| Canadian
Immigration |
| No College
Degree? No Problem! |
| by Polina Skibinskaya |
| Consistently
rated among the top countries in the world especially in terms of quality
of life, Canada has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for the scores
of people who have come to its shores and embraced its progressive, egalitarian,
multi-lateral way of life. A rich history of widely varying cultures coming
together and working towards peace and harmony is embroidered within the
very fabric of Canadian society. Tolerance, understanding and civility
are the cornerstones of the multicultural mosaic that is Canada.
A nation that
values peace and fairness, that is generous with its resources and its
aid, that hosts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, and that has
a world wide reputation for being one of the most fervent defenders of
Human Rights, there is no better place to which to immigrate! |
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One of
the most significant pillars of Canadian life is the extensive social security
system. Access
to medicine is open to all for no charge; there are government-sponsored
job and self-employment training programs; free libraries and community
centres fill the streets of every city, and the unemployed, disabled, retired
and disadvantaged people receive social assistance.
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All of this
is paid for by Canada’s taxpayers, who in turn enjoy the direct results
of their taxes in the form of these benefits. |
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| A testament
to this social structure is that Canada has been consistently rated as
among the very top countries in the world, in quality of life and humanitarianism.
However, Canada
is one of the few countries in the world whose population rate is actually
falling: there are more people dying than being born, and the Canadian
population is steadily getting older.
This presents
a problem: as more Canadians retire and there are less young Canadians
who are joining the work force, there are fewer and fewer taxpayers who
can put money into the social programs that make Canada the great country
that it is.
This is one
of the main reasons why Canada has such an open and welcoming immigration
policy. |
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| More and more,
the Canadian economy depends on workers from other countries. It is even
projected that by 2011, 100% of new employees will be immigrants!
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. |
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| The provinceof
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. |
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| 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. If you do
feel you want to go the traditional route, college options are becoming more convenient
with the number of online Nursing Degree
programs available.
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.
To qualify
as a Live-In Caregiver, you have to be hired by the person – or the family
members of the person – for whom you’ll be caring. This means you can’t
be hired by an employment agency, though you can get the help of a placement
agency to find the job. The person who is actually paying your salary must
be living in the home where you’ll be working. This cuts down on employment
agency scams.
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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