Canada Caregiver Visa Application Process

The Canadian caregiver visa is a Canadian work permit that allows holders to work in predetermined areas in Canada as a caregiver for a period of 2 years, and is evaluated under the H-2B Canada Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TSWP).

In order to obtain a Canadian caregiver visa, an application for a Canadian caregiver visa must be made within the borders of the Republic of Turkey or from the Canadian visa offices of any country other than Canada.

People who are approved for a Canadian caregiver visa are sent an introductory letter by the Canadian visa office responsible for the region they live in. People who want to get a Canadian caregiver visa can apply for a Canadian caregiver visa by submitting the letter sent by the Canadian visa office to the Canadian consulate.

Who is Granted a Canadian Caregiver Visa?

Canada caregiver visa is granted to people who meet the following conditions:

• Persons wishing to become caregivers for children under the age of 18 under the Canadian caregiver program,
• People who want to be caregivers for seniors aged 65 and over under the Canadian caregiver program,
• Individuals who wish to become caregivers for people with disabilities, chronic illnesses or terminal illnesses under the Canadian caregiver program.

What Are the New Canadian Caregiver Programs?

The new Canadian caregiver program is an incentive program designed to encourage foreign nationals who are not Canadian citizens to work in Canada, launched by the Canadian government on June 18, 2019, and includes work and residence permits in Canada as a caregiver. The new Canadian caregiver programs can be examined in two groups: the Canadian home child care and patient care pilot program (HCCP) and the Canadian home support worker pilot program (HSWP).

Home Child Care Pilot Program (HCCP)

One of the new Canadian caregiver programs, the home child care pilot program (HCCP), is a five-year program that allows caregivers to immigrate to Canada with their family members. Caregivers who participate in the Canadian home child care pilot program become permanent residents of Canada after a 5-year period.

As part of the new Canadian caregiver program, applications are open to the Canadian home child care pilot program (HCCP) for the following positions.

• Nannying for Canada’s home childcare pilot program
• Preschool educator for Canadian home childcare pilot program,
• Parental assistance for Canada’s home childcare pilot program
• Accompanying a child with a chronic illness for the Canadian home child care pilot program.

What Are the Requirements for the Home Child Care Pilot Program?

Listed below are the requirements that a Canadian home child care pilot (HCCP) worker under the new Canadian caregiver program must meet to qualify.

• Applicants for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have qualified work experience according to the Canadian national occupational classification (NOC).
  • Canada home child care pilot program applicant must have 2 years of full-time experience as follows.
    • Have worked as a child care provider in any home for 1 year – NOC 4411 (experience as a foster parent does not apply)
    • 1 year of experience as a domestic support worker – NOC 4412 (experience as a cleaner is not valid)
• Applicants for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have completed at least a Canadian high school equivalent education. (For YÖK equivalency, a minimum of an associate degree or a medical school graduation is required.)
• The applicant for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have a work permit that certifies that he/she can practice the profession of caregiver based on education.
• Applicants for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have competence in home management and supervision.
• Applicants for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have proficiency in the official languages ​​at the CLB5 language level. (The official languages ​​of Canada are English and French.)
• The Canadian home child care pilot program applicant must have a job offer in Canada for caregiving.
• In some cases, applicants to the Canadian home child care pilot program may be required to have first aid certification and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training (depending on the health status of the child being cared for under the HCCP).

What Do Caregivers Do Under the Home Child Care Pilot Program (HCCP)?

Below is a list of what employees who are in Canada as caregivers under the Canadian caregiver visa and the Canadian home child care pilot program (HCCP) must do.

• Preparing meals at certain times for the children of the family you will be working with in Canada,
• Establishing and maintaining domestic discipline in accordance with the instructions of the parents working with them in Canada,
• Assisting the children of the family you work for in Canada with their education, and accompanying them to school when necessary,
• Providing basic needs for children of families working with them in Canada when necessary. (For young children, diaper changing, putting them to sleep, for disabled children, assistance-based care services such as toilet assistance and showering)

Home Support Worker Pilot Program (HSWP)

The new Canadian caregiver program, the home support worker pilot program (HSWP), is available to professional caregivers who have experience providing care to senior citizens, people with disabilities, people recovering from illness, or people receiving medical treatment. The Canadian home support worker pilot program is a category of home support caregiving service that allows caregivers working in Canada to conduct their care and support work at the employer’s residence and for the caregiver to reside in the employer’s home.

The following work locations are eligible to apply for the Canadian home support worker pilot program, which is part of the new Canadian caregiver program.

• Family caregiving for Canada home support worker pilot program
• Home support worker for the Canadian home support worker pilot program,
• Canada home support worker pilot program for disabled companions
• Elderly caregiving for Canada home support worker pilot program
• Break worker for Canada home support worker pilot program
• Housekeeper for the Canadian domestic support worker pilot program,
• Personal assistant as support for the homeowner for the Canadian home support worker pilot program.

What Are the Requirements for the Home Child Care Pilot Program?

The required qualifications for the Canadian home support worker pilot under the new Canadian caregiver program are listed below.

• Candidates for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have graduated from an educational institution/organization whose educational background is at least equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma.
• Candidates for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have experience in home management.
• The candidate for the Canadian home child care pilot program must have a certificate of competence in the field of ‘home support’ obtained from the institution/organization where he/she received training,
• In some cases, candidates for the Canadian home child care pilot program will be required to have a first aid certificate (taking into account the care needs of the person to be accompanied and the vital activities that may require emergency intervention),
• The training requirement for the care of the elderly, disabled and convalescent patients that the candidate for the Canadian home child care pilot program will receive from the institution/organization where he/she received training.

What Do Caregivers Do Under the Home Support Worker Pilot Program?

The daily tasks expected of the person/persons working under the Canadian home support worker pilot under the new Canadian caregiver program are listed below.

• Under the Canadian home support worker pilot, care and companionship support for patients in recovery and patients/families undergoing medical treatment,
• Under the Canadian home support worker pilot scheme, people working in the caregiver position should take a shower when needed, pay attention to the general hygiene of the sick person, help the person requiring care with their daily clothing and use ambulance services when necessary.
• Prepare appropriate meals for the person in need of care, monitor and implement a nutrition program appropriate to the patient’s diet, by employees working under the Canadian home support worker pilot program.
• Periodic provision of routine health needs for the person to be cared for by employees working under the Canadian home support worker pilot scheme (such as medication purchases, medical cream treatments)
• Collecting the necessary samples from the people working under the Canadian home support worker pilot application upon request from the nurse and doctor, and transmitting the current health data to the relevant persons (doctor, nurse),
• The job description of those working under the Canadian home support worker pilot scheme (may vary depending on the contracts made with the employer) includes services such as making and making beds, washing dishes, general house cleaning, doing laundry and childcare if necessary.

What Are the Disadvantages of the Canadian Caregiver Program?

The old Canadian caregiver program, which was in effect before June 18, 2019, was an updated Canadian caregiver program that consisted of employer-focused and employer-specific tools, restricting employee rights and making it difficult for employees to find new employment in the event of termination or termination.

Under the old Canadian caregiver program, the permissions and processes that employees had to follow to work for employers other than their current employers in the event of a job loss were long and complicated.

Employees who were laid off under the Canadian caregiver program had to wait a long time to be readmitted to Canada and have their caregiver work permits approved. Former Canadian caregiver program visa holders were allowed to work with a single caregiver/caregiver family, and it was not possible for first-degree relatives to settle in Canada before the 5-year term of office of the person who would be in the caregiver position had passed.

Under the old Canadian caregiver program, employees’ personal time and privacy could be neglected by employers. The old Canadian caregiver program defined less personal freedom for employees under the caregiver status than the new Canadian caregiver program in effect.

What are the Benefits of the New Canada Caregiver Program?

Under the new Canadian caregiver program after June 18, 2019, there are improvements in the single employer and restriction for those who will be working in Canada as a caregiver, although the employer requirement is not removed.

Under the new Canadian caregiver program, caregivers are exempt from the restriction of working for a single employer and are now entitled to be caregivers for more than one person and to work for more than one employer. Families of caregivers working under the new Canadian caregiver program are entitled to live in Canada with the employee, and after 5 years of service, permanent residency is granted to the employee and their family. Caregivers working under the new Canadian caregiver program have gained full independence in changing jobs and have the privilege of leaving their jobs without being subject to deportation.

What are the Eligibility Criteria for Canada’s New Caregiver Programs?

The new Canadian caregiver program eligibility criteria are listed below.

• Applicants for the Canadian new caregiver program must have graduated from educational institutions that are at least equivalent to Canadian high school diplomas (the Turkish Republic Council of Higher Education accepts a university associate degree or a health school diploma as equivalence),
• Applicants for the Canadian new caregiver program must obtain a minimum level 5 score in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) exam in English and French, the official languages ​​of Canada (good command of the language),
• Applicants for Canada’s new caregiver program must have a valid full-time job offer from a Canadian employer.
• The applicants for the Canadian new caregiver program should not have any factors that would cause problems in being accepted to Canada. (Criminal record is bad/incomplete, the person is a minor, the person does not have the education level to meet the requirements, any contagious disease that will be detected during the health check, etc.)

How to Apply for Canada’s New Caregiver Programs

In order to apply for the Canadian new caregiver program, the Canadian new caregiver program candidate who meets the requirements such as language proficiency, educational proficiency and health proficiency must complete the visa procedures completely through an intermediary institution operating as an official visa application center in Turkey. (VFS Global is an exclusive service provider of the Government of Canada authorized to provide administrative support services to visa applicants in Turkey.

Obtaining a visa, which is one of the important steps in applying for a Canadian caregiver program, can be done through an intermediary institution in the order listed below.

• Completely fill out the visa application that must be filled online for the Canada new caregiver program,
• After gathering the necessary documents for the Canadian caregiver visa, the current application fee determined by the intermediary institution must be deposited into the relevant bank account, (2024 current application fee is 80 Canadian Dollars)
• By making an appointment, the necessary documents must be submitted to the competent authority by the person on the appointment date and the biotometry procedures must be completed.
• The visa application will be finalized within 1 to 3 weeks and submitted to the Canadian caregiver visa applicant upon approval.

Within the scope of Canada’s new caregiver program, the information that employers must share with Canadian Government immigration offices and those who will work as caregivers with Canadian Consulates and Embassies is as follows.

The information that the employer must share with the Canadian immigration office in the Canada new caregiver program is listed below.

• Under Canada’s new caregiver program, the employer’s marital status,
• The employer’s relationship with the child companion under Canada’s new companion program,
• The last 6 months’ income records of the person who has employer status under the Canadian new caregiver program,
• The residential address of the property to be used as a workspace-accommodation area under the new caregiver program in Canada. (If the property is the person’s own, declaration of the property, if it is rented, declaration of the rental receipts)

The information that needs to be shared by caregivers in the Canadian new caregiver program when filling out the application form at the Canadian visa application centres is listed below.

• Personal information of the person who wants to work within the Canadian new caregiver program (such as height, weight, age – national identity card information and photocopy),
• The marital status of the person who wants to work under the Canadian new caregiver program,
• First degree relative information of the person who wants to work under the Canadian new caregiver program,
• Contact information for the person who wants to work within the Canadian new caregiver program,
• A bank receipt that proves that the Canadian employer has paid the $1,000 fee determined by the Canadian labor market for the person who wants to work under the Canadian new caregiver program. (It can be paid by the employer as a result of an agreement between the person and the employer.)

The documents required for visa application under the Canadian caregiver program are listed below.

• Canada caregiver visa application form,
• Passport (must be a passport issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least 6 more months)
• 2 biometric photographs (must be up-to-date photographs, 35 mm 45 mm in size, not older than 6 months)
• Canadian caregiver visa request written by the person,
• Receipt of paid Canada nanny visa application fee,
• Last 6 months bank account statements,
• Income and asset documents,
• A copy of the full civil registration certificate,
• If someone else will cover the travel expenses, a sponsorship letter
• Criminal record,
• Marriage certificate, if any

The documents required for the Canadian caregiver program visa application may vary depending on the marital status of the applicant.

The long procedures that need to be followed carefully during the Canada new caregiver program application process, the visa application stages and the connections that need to be established can be provided to those who want to work within the Canada new caregiver program through RSS Canada Immigration.

What Are the Working Conditions for Canada’s Caregiver Programs?

Working conditions for Canadian caregiver programs are protected by civil agreements that cover all workers working in Canada under Canadian human rights and law.

The minimum wage that a caregiver will receive in Canada’s caregiver programs is regulated by the minimum wage decisions, which can be accessed in detail at http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/employeurs/.

In Canadian caregiving programs, employers must pay employees the minimum wage of $12.30 per hour (figures vary by province and over time) or a higher agreed wage.

The residential addresses of those working under the Canadian caregiver program may vary depending on the health condition and needs of the person to be accompanied and the marital status of those who come to Canada to work. Those who want to work in the Canadian caregiver program start working during working hours that include caregiving services defined as flexible working hours.

Although flexible working hours for people working under the Canadian caregiver program depend on the needs of the person to be accompanied, they cannot exceed the maximum daily working hours of 12 hours, which is the maximum working hours of the caregiver programs, and employers cannot ask employees to return to work on previously determined holidays.

What are the rights of those who receive a Canadian caregiver visa?

The rights granted to those who hold a Canadian caregiver visa are listed below:

• Canadian caregiver visa holders can obtain a Canadian temporary residence permit for a 2-year work period within Canadian territory.
• Canadian caregiver visa holders can work in any job that involves caregiving services for a temporary work period of 2 years,
• Canadian caregiver visa holders are free to change employers and work for more than one employer.
• Canadian caregiver visa holders can benefit from all services provided to individuals (such as health, education, vaccination) through Canadian social state services.
• Canadian caregiver visa holders can also have their first-degree relatives reside in Canada for 2 years,
• Canadian caregiver visa holders can renew their contracts after 2 years or continue to reside in Canada by making new employment contracts with other employers.

Can I Get Permanent Residence Permit with a Canadian Caregiver Visa?

Canadian caregiver visa holders can obtain Canadian permanent residence. After completing the 2-year work period, Canadian caregiver visa holders can apply for Canadian permanent residence from Canadian immigration offices.

For Canadian caregiver visa holders to obtain permanent residency in Canada, the continuity of employment and the ability to live in harmony with society (clear criminal records) are important factors. Canadian caregiver visa holders’ Canadian residence permits also cover first-degree relatives if requested by the person, and after obtaining Canadian residence permit , the person has basic rights such as property ownership and government support in case of unemployment.