Hire a temporary worker as an in-home caregiver: Overview

National Occupational Classification (NOC) Migration

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has switched to the 2021 version of the NOC. Learn more about the NOC 2021 transition.

1. Overview

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is intended to be used when you are facing short-term skills and labour shortages, and only when no Canadians and permanent residents are available.

Families can hire a foreign caregiver to provide care, in a private residence, to children, seniors or persons with certified medical needs, when Canadians and permanent residents are not available.

Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), families can hire foreign caregivers. However, the caregivers must:

  • provide care on a full-time basis (minimum 30 hours per week)
  • work in the private household where the care is being provided
  • meet the requirements set Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)/Service Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

These families or private household employers will be able to hire foreign workers, on a live-in or live out basis, for 2 categories of in-home workers, which include:

1. Caregivers for children

  • Children under 18 years of age

This category could include positions such as:

  • child care provider, live-in caregiver, nanny (NOC 44100)

2. Caregivers for people with high medical needs

  • Elderly persons, 65 years of age or over
  • People with disabilities, a chronic or terminal illness

This category could include positions such as:

  • registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse (NOC 31301)
  • licensed practical nurse (NOC 32101)
  • attendant for persons with disabilities, home support worker, live-in caregiver, personal care attendant (NOC 44101)

Note: Foreign caregivers working in Canada may be eligible for permanent residency, provided they meet IRCC requirements. For more information on the pathways to permanent residence for caregivers, and the specific occupations that are eligible, visit IRCC.

Employers must meet the program requirements for the Streams for high-wage or Low-wage positions including paying the prevailing wage for the occupation in the location where the work will be performed, and conducting the necessary recruitment and advertisement requirements for the stream.

As of April 4, 2022, employers submitting an LMIA application for a high-wage position may request an employment duration of up to 3 years. The employment duration must align with the employer’s reasonable employment needs. (High-wage positions include the Global Talent Stream, High-wage Stream including caregiver positions, Agricultural Stream and Express Entry).

Employers awaiting a decision who wish to modify the duration in their LMIA applications may contact the Employer Contact Centre or the applicable Service Canada processing centre. The option to increase the duration does not apply to already issued positive LMIA decisions.

Note: As part of a 3-year pilot initiated March 2020, applications for low-wage positions will receive an employment duration of up to 2 years based on the employer’s reasonable employment needs.

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