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Citizenship and Immigration Canada's
Live-In
Caregiver Program
An important
requirement under the Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Live-In
Caregiver Program is that the foreign Live-In Caregiver must live in the employer's
home. The Live-in Caregiver Program exists only because there is a
shortage of Canadians or permanent residents to fill the need for
live-in care work. There is no shortage of Canadians or permanent
residents available for care giving positions where there is no live-in
requirement.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Requirements:
1. Successful completion of the
equivalent Canadian high school education.
This requirement will help to
ensure that participants who apply for permanent residence after two
years will be able to succeed in the general labor market. Studies
indicate that the majority of new jobs in Canada require at least a
high school education. For applicants educated in the Philippines,
the requirement is at least two years of post-high school education,
in which the student has obtained at least 72 units of credit.
2. Six months of continuous full-time training or twelve months of
experience in paid employment in a care giving field or occupation
related to the job you are seeking as a live-in caregiver.
The training or experience may
have been gained in early childhood education, geriatric
care, pediatric nursing, to name just a few areas. Licensed
Registered Nurses, with experience, are normally considered to meet
this requirement.
In order to meet the criteria for
training, six months with a minimum of twenty-five hours per week in
classroom lectures must have been completed as part of formal
education taken at an institution accredited by the local education
authority.
In order to meet the criteria for
experience, one year of full-time paid employment must have been
completed, including at least six months of continuous employment
with one employer, in that field or occupation. This experience must
have been obtained within the three years immediately prior to the
day on which the application for a Work Permit is submitted to a
Visa Office.
If your caregiver-related work
experience was within the Philippines, you need to submit, along
with your employment certificates, proof of your employer's
contributions to the Social Security System and/or Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation, as issued by SSS and/or PhiliHealth.
If your caregiver-related work
experience was outside of the Philippines, you need to submit an
employment contract listing your duties, dates of employment, and
the position. Also, submit a copy of the valid employment visa for
the period of employment.
3. Ability to speak, read and understand either English or French.
You must be able to function
independently in a home setting. For example, you must be able to
contact emergency services if required and to understand labels on
medication. Caregivers will be unsupervised for most of the day and
may be put in a position of having to communicate with someone
outside the home. A good knowledge of English and French will also
enable them to read and understand for themselves what their rights
and obligations are.
Please be advised that you are
encouraged to undertake language proficiency testing (IELTS or TEF)
and provide the results as this is the best way to provide proof of
language skills. Information regarding these examinations are
available at www.ielts.org and
www.fda.ccip.fr.
4. Must
have an employment contract with their prospective
employer.
The contract defines your job duties, hours of work,
salary and benefits. The contract also reinforces your employer's
legal responsibilities to you. This requirement helps provide a fair
working arrangement between the caregiver and the employer and
provides both parties with a clear understanding of what are
expected of them. The employer will send the proposed contract to
the live-in caregiver for review and signature before the job offer
is validated by Service Canada/Human Resources & Skills Development
Canada. The signed contract is part of the documentation sent by the
caregiver to the visa post.
An important requirement of the
program is that employees must live in the employer's home. Also,
the employer must be able to show that they are able to fulfill the
stipulations of the contract (for example, the employer must show
that they are able to pay wages based on the amount agreed and
provide a private bedroom with a lock and key.)
Training
As a result of the second
criteria above, a number of institutions in the Philippines have
developed a "six-months caregiver course". These are in no way
affiliated with, or accredited or certified by the Canadian
Government or the Embassy of Canada.
In order to qualify, the
six-month training course must have been completed as part of formal
education taken at an institution accredited by the local education
authority. In the Philippines, TESDA (Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority) is the "local authority". Applicants may
verify from TESDA if a particular training school has the necessary
accreditation by referring to the website,
www.TESDA.gov.ph
In addition, to be being TESDA-accredited,
the training must also comply with the requirements of the Canadian
immigration legislation and policy. Full-time training must be
completed within a period of at least six months with a minimum of
25 hours per week in a classroom setting. Time spent performing
on-the-job training or practicum is not considered part of the
required training, even though this may be a TESDA requirement.
Correspondence courses, evening and weekend classes are also not
considered as "full-time".
NOTE:
Any classroom training that is
less than 6 months, will result in the refusal of the application.
As a quality control measure,
embassy officials periodically monitor caregiver training
institutions to ensure that the schools meet the requirements of the
Canadian legislation and policy. If the caregiver school has been
found to not meet the required standards, students from that school
may be deemed not to have met the Program's requirements and their
applications may not be accepted.
It is recommended that all
applicants exercise due diligence in choosing a training centre. The
onus is on the applicant to verify that the school is not only TESDA
accredited, but also that the training the school provides complies
with the requirements of the Canadian immigration legislation and
policy.
Source: Citizenship and
Immigration Canada
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