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Category Archives: Caregiver

Work permit levels in Canada remain steady post COVID-19 outbreak

The number of work permits issued to TFWs in Canada appears to have been affected by coronavirus closures. The year started off strong where a total of 32,995 work permits were issued in January 2020 but, after the novel coronavirus pandemic in March total number of work permit went down to 19,650.

The work permit number increased to 29,900 in April which again dropped to 25,125 in May, 2020. The drop in May work permits is typically in part due to less Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) permits.

These new permits issued to TFWs post COVID-19 outbreak include permits issued to people who were eligible to work in Canada through the

  • Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or
  • International Mobility Program (IMP)

The TFWP allows Canadian employers to hire foreign talent when no Canadian worker could fill the job vacancy. It is mainly used to admit seasonal agricultural workers to Canada, but also covers other sectors while IMP, which meets Canada’s broad economic and social needs, includes the Global Talent Stream (GTS), and the Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

Tech workers who either work for designated companies or are being hired in highly skilled occupations can apply under GTS.

International students can use the PGWP to gain up to three years of Canadian work experience, which is highly valued in an application for permanent residence.

General eligibility requirements for Work permit. No matter where you apply, you must

  • Prove to an officer that you will leave Canada when your work permit expires. You can include many supporting documents to support this claim. For example: your family ties, employment etc.
  • Show that you have enough money to take care of yourself and your family members during your stay in Canada and to return home. You can include your financial documents.
  • Obey the law and have no record of criminal activity (IRCC may ask you to provide a police clearance certificate)
  • Not be a danger to Canada’s security,
  • Be in good health and have a medical exam, if needed,
  • Not plan to work for an employer listed with the status “ineligible” on the list of employers.
  • Not plan to work for an employer who, on a regular basis, offers striptease, erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages, and
  • Give the officer any other documents they ask for to prove you can enter the country. 

Work Permit from outside Canada

To come to Canada as a temporary foreign worker, you must get a work permit. In general, you need to apply for a work permit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) before you come to Canada. You must apply to a visa office outside Canada if you need a visa to enter Canada or if you need to have a medical exam before you come to Canada. You need to get a job offer and some other documents from a Canadian employer before you apply.

Work Permit from inside Canada

You can apply for a work permit from inside Canada if you are currently in Canada and

  • Have a valid study or work permit, or your spouse or parents have a study or work permit
  • Have graduated from a program at a Canadian university, community college, CÉGEP, publicly funded trade/technical school, or other eligible school.
  • Have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more,
  • Have applied or been included in an application for permanent residence from inside Canada (you will have to pass certain stages in the main application process to be eligible for a work permit)

Work Permit at the port of entry

You may apply for a work permit on arrival at a port of entry (POE) in Canada if the following applies

  • You are exempt from the requirement for a temporary resident visa and your job falls within the International Mobility Program (i.e., you are not required to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment [LMIA]);
  • You are exempt from the requirement for a temporary resident visa and your job falls within the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (i.e., you are required to obtain an LMIA) and a positive or neutral LMIA has been issued by the time you arrive, and your employer has completed all of the steps for your type of work permit
  • You are a national or permanent resident of the U.S., Greenland or Saint-Pierre and Miquelon regardless of whether your job falls with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or the International Mobility Program.
  • You will not be working as a live-in caregiver or as a seasonal agricultural worker

In addition to the above, you must have completed your immigration medical examination, if required, before your arrival. If you’re a citizen of an eTA-required country, you’ll need to get an eTA if you plan to fly into Canada. IRCC recommends that you apply for your work permit before you travel to Canada.

Work permits based on skill types

High Skilled Work Permits

High skilled work permits are obtained in an occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level 0, A or B.  Generally, for skilled work permits, applicant need to have 1-3 years of experience depending upon the occupation and in certain cases only relevant education can fulfill the job requirements. Applicants also need to prove their English or French language skills to meet the job requirements.

Low skilled work permits

Low skilled work permits are obtained in an occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level C & D. Low skilled work permits require maximum of high school education or job specific training. Applicants also need to prove their English or French language skills to meet the job requirements.

Low skilled work permits under agriculture stream

Low skilled work permits under agriculture stream generally do not require any specific language skills, education and experience. You still need to meet all general eligibility requirements for work permit.

Under low skilled work permits, generally employers pay return airfare, ensure that affordable and suitable accommodation is available, provide temporary medical insurance coverage, register workers with provincial workplace safety insurance plans, sign an employer-employee contract.

How Can-X can help?

  • We can help foreign nationals and foreign workers to apply for Canadian Work Permit which authorizes them to legally work in Canada.
  • We can apply for approval of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) on behalf of employers.

Contact us for assessment and more information!

 

Who can submit a paper application to stay in Canada?

Foreign nationals in Canada seeking to extend their stay must apply electronically (online) unless they are one of the exceptions. On June 4, 2019 the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) were amended to make an electronic application mandatory for most temporary residence applications made from within Canada. Applications need to be sent electronically if foreign nationals want to:

However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), allows some exceptions to this rule.

Exceptional circumstances

There may be exceptional circumstance beyond the control of foreign nationals, individuals, or entities, and can be grounds for bypassing the online application requirement. Applicants may fall under this exemption if they cannot submit online application because of inadequate, or incompatible electronic infrastructure in their country. Exceptional circumstances could also include a natural disaster, political turmoil, or another situation that limits their access to electronic communication.

Disability

A foreign national or an individual who, because of a disability, is unable to meet a requirement to make an electronic application may also apply paper-based application.

System restrictions 

There are 2 online systems that clients can use

Come to Canada tool and MyAccount are inadequate for specific applicants inside Canada. As a result, the applicants may be exempt from the mandatory online application.

List of the programs exempt from electronic (online) application are as follows:

  • Open work permit pilot program for permanent residence applicants in the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class.
  • Live-in caregivers who have submitted an application for permanent residence
  • Permanent residence applicants in Canada who used Express Entry to submit their permanent residence application and have received an acknowledgment of receipt letter
  • Start-up visa work permit applicants
  • Quebec physicians
  • International Experience Canada (IEC) participants extending the period of participation or changing employers
  • Post-graduation work permit (visitor record to post-graduation work permit and post-graduation work permit extensions
  • In-Canada applicants under the 2 pilots for caregivers [Home Child Care Provider Pilot (HCCPP) & Home Support Worker Pilot (HSWP)]
  • Destitute students
  • Holders of a temporary resident permit valid for a minimum of 6 months
  • Seafood-processing workers
  • Non-Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) Guatemalan workers
  • Urgent referrals process for work permitsor otherwise specified by the Clients Support Centre’s call handling document
  • Refugee claimants
  • Persons under an unenforceable removal order
  • Failed refugee claimants waiting for removal who need to support themselves
  • Visitors in Canada applying for an initial study permit, work permit or both who are accompanying a spouse holding a low-skilled work permit

If the foreign national has an authorized paid representative with access to Canada’s APR portal, the representative is required to submit applications electronically on behalf of their client.

Need help staying in Canada!

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to challenging times in Canada and around the world. Many people are under distress and anxiety. We understand! Can-X is here to help you figure it out, so you can have peace of mind. You could be an international student, worker, or visitor looking to extend your stay in Canada. You may be seeking a pathway to permanent immigration. Or you may be looking to reunite with a loved one. Whatever the reason, contact us to discuss your immigration needs, and we will provide our insights and help as much as we can during these difficult times.

We Care!

Interim Pathway for Caregivers reopened

The Interim Pathway for Caregivers has reopened for 3 months, started on July 8, 2019.  The pathway’s July 8 opening is its second since it was first unveiled by the Government of Canada earlier this year and it will accept applications for the next three months. The temporary program is for candidates who have gained Canadian work experience under Temporary Foreign Worker Program that matches the initial description and list of substantial duties for Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) Group 4411 or 4412.

Requirements of the program

Status in Canada: The applicant must have a valid work permit or have applied to extend the work permit and is waiting on a decision or have applied to restore the status as a worker.

Work Experience: The applicant must have gained minimum 12 months of full-time Canadian work experience since November 30, 2014 under National Occupational Classification (NOC) Group 4411 or 4412.  

Education: Applicant must have a Canadian high school diploma or a non-Canadian educational diploma, certificate or credential that’s equal to a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma.

Language Skills: The applicant must have scored CLB 5/NCLC 5 in English or French.

Candidates aren’t eligible for the interim pathway for Caregivers if:

  • Their application to extend work permit is refused
  • Their application to restore status as a worker is refused
  • Their current work permit is in the Live-in Caregiver Programor
  • They are applying to extend their work permit or restore the status and their most recent work permit was under the Live-in Caregiver Program

Pathways for caregivers

 Contact us for assessment and more information

Interim permanent residency pathway for caregivers is now open

The interim pathway announced by the Canadian Government for Caregivers is now open to applications for permanent residency from eligible in-home temporary foreign worker caregivers who came to Canada after November 30, 2014. The interim pathway has started accepting applications from March 04 and will continue accepting applications until June 04, 2019. There is no limit to the number of applications accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under this interim pathway. The temporary program is for candidates who have gained Canadian work experience under Temporary Foreign Worker Program that matches the initial description and list of substantial duties for Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) Group 4411 or 4412.

Requirements of the program

Status in Canada: The applicant must have a valid work permit or have applied to extend the work permit and is waiting on a decision or have applied to restore the status as a worker.

Work Experience: The applicant must have gained minimum 12 months of full-time Canadian work experience since November 30, 2014 under National Occupational Classification (NOC) Group 4411 or 4412.  

Education: Applicant must have a Canadian high school diploma or a non-Canadian educational diploma, certificate or credential that’s equal to a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma.

Language Skills: The applicant must have scored CLB 5/NCLC 5 in English or French.

Candidates aren’t eligible for the interim pathway for Caregivers if:

  • Their application to extend work permit is refused
  • Their application to restore status as a worker is refused
  • Their current work permit is in the Live-in Caregiver Program, or
  • They are applying to extend their work permit or restore the status and their most recent work permit was under the Live-in Caregiver Program

 Contact us for assessment and more information

 

New pathways to permanent residency for Caregivers

Canadian Government has launched 2 new 5-year caregiver immigration pilots for Caregivers that will replace expiring and ineffective pilot programs. New pilots will allow Caregivers to come to Canada together with their family and provide a pathway to permanent residence. Caregivers will also soon have greater flexibility to change jobs quickly, and barriers that prevent family members from accompanying caregivers to Canada. Applicants will be assessed for permanent residence criteria before they begin working in Canada. Once the caregiver has their work permit and 2 years of work experience, they will have access to a direct pathway to become a permanent resident. These pilot programs will replace the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots and include:

  • Occupation specific work permits for caregivers, providing the ability to change jobs quickly when necessary.
  • Open work permits for spouses/common-law partners and study permits for dependent children, to allow the caregiver’s family to accompany them to Canada.

Contact us for assessment and more information