How to move to Canada as a Caregiver

As a caregiver, you have options to come to Canada to become a permanent resident or to work temporarily.

Permanent residence for caregivers

Keeping your temporary resident status

You must always have valid temporary resident status while working in Canada. You must apply to

• extend your work permit before it expires or
• change its conditions before it expires

If you applied for a new work permit before your current permit expired, you can keep working under the same conditions of your original work permit while you wait for a decision. This is called “maintained status” (previously known as implied status). See below for more details.

Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot

You may be able to apply for permanent residence through the Home Child Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot if you

• meet the eligibility requirements
• have a job offer to work in one of these occupations

Through these pilots, you’ll get an open work permit to come to Canada and work temporarily. This work permit

• is occupation-restricted (so you have to work in that specific occupation)
• doesn’t need a labour market impact assessment (LMIA)
• lets you get the work experience you need to be eligible for permanent residence

If you recently worked as a home child care provider or support worker, your experience may count towards your eligibility for permanent residence.

Live-in Caregiver Program

The Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) is closed to new applicants.

You can only apply for permanent residence through the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) if you have at least 2 years of work experience in the program and

• you’re already working in Canada with an LCP work permit or
• you were approved for your first LCP work permit based on a labour market impact assessment submitted to Employment and Social Development Canada on or before November 30, 2014

If you have work experience in Canada as a caregiver but don’t qualify for either of the options above, you may be eligible to immigrate to Canada through a different program.

Temporary work for caregivers

If you don’t meet the requirements for permanent residence as a caregiver, you may be able to work temporarily.

Apply to extend your work permit

If you’re currently working in Canada as a caregiver, you may be eligible to extend your work permit through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

Your employer will need to get a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) first.

Apply for a new work permit

Eligibility

In most cases, you can apply for a work permit to work in Canada temporarily as a caregiver through the TFWP if one of these applies to you:

1. You’re in Canada and eligible to apply for a work permit from inside Canada.
2. You’ll be working in Quebec.

You can’t apply for a new work permit (that needs an LMIA) in these cases:

1. Your employer applied for an LMIA on or after June 18, 2019, and
   • you’re applying for a work permit from outside Canada through the TFWP and
   • you plan to work in a province or territory other than Quebec
2. You apply for a work permit at a port of entry on or after April 22, 2022.
3. You’re in Canada as a visitor.

How to apply

Your employer will need to get a positive LMIA first. Once they have a positive LMIA, you can apply for a work permit.