Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Honourable Marc Miller has announced that the country will be launching enhanced pilot programs where free visa sponsorship will be given to caregivers who will be recruited from overseas.

The announcement was made in Toronto on the 3rd of June, 2024.

The amazing part is that the visa is a Permanent Residence (PR) visa, so those who will be accepted will become a permanent resident in the country and won’t have to worry about the expiration of their visa. 

With these pilot programs, foreign caregivers will be able to move into Canada and work for reliable employers with a permanent residence status, and a visa which will be issued to them on their arrival to the country.

Speaking during the announcement He said “Caregivers play a critical role in supporting Canadian families, and our programs need to reflect their invaluable contributions. As we work to implement a permanent caregivers program, these two new pilots will not only improve support for caregivers but also provide families with the quality care they deserve.”

He further spoke on how the importance of caregivers to Canada cannot be overemphasized. 

This program aims to resolve the issue of millions of Canadians not having a regular health care provider and having their home care needs unmet. With most of these in need being children, elders, and those with disabilities, this program will come as a more than welcome development for the families of these individuals. 

During the announcement, certain criteria were highlighted which individuals must meet before they can be eligible to apply. These criteria include: 

• Basic Level 4 Proficiency In Canadian Benchmark Languages: Applicants need to have at least level 4 proficiency in English and French which are Canadian Benchmark Languages (CBL).

So, they need to know how to, at least, communicate decently in both of these languages. 

• Canadian High School Diploma Equivalent: Next, they need to hold a credential that is equal to Canada’s high school diploma.

If they are living in African countries like Nigeria or Ghana, their equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma is either a WAEC or NECO certificate. This certificate will serve as proof that they have graduated from high school (secondary school), and they have successfully passed the diploma examination.

• Relevant and Recent Work Experience: Another requirement applicants need to have to be eligible to apply for this pilot program is a reasonable experience in caregiving.

The experience must also be relevant and credible. Although giving care and support to a sick grandparent, disabled sibling, or foster child is also caregiving, it is not official and relevant, and won’t be considered, a formal work experience or internship will suffix. 

• A Job Offer from a Care Home: Lastly, to be eligible to apply for this pilot program, applicants need to get a job offer from a care home, whether it is a private home or a care home organization.

These are the four eligible prerequisites that have been revealed for the program so far. However, more information on the full eligibility criteria and application process will be released as time goes on.

So, interested foreign caregivers, it would be wise for you to get right into getting these four requirements sorted while waiting for further updates, because there is not much time left and the available slots for this PR are just 15,000. 

For interested individuals with little or no caregiver experience, it will be best for them to enroll for a caregiving program right away with a registered training provider like Clarion College and start working towards becoming certified in the field and getting the needed experience and requirements for this pilot program.

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