Live-in Caregiver Program: who is eligible

Who is eligible

The Live-in Caregiver Program is closed to new applicants. You can only hire a caregiver through the program if you have:

  • found a caregiver who already has a work permit in the Live-in Caregiver Program and who is looking for a new employer and
  • been approved for a Labour Market Impact Assessment that shows the caregiver has agreed to live in your home

If this does not apply to you, you can still hire a foreign caregiver. You and the caregiver can decide if they will live in or out of your home. You will need to get a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment from Service Canada and the caregiver must apply for a regular work permit.

The instructions on this page are only for employers who want to hire a caregiver with a work permit in the Live-in Caregiver Program.

To hire a caregiver through the Live-in Caregiver Program, you must:

  • first try to fill your position with a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident
  • be able to pay them
  • give them acceptable living space in your home
  • offer them a job caring for
    • a child
    • an elderly person
    • a person with a disability

You must also hire a caregiver who:

  • is already part of the Live-in Caregiver Program
  • wants to continue working on a live-in basis

If you have found a caregiver who is already part of the program:

  • you will need to get a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment
  • the caregiver needs to get a new work permit
  • you must include the live-in arrangement in the Labour Market Impact Assessment application

Caregiving must be the main responsibility of the job. For example, you can’t hire through the Live-in Caregiver Program if the main duties are house cleaning.

Make sure you meet all the rules of the program as an employer before you hire a caregiver.

Features

Related links

Employers’ roadmap

This roadmap is a guide for employers at small to medium-sized enterprises who are interested in hiring foreign workers.

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