Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced it will open new immigration pilot programs for caregivers. According to IRCC, the new pilot programs will offer home care workers permanent residence status on arrival in Canada (instead of requiring a certain amount of work experience in Canada before applying for permanent residence). They will also be allowed to work for organizations that provide temporary or part-time care for individuals who are semi-independent or recovering from an injury or illness (which is not currently allowed under existing caregiver programs). To be eligible, applicants must attain a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark level 4 (whereas currently they must attain level 5); hold the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma (whereas currently they require a post-secondary credential); have recent and relevant work experience; and receive an offer for a full-time home care job. A timeframe for implementation of the pilots has not yet been announced but more information on eligibility criteria and application details will be available before the launch. The announcement comes as the existing Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot come to a close on June 17, 2024, while the government works toward making the caregiver pilot programs permanent.
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