Canada has officially announced the eligibility requirements for its new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots, set to launch on March 31, 2025.
The program aims to provide a streamlined pathway to permanent residence (PR) for home care workers while addressing the country’s growing need for caregivers.
This latest update follows the government’s earlier announcement in January 2025, where Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) revealed plans to replace the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot with a new system designed to make it easier for qualified caregivers to secure PR and find work with a range of employers.
To qualify for the new pilots, applicants must meet the following criteria:
One significant improvement from previous programs is that applicants will not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), making it easier for employers to hire foreign caregivers.
The program will feature two distinct streams:
At launch, only those already in Canada will be able to apply. The second stream, for applicants outside Canada, will be introduced later, with more details to follow.
Home care workers will now have more employment options, allowing them to work in various settings beyond private households. Eligible employers include:
However, recruitment and placement agencies are not eligible to participate in hiring through this pilot.
Unlike the previous pilots, which required home care workers to gain Canadian work experience first, the new pilots offer PR upon approval, meaning applicants and their family members can settle in Canada immediately once their application is accepted.
More details, including full application guidelines, will be published closer to the launch date.