Candidates who are eligible for Canada’s Interim Pathway for Caregivers have access to an open work permit while their applications are processed.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada guidelines state that applicants with a ‘positive eligibility assessment’ under the IPC are eligible for an open work permit until their permanent residence application is finalized.
Family members of the applicant who are in Canada are also eligible for the open work permit.
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Canada’s New Interim Pathway For Caregivers Is Now Open
Do I Qualify for Canada’s New Interim Pathway for Caregivers?
Canada To Overhaul Foreign Caregiver System With Two New Pilot Programs
Canada’s new caregiver permanent residence pathway opened for three months on March 4, 2019, aimed at candidates who do not qualify under existing programs.
The Interim Pathway for Caregivers is open until June 4, 2019.
It provides a window of opportunity for candidates who came to Canada expecting to qualify to remain here permanently, but then found out they did not.
According to IRCC, the pathway is designed to mitigate some of the confusion caused when changes were made to the caregiver system in 2014 under the previous Conservative government.
The Interim Pathway for Caregivers is separate from the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot.
These will replace the existing Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs programs when they expire in November 2019.
Interim Pathway for Caregivers: Eligibility Criteria and Conditions
Candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be authorized to work in Canada on a work permit other than a Live-in Caregiver Program work permit.
- Intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec.
- Has obtained:
- a completed Canadian educational credential of at least a secondary school diploma; or,
- a foreign diploma, certificate or credential, along with an equivalency assessment — issued within five years before the date of application— that indicates that the foreign diploma, certificate or credential is equivalent to a completed Canadian secondary school diploma.
- Has attained a level of proficiency of at least benchmark 5 in either official language for each of the four language skill areas, as set out in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens.
- Since November 30, 2014, has acquired one year of authorized full-time Canadian work experience on a Temporary Foreign Worker Program work permit in any combination of the following eligible occupations:
- Home child care provider as per the terms of NOC 44112, other than any experience as a foster parent.
- Home support worker or related occupation, but not a housekeeper, under NOC 4412.
Submitting an application
All applications for permanent residence under the Interim Pathway for Caregivers must be submitted to the Case Processing Centre in Edmonton.
Eligibility for processing
There is no cap on the number of complete applications IRCC will accept under the Interim Pathway for Caregivers. IRCC will only accept and process complete applications submitted from March 4, 2019, to June 4, 2019.