A live-in caregiver is basically a nanny who is employed in a particular home. Canada offers a special program called the Live-in Caregiver Program. A foreign national can apply as a live-in caregiver through this program. The requirements for this program are quite stringent and should satisfy both the demands of the Citizenship and Immigration department of Canada and also the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).
Who does this Program Apply to?
Everyone applying through this program is expected to do a minimum of 30 hours of work per week. The care extend can apply to:
- Children or minors who are below 18 years of age
- Elderly people of age 65 years or above
- Persons who are suffering from disabilities that are predominant enough to affect regular functioning.
A caregiver can be expected to provide care to any of the above categories of people.
Eligibility requirements for Visa
It is not that easy to obtain a live-in caregiver visa Canada. So if you are looking to apply for this, then you need to start preparing the required documents as early as possible. Given below are some of the mandatory essentials for the visa.
- A good knowledge of English or French language fundamentals for communication.
- A signed contract (written version is preferred) from the future prospective employer you are applying to. This is an employment contract that is expected to have details like job duties, location of job, medical insurance, expected hours of work per day, wage details, holidays and leave entitlements, accommodation arrangements and also the termination period and resignation terms.
- A work permit for Canada is also needed when you apply for the live-in caregiver visa. During visa verification process, you might be asked to show this to the Border Services officials. An optimistic LMO (Labour Market Opinion) from the employer is needed when applying for the work permit.
- A completion record of Canadian secondary school education(high school) or any other acceptable equivalent. In general this will include 12 years of basic education.
- Aproof of completion of minimum training period of six months or a work experience of one year as a caregiver or other similar occupation. This experience should be within the past three years from the date of application and is accepted only if it is a paid work under full-time basis. Reference letters from all the previous employers will also be needed.
In addition to this, for successful hiring, your employer must also separately apply to the HRSDC or the Service Canada (SC) department to verify and confirm the job offer. Without this your application will fail even if all the documents on your side are perfect. This step allows the officials to check if the offer satisfies the provincial requirements. They also check if there are enough permanent residents or Canadians citizens who can do this particular job. Only if they find a void there, your job offer will be approved.