Caregiver Program

Canada Caregiver / Home Care Worker Immigration — 2025 Update

The former caregiver streams (like the Live-In Caregiver Program and earlier “Home Child Care Provider” / “Home Support Worker” Pilots) have been discontinued. In their place, the government has launched the new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWIP), consisting of two streams: Child Care and Home Support.

What’s New: HCWIP (Launched 31 March 2025)

• On March 31, 2025, Canada officially reopened caregiver immigration under the new HCWIP program.
• There are two pilot paths:
  • Child Care — for home child-care providers.
  • Home Support — for home support / care workers (e.g. elder care, disability support).
• Initially, only the “Workers in Canada” stream is open for 2025. The “Applicants not working in Canada” stream (for caregivers applying from abroad) remains closed.
• Application caps for 2025 for each pilot (Child Care & Home Support) were:
  • 2,350 online applications + 260 alternate-format applications under “Workers in Canada” stream
  • 125 online + 15 alternate-format spots for out-of-status/unauthorized workers under “public policy” stream

Eligibility Requirements under HCWIP (Workers in Canada stream)

• You must plan to live and work in Canada outside Quebec.
• You must already be living in Canada and authorized to work full-time (valid work permit, maintained status, or public policy authorization).
• You need a genuine full-time job offer as a home child care provider (NOC 44100) or home support worker (NOC 44101). The job must not be in an institutional setting (like daycare or nursing home).
• Education: you should have a Canadian high school diploma (or equivalent if foreign, with credential assessment) or higher.
• Language: minimum CLB 4 (English or French), i.e. basic language proficiency.
• Relevant work experience or training in caregiver / home support / child-care roles.
• Be admissible to Canada (no disqualifying criminality or health issues).

What Has Changed — What’s Closed or Suspended

• The old “Live-In Caregiver Program” remains closed to new applicants. Only individuals who previously had valid LCP permits (approved before 2014) remain eligible under old terms.
• The previous caregiver pilots, such as the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot, ended — last day to submit was June 2024.
• The “Applicants not working in Canada” stream (for caregivers outside Canada) under HCWIP has been closed or at least not opened yet in 2025.
• As of September 2025, authorities reported a large backlog of caregiver applications (~34,400 pending) and indicated they will process only about 14% of them in 2025.

What This Means for Prospective Caregivers

• If you are already legally working in Canada, the HCWIP “Workers in Canada” stream remains the only active immigration path for caregivers seeking PR under the new pilots.
• If you are outside Canada and wish to apply as a caregiver, you currently don't have a direct route under HCWIP (until the “Applicants not working in Canada” stream re-opens — if it does). You may need to seek other pathways (e.g. temporary work permit first, or other immigration streams).
• Because of caps and high demand, getting a job offer, meeting language/education/experience criteria, and applying promptly is critical.
• Given backlog and limited processing targets under economic pilot programs in 2025, approval is not guaranteed.

Need Help?

If you want assistance checking your eligibility, preparing documentation, or applying under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots, contact us. We can help guide you through the process.