for permanent residence through the Caring for Children or Caring for People with High Medical Needs pathway.