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At first, the Canadian government reacted to this looming crisis by creating the Skilled Worker immigration program. In this program, people with college education and experience in medium - to high-level white-collar professions can come to Canada as Permanent Residents. To qualify as a Skilled Worker, a person has to show at least a college-level diploma and several years of work experience, and reach a certain number of “points.” But what about blue-collar people, people who didn’t go to college – don’t they have something to offer to the Canadian economy? With plenty of managers coming in, doesn’t Canada also need workers? The answer to this came with the establishment of the Live-In Caregiver program. As the population
of Canada gets older and thousands of people retire every year, one of
the labour problems facing Canada is shortage of care for elderly and disabled
people. The Government of Canada has set up many retirement homes and assisted
living houses, which are often of very high quality. The province of Ontario
alone spends almost $30 million CAD a year on long-term care. But understandably,
many people want to live out their old age in their own home and their
own community. However, those of them who need assistance full time, often
can't find workers who are willing to take care of them while living in
their homes. This often means that their relatives, instead of working
and contributing to the economy, have to stay home and take care of their
old or disabled family members.
At the same time, there is a great shortage of workers to take care of small children. In some places the problem is so bad that whole towns have to live without child care. This means that parents often have to take their skills and experience out of the workplace to stay home with their children, and the economy suffers. This is why the Government of Canada created a special immigration category of Live-In Caregiver. Life Untangled Publishing presents HOW TO MOVE TO CANADA:a comprehensive, practical, easy-to-follow guide to Canadian immigration. The beauty of the Live-In Caregiver program is that a person has to meet a lot less requirements to apply. You can apply as a Live-In Caregiver if: You have the minimum ability to speak, read, and understand English or French so you can understand instructions from your employer, read medication labels, speak on the phone with the doctor, and call emergency services, and - You have a High School diploma or its equivalent, and - You’ve taken at least 6 months of full-time training related to the kind of care you will be providing (for example, child care, geriatric care, physical therapy, etc.), Or - You have at least 12 months of full-time employment related to the kind of care you will be providing, at least 6 months of which you must have worked with the same employer. This is a far cry from the requirements for the Skilled Worker program, which take up several pages and exclude many people who could otherwise benefit Canada. With just a high school diploma and a quick home care course, you can be on your way to Canada! And the processing times are just a few months, as opposed to a few years for Skilled Workers. There is of course a catch. As a Live-In Caregiver, you won’t be getting Permanent Residence right away. As a permanent resident, an immigrant has a lot of the same rights, and is eligible for a lot of the same benefits, as a Canadian citizen. But as a Live-In Caregiver, you will only be getting a Temporary Work Visa, which means that initially you won’t be able to bring your family with you, won’t be able to change jobs freely, can’t enroll in a college or university, and don’t have access to free medicine unless your employer arranges for it. However, after 2 years of working as a Live-In Caregiver, you can apply for Permanent Residence – without having to meet any of the requirements of the Skilled Worker program! AND, you can include your family members in your Permanent Residence application as well! In effect, the Canadian government allows you to substitute 2 years of work for the high education and experience standards you would have to meet otherwise. So what exactly will you be doing as a Live-In Caregiver? Well, the most important part of the deal is that you will have to live in your employer’s home. There is no shortage of Canadians who can work as caregivers from 9am to 5pm and then go home; what the Canadian government is looking for are people who will live in the home of the person for whom they’re caring. This doesn’t mean you’ll be expected to work 24 hours a day. But it does mean that during the 2 years of your employment as a Live-In Caregiver you won’t be allowed to find your own apartment. This situation
can sometimes leave a Live-In Caregiver vulnerable to the employer. But
even though you’ll be living in the same house as your boss, and your stay
in Canada will depend on your job, the Canadian government guarantees you
the same rights as any worker in Canada. Your employer will have to pay
you the same wage as he would pay a Canadian citizen; he’ll have to pay
you overtime if you work more than a certain number of hours a day, and
he will have to give you the same amount of days off. And if he mistreats
you, you will have the same protection of the law as anyone else. Always
keep in mind, you cannot be deported from the country if you lose this
particular job, so your employer cannot threaten you. You can always leave
and find another job as a Live-In Caregiver, as long as you follow the
immigration procedures.
Before you can come to Canada as a Live-In Caregiver, your future employer will have to get approval from Human Resources and Skills Development of Canada. He will have to show that he tried, but couldn’t, find a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the job. Once his job offer is approved by the HRSDC, you can apply for a Temporary Work Visa at your local Canadian embassy or mission. The process takes as little as 3 months to complete. Good luck,
and see you in Canada!
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