Like thousands of women from the Philippines, Lina Vargas came to Canada to work as a caregiver.
Vargas arrived in 2004 and had to meet a time requirement of at least two years before she can file for permanent residency and bring over her family.
After years of advocacy by caregivers and their supporters, Canada on March 31, 2025 is unveiling a new program that would grant caregivers permanent residence on arrival.
“We have been fighting for this change, and it been a long-time coming,” Vargas said.
There’s a lot of interest about the new caregiver program, which would start for people who are already in Canada. Another stream for those outside Canada is expected to open sometime in the future.
In response to this demand and with the support of the Migrant Workers Centre (MWC), Vargas co-organized an information session as part of Kusina, a fortnightly activity she coordinates for former and current caregivers.
Last March 9, MWC legal director Jonathon Braun provided an overview of the new home care immigration pilot program in a well-attended forum at the Collingwood Neighbourhood House in Vancouver.
Highlights of Braun’s presentation:
- Applicants must have an offer for employment as a full-time home care worker. A Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA is not required.
- Job offers can come from a variety of employers: private households, home care agencies, or personal care services in residential settings.
- For principal applicants, they need to score a Level 4 for the language requirement, which is lower than the previous standard of Level 5. The language requirement does not apply to the applicant’s family member.
- For education, applicants need the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma or higher.
- Six months of recent and relevant work experience, or caregiver training credential. Work experience or training from outside Canada is accepted.
- For people who have applied for permanent residence under the previous Home Support Worker Pilot or Home Child Care Provider Pilot, they do not need to apply under the new program.
Braun advised prospective applicants to avoid being scammed by staying away from people offering shady immigration services.
The MWC lawyer noted that applicants can check for accredited immigration consultants on the registry of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. For those seeking the services of lawyers, they can look up the list of lawyers on the website of the Law Society of B.C.
As well, Braun said at the session that it is illegal for employers or recruiters to charge applicants a fee for a job offer.
When asked about processing times, Braun said that applications may take up to two years for approval.
In the meantime, Braun said that applicants should maintain their status in Canada to make sure that they are staying legally in the country.
Kusina is an initiative of Filipino BC. In addition to Vargas, the biweekly activity is co-organized by CJ Demanarig.
Kusina is supported by the Collingwood Neighbourhood House, through staff member Farrah Gutierrez. Gutierrez’s colleague Marie Alpirez also helped at the March 9 Kusina activity.
The new home care worker program will fall under the Federal Economic Pilots, which also cover the Agri-Food Pilot, Community Immigration Pilots, and the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot.
In 2025, Canada plans to accept 10,920 permanent residents under the Federal Economic Pilots.
It’s not yet known how many of the 10,920 spots will be allotted to incoming caregivers.
Vargas is the founding president of the Diversity and Inclusion Support Group of B.C.
By Carlito Pablo
