Several thousand nannies and caregivers will get permanent residency in Canada in 2021
Some of them have been waiting a year for applications to be considered.
Nannies and caregivers who come to Canada from abroad to care for children, seniors and people with illnesses play an important role in supporting Canadian families. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made a difference, including in the processing of immigration applications, and many people who work as nannies and caregivers in Canada have been waiting a long time to be reunited with their loved ones. So now Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is working to ensure that the pandemic does not interfere with the processing of applications.
Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has announced new goals for 2021:
- By December 31, 2021, to complete applications for the HMP from 6,000 home care workers who have gained sufficient experience in Canada (2 years) and from their relatives;
- Decide on a minimum of 1,500 applications for nanny and caregiver immigration programs by June 30, 2021.
Such steps will help Canada issue more work permits to those who already have an offer of employment with a Canadian family, as well as speed up the processing of immigration applications. As of March 2021, there were about 12,000 applications for work permits from nannies, caregivers and their families in the process of being processed. In 2020, 2,900 home-based caregivers, including their family members, became permanent residents of Canada.
The new policy takes effect May 3, 2021, with applicants receiving confirmation letters by May 31. Those waiting for their application to be processed from 2020 do not need to resubmit.
"The pandemic has disrupted the lives of people in Canada and around the world, immigration processes are no exception," said Marco Mendicino. — Immigrants who care for our families and seniors are often away from their own families, and the pandemic has really slowed down the processing of permanent resident applications. Now we are getting the immigration of nannies and caregivers back on track, which will help reunite frontline heroes with their loved ones."
Immigration programs for nannies and caregivers were launched in Canada in 2019. Candidates can get a simplified work permit to work for a Canadian family, and after 2 years of work, they can get a permanent residence permit.
The Minister of Immigration also noted that not only live-in caregivers can now apply for permanent residence through the Live-in Caregiver Program, but also through new immigration programs for people who have worked in Canada for one year or more, which will begin accepting applications on May 6, 2021.
