Live in caregivers provide care to children, the elderly and people with disabilities in private homes. Therefore, these immigrants are very important to families and others who require someone to care for them. Both the employer and you have different requirements, among which is applying specifically as a live in caregiver.
This is a competitive area of immigration, which is where a licensed and experienced immigration consultant can help. Once your application is approved you receive permanent residence right away!
As mentioned earlier both you and your employer have certain requirements to fulfill. Your employer needs to complete a labour market opinion. The two of you also need a written employment contract that you and your employer will sign. This is of benefit to you because it ensures that there is a fair working arrangement. Contact us if you and your employer need a template of the contract.
The live-in caregiver should have the equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma from their home country. Also, you will want to have some work experience, a year of experience including at least 6 months with the same employer as a live-in caregiver or in a field which is specific to the duties of a live-in caregiver. Knowledge of English or French is important too.
Canada tries to give make your transition and stay here easy and fair. You are protected under Canadian law and should know that if you feel your rights have been or are being violated you need to come forward and state this. There are laws in place to protect you, and to ensure that you are not overworked and have the same rights as other Canadian employees.
The live-in caregiver also has a measure of flexibility in regards to what else you can do, extending your stay or changing jobs. If you want to change employers you can do so, you just need to sign a new contract with your new employer and have them submit a new labour market opinion for you and wait for a positive response. If you and your employer require assistance in filing the labour market opinion please feel free to contact us. Keep in mind also, that the HRSDC center may have information about available positions or you can even use the national job bank. Some live-in caregivers also take the time to upgrade their education or to simply take part in college life in Canada. No matter what type of institute your course or program is lasts longer than 6 months; you will need to apply for a study permit because your main purpose for coming is as a live-in caregiver. For any courses that are non-credit special interest courses you don’t need a study permit.
For those who have family and friends that you want to visit back home you can go back, all you really need to do is have your vacations home written into your contract with your employer. It is also advisable to stay current with your home countries visa requirements, because they can change while you are working here in Canada. Also, residents of some countries need temporary resident visa’s to enter Canada, so if you are from one of these countries you may need to reapply for the visa before you can return to Canada. If you stay outside Canada for more than one year or if your work permit expires while you are outside Canada, you will have to reapply to return to Canada under the Live-In Caregiver Program, so remember to check with us, CIC and or your home country if in doubt so that you have the most current information.
Live in caregivers are very important in Canada and if you are a nurturing person who wants to make a difference in a person’s life, the live-in caregiver category may be right for you. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to apply now.