The Foreign In-home Caregiver Program

The Foreign In-home Caregiver Program is unique to the Canadian government.  

This program offers Foreign Workers an opportunity to come to Canada and work as Live-in or Live-out Caregivers in a position that could not be filled by Canadians.  

The following are some guidelines of the Foreign Live-in Caregiver Program:
- The caregiver must work in the private household where the care is being provided
- The Foreign In-home Caregiver must provide care to children under 18 years of age, seniors 65 years or older,
or persons with disabilities for a minimum of 30 hours per week.

In order to be eligible for the Foreign Live-in Caregiver programs, applicants must:
- Speak, read and understand either English or French fluently
- Complete the equivalent of a Canadian high school education and either have relevant work experience or
  complete a 6 month training course 

Under the Foreign In-home caregiver program there can be a maximum of 2 official employers:
-  In the case of child care, both parents are usually listed as employers
-  In the case of Senior care, often the senior plus 1 adult child is listed as the Employer

Those hiring a Foreign Live-in Caregiver are considered to be employers, and must register with Canada Revenue
Agency for a business number.This business number is required to:
- Place an ad on the National Job Bank
- Apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
- Pay the caregiver's wages and source deductions
- Issue the caregiver pay stubs, statements, T4s, or Record of Employment

In addition to paying all Agency fees associated with bringing the caregiver to Canada, the Employer is responsible
for paying the following costs:
- Employers must pay $1,000 application processing fee
- The employer is responsible to pay the one way transportation costs of the Foreign Caregiver, from their
  current residence either in Canada or abroad to the Employer's work location in Canada.
- The employer is required to pay for private health insurance for the Foreign Caregiver until the provincial
  health insurance coverage begins. In Ontario there is a 3 month waiting period, before the Foreign Live-in Caregiver
  will be covered by OHIP.
- Employers must arrange and pay for coverage for WSIB (workplace safety insurance coverage) for the Foreign 
  caregiver upon their arrival in Canada.

For more detailed information about the Foreign In-home Caregiver Program, please view the Employment and Social Development Canada website or call EO HomeCare 416-256-7776:

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/caregiver/index.shtml

 

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