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CAREGIVER
Applying to work in Canada is an exciting prospect. It truly is a country filled with endless opportunities. As a live-in caregiver, you may be selected by an employer in Canada to work for them under the Live-in Caregiver Program. This is a sponsorship program developed through Citizenship and Immigration Canada and Human Resources Development Canada. One of the positive aspects about acquiring sponsorship to Canada through the Live-in Caregiver Program, is that after two years of working with an employer, the caregiver is then able to apply to have permanent residency status. This allows you the possibility of slowly sponsoring your own family members to live in Canada!
A Brief Overview of The Process of Applying for Sponsorship to Canada
1. The employer in Canada needs to apply to Human Resources Development Canada in order to sponsor a specific overseas caregiver.
2. The overseas caregiver must get in touch with the Canadian Consulate in their country in order to fill out the application and pick up any other necessary information. A fee for processing the papers is due at the time that you submit your application. Please note that the Canadian Consulate cannot begin processing the caregiver's papers until they hear from the Human Resources Development Canada office from which the employer had applied - but it doesn't hurt to have your papers in ahead of time!
3. Once the Canadian Consulate receives the Job Validation letter approving the employer's application to hire the overseas caregiver, the Consulate then contacts the caregiver to set up an appointment for an interview & assessment.
4. If the caregiver passes the interview & assessment, they are then sent to complete a medical examination. There is a fee for the medical exam, so please have it on hand.
5. Once the caregiver passes the medical, they are issued an Employment Authorization and are ready to come to Canada shortly!
Who is eligible for the Live-in Caregiver Program?
Applicants to the Live-in Caregiver Program must meet certain criteria or else they will not be approved to come to Canada. The applicant must:
1. Have successfully completed the equivalent of a Canadian high school education, and two years of college/university education.
2. Be fluent in reading, speaking, and understanding either English or French. During your assessment & interview at the Canadian Consulate, your language skills will be assessed. They will want to make sure that you are capable of communicating with outside persons if the need arises. For example, they will want to know that you as a caregiver will be able to contact emergency services if there is a need and that you can understand labels on medications.
3. Have one year's practical experience working as a full-time, paid caregiver, or must have taken a six-month full-time caregiver training course. In either case, the experience must have been obtained within the last three years.
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