Ottawa plans to restrict the number of foreign nannies it accepts and modify the decades-old live-in caregivers program.
Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander, announced that the upcoming changed would be introduced in December and no longer oblige caregivers to live in their employer’s home. It was added that new minimum language and education requirements to become eligible to work as caregivers here would also be imposed.
Addressing a new conference about Canada’s 2015 immigration plan, Alexander stated that “caregivers matter to Canada and have made enormous contributions to Canada’s economy, to our economic success, to the success of the Canadian families.” Alexander alleged that “what do these improvements mean to caregivers? They mean, first and foremost, faster processing, faster family reunification, less time away from loved ones . . . . Caregivers will have more pathways toward permanent residency and better tools to achieve success in Canadian labour market.”
Liza Draman of the Caregivers Action Centre stressed that the group’s 1,000-plus members are concerned about what is to come on Nov. 30. 
A former live-in caregiver from the Philippines, Draman, alleged that “the only thing that is good about (Friday’s) announcement is the end to the live-in requirement,” adding that “if the minister is serious about improving the condition for the caregivers, he should grant them status upon arrival.”
Changes to the program include ending the live-in requirement, and providing eligible caregivers with two pathways that will lead to permanent residence within six months.
One pathway features criteria for child care providers that are very similar to current requirements, but without the need for the caregiver to live in the home of their employer where they may be vulnerable to abuse.
In addition, caregivers in a variety of health care occupations, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse aides, orderlies, patient service associates and home support workers, will also have a pathway to permanent residence. Eligible caregivers in this stream would be able to gain their work experience either in providing in-home care or care in a health-care facility to an elderly person or a person with a disability or chronic medical condition. This pathway offers more career options for eligible caregivers, and targets workers in occupations that are expected to face labour shortages in the future. Applications in this stream would also be processed within six months.
Caregivers who have already applied for Live-in Caregiver Program work permits, and any who apply based on an employer’s approved Labour Market Impact Assessment submitted before November 30, will also be able to complete the work requirement on a live-in basis and eventually apply for permanent residence.
In a letter to Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander, a copy of which was obtained by The Catholic Register, a group called Task Force: PR Stay strongly urged the government to act. The multi-faith organization functions as a voice for hundreds of live-in caregivers in the Greater Toronto Area. 
“Permanent residence upon arrival will better address the issues that currently plague the program, such as the growing backlog of permanent residence applications,” the letter said. 
The letter claims that granting this status upon a caregiver’s arrival would significantly reduce the stress caused by family separation, as well as mitigate the vulnerability of caregivers by granting them Canadian rights and privileges. In most cases, foreign caregivers leave behind their spouse and dependents when they find work in Canada. 
Under the current system, caregivers must be in Canada at least 22 months and amass 3,900 hours of authorized full-time employment over four years before applying for permanent residency. 
Faye Arellano, member of the Task Force and former head of the Live-in Caregiver’s Ministry at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Toronto, said wait times to process applications for residency can take three years. 
“The fact that they are considered as foreign workers, non-status, until they have their permanent residence means they’re shut out of most of the benefits and services that you and I would normally enjoy,” said Arellano. 
In the 1980s, concerned Canadians, mostly those with Filipino roots (the majority of those in the LCP program are from the Philippines), fought successfully to have a permanent residency component added to the LCP program. However, as enrolment in the program increased a large backlog of residency applications developed, particularly over the past decade. 
Despite a government commitment to process 17,500 permanent residency applications from caregivers this year, the backlog has grown from 45,000 to about 60,000, according to government documents. This is after Alexander said a year ago that the backlog and wait times are unacceptable and announced a government commitment to fix the problem. 
“These women are doing a very unique job. If they take away the live-in requirement and take away the PR (permanent residency) they’ll end up as temporary workers or caregivers who will put up with so much and then, at the end of their contract, not all of them will graduate to become permanent residents, and I think that will be the end of them. 
“They’ll go to Hong Kong or Singapore, where it is much warmer and they can also get the kind of salary that they enjoy here. It is closer to the Philippines so they can see their children more. If you take away that PR component of that program I don’t know if it is going to be appealing.” 
The Task Force wants the government to grant permanent residency when a caregiver arrives in Canada, subject to the condition that they complete their mandatory work hours. They have proposed three models for a revised program. All call for permanent residency status to be granted as soon as a caregiver lands. 
Arellano said Task Force has had no response from Alexander since a July 23 meeting. He was supposed to meet the group again in Toronto in September. 
Task Force is getting support from Migrante Canada, a national organization representing Filipino immigrants. It said the solution isn’t revamping the existing LCP but rather reinventing it entirely to grant permanent residency upfront, similar to what Task Force has suggested. 
“We are urging the government to admit live-in caregivers as permanent residents from the outset,” said Christopher Sorio, vice-chair of Migrante Canada. 
Ottawa-based Philippine Mirgrants Society of Canada agrees. 
“If the they are good enough to work here, they’re good enough to stay,” said chairperson Aimee Bedoso.

Key Facts

Who are live-in caregivers?

Live-In Caregivers are immigrant women mostly from the Phillipines and the Carribbean but also from other countries that come to Canada to take care of young children, people with disabilities and the the sick and the elderly. They work in people’s home providing vital care and nurturing.
There are approximately 70,000 (confirm numbers) women classified as Live-In Caregivers in Canada. 

Who needs care?

Today, 1 in 7 Canadian resident is aged 65 or over. By 2036, nearly 1 in 4 will be seniors. Over five million children in the country are under 14 years of age.
The current economic climate means that all members of the household need to hold jobs. This makes taking care of young children, and aging parents and relatives extremely difficult. There is a real need for a national care strategy that includes universal childcare, real pensions, and decent nursing homes. Live-In Caregivers are playing a key role in providing this care. 

Why permanent status on landing?

Live-In Caregivers work two to three years as caregivers without full rights before being able to apply for permanent status. That application takes another year. Which means we spend 3-5 years living without full rights and many more years before we can be reunited with our own families.