Live in Caregivers
As of December 3, 2017, caregivers and their families will be reunited and the inventory of Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) applications will be largely eliminated by the end of 2018. The commitments the government has made today will mean that many Live-in Caregiver Program applicants, who have faced long delays and family separation, may soon reach their goal of permanent residence.
What is the goal of Live-in Caregiver program?
The Live-in Caregiver Program provided foreign nationals with at least two years of full-time, live-in employment as a caregiver in Canada with a direct pathway to permanent residence. The program was closed in 2014, but thousands of caregivers who were working in Canada were given an extended opportunity to apply for permanent residence.
PR processing time for this category:
The main goal is to finalize 80% of applications for permanent residence submitted on or before Oct. 1, 2017, by caregivers and their family members through the LCP.
“The commitments the government has made today will mean that many Live-in Caregiver Program applicants who have faced long delays and family separation may soon reach their goal of permanent residence,” said Canada’s Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen. “After diligently providing care for Canadians, they may soon be in the company of their own loved ones, together in Canada.”
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) dedicated additional resources to process LCP applications and encourage caregivers and their family members to submit any documents that were missing from their applications.
As many as 6,000 more applications for permanent residence under the LCP could still be submitted, IRCC says. As of Oct. 1, 2017, the number of caregivers and their family members waiting for their applications to be finalized had been reduced by 63 per cent.
The IRCC is planning to finalize 5,000 more cases than originally planned by the end of 2017. This surge will allow IRCC to welcome 20,000 new permanent residents in the caregiver category in total this year, reaching the high end of the target range as set out in the 2017 levels plan.
Having taken these steps, IRCC is committing to:
Finalizing a minimum of 80% of the cases that were in the LCP inventory as of October 1, 2017 by the end of 2018;
Processing 80% of new, complete LCP applications submitted on or after October 1, 2017 within 12 months; and
Admitting high numbers of LCP caregivers and their family members as permanent residents until the remaining cases are processed.
LMIA Developments:
Developments are expected soon on the proposal to eliminate the $1,000 Labour Market Impact Assessment(LMIA) fee for Canadian families seeking to hire a foreign caregiver to provide care to a person with high medical needs and for Canadian families with an income less than $150,000 seeking to hire a foreign caregiver to provide childcare. Waiving this fee will help support Canadian families meet their caregiving needs.
LMIA is a document an employer in Canada might need to get before hiring a foreign worker. A positive LMIA shows that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job. A positive LMIA is also sometimes referred to as a “confirmation letter.”
If you need help processing your immigration files, contact us for a consultation.