Caregivers in Canada
A&M Canadian Immigration Law Corporation
Caregivers in Canada: What’s Closed, What’s New (2024–2025)
Canada has overhauled its
caregiver pathways. The legacy Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home
Support Worker Pilot stopped accepting new applications on June 17, 2024,
and the Live-in Caregiver Program remains closed to new applicants. In
their place, IRCC is rolling out the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots for Child Care and Home Support—new PR pathways tied to full-time
job offers in home care. Canada.ca+3Canada.ca+3Canada.ca+3
What’s Closed (and what
it means)
- Home Child Care Provider & Home Support
Worker Pilots:
Status: Closed to new applications June 17, 2024. IRCC will continue processing files received on or before that date. Canada.ca - Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP):
Status: Closed to new applicants; only certain in-program workers can continue under LCP rules. Canada.ca - IRCC’s caregiver landing page also shows other
older pilots (e.g., Caring for Children / People with High Medical Needs)
remain closed. Canada.ca
What’s New: Home Care
Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWIP)
IRCC’s Home Care Worker
Immigration Pilots (for Child Care and Home Support) are
active caregiver pathways to permanent residence for qualified workers
who have full-time job offers in home care. IRCC’s program page (updated
in 2025) explains the purpose and links to application guidance for workers and
employers. Canada.ca
Key features (at a
glance)
- Two pilot streams: one for Child Care and one for Home
Support roles. Canada.ca
- Job-offer driven PR: Applicants need a full-time job offer
in home care and must meet education, language and experience/training
requirements; standard admissibility (medical/security/criminality)
applies. Canada.ca
- Staged opening: IRCC guidance to employers notes the “Applicants not working
in Canada” stream is not yet open; the “Workers in Canada” intake opened first. (Employers page.) Canada.ca
IRCC also announced in June
2024 that new, enhanced caregiver pilots would succeed the expiring 2019–2024
pilots, signalling a transition to a modernized framework. Canada.ca
Eligibility (what IRCC
highlights)
- Full-time job offer in a home care role (child care or home
support).
- Relevant work experience or training in home care.
- Language & education that meet the pilot thresholds.
- Admissibility: pass medical, security, and criminality screening. Canada.ca
Hiring guidance: IRCC’s
employer page confirms the old 2019–2024 pilots are closed and explains who can
still be hired under transitional rules, as well as how hiring under the new
pilots will work once all streams open. Canada.ca
Application steps
(overview)
- Secure a qualifying job offer in home care (child care or home support). Canada.ca
- Confirm you meet pilot criteria (language, education, and relevant
experience/training). Canada.ca
- Prepare your PR application under the appropriate Home Care Worker pilot
and gather supporting evidence. Canada.ca
- Employer coordination: ensure the offer, hours, and terms satisfy
IRCC rules; follow IRCC’s hiring guidance. Canada.ca
- IRCC processing: admissibility checks and a decision on
permanent residence. Canada.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots ended June 17, 2024; only applications filed by that date continue to be processed. Canada.ca
No. LCP is closed to new applicants; only certain in-program workers/employers can use it. Canada.ca
IRCC’s Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (Child Care & Home Support). Some streams prioritize workers already in Canada first; the outside-Canada stream isn’t open yet. Check IRCC’s pilot and employer pages for the latest intake status. Canada.ca+1
Under prior caregiver pilots, no LMIA was required. For the new pilots, follow the specific IRCC guidance for job-offer requirements and employer steps as they finalize/roll out intake details. (Monitor the pilot and employer pages.) Canada.ca+1
IRCC’s caregiver pathways typically permit including spouses/common-law partners and dependent children in PR applications, subject to admissibility; confirm specifics in the pilot’s detailed instructions as they publish updates. Canada.ca
Canada’s caregiver
immigration landscape has shifted: the 2019–2024 pilots are closed, and new
Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots now define the pathway to PR for
home-care roles. If you (or your client) have a full-time job offer in child
care or home support and meet IRCC’s language, education, and
experience/training requirements, these pilots may provide a route to permanent
residence. Always check IRCC’s official pages for current intake status and detailed criteria before applying. Canada.ca+3Canada.ca+3Canada.ca+3
