Bengaluru
Caregivers will no longer have to leave their families behind or come to work in Canada with the uncertainty of permanent residency due to two new pilot programs announced by the federal government Saturday.
The government will now assess caregivers for permanent residency before they are allowed to come to Canada — as opposed to having them apply after two years of working here — and if approved, will receive an occupation-specific work permit that will allow them to change employers without having to apply for another work permit.
Spouses and common-law partners, as well as dependent children, will be allowed to accompany them using government-issued open work permits and study permits, respectively.
“Caregivers provide care to families in Canada that need it, and it’s time for Canada to care for them in return,” said Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, in a press release. “We are providing them with both the opportunity to bring their family members here and access permanent residency to demonstrate our commitment.”
A caregiver will have “a direct pathway to become a permanent resident” after two years of experience, according to the release, which doesn’t lay out how that will happen.
The government announced early last year that it was phasing out the previous caregiver program in November 2019 and that anyone who didn’t have two years of work experience by then would be ineligible for permanent residency.
