Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen recently announced a new caregiver pilot program to replace ineffective and heavily criticized predecessors.
The program will attempt to make it easier for newcomer caregivers to bring their families to Canada and change jobs if necessary.
Under previous legislation, caregivers had been tied to one employer through their work permit, making it difficult to leave exploitative or abusive jobs. Moreover, the temporary nature of their permit meant that it was more difficult to bring their families to Canada. The new pilot project, announced on February 23, will introduce two five-year initiatives to solve these problems.
Under new legislation, the permanent residence assessment will take place before the caregiver begins working in Canada, ensuring their permanent residency after two years of work. Additionally, they will be granted the ability to change jobs with occupation-specific permits, and spouses and children will be allowed open work permits and study permits.
There will be 5,500 spots available for applications annually. Speaking about the change, Immigration minister Ahmed Hussen said, “Caregivers provide care to families in Canada that need it, and it's time for Canada to care for them in return.”