Proposed Changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program
On December 19th, the Canada Gazette (http://www.gazette.gc.ca/) will post some proposed changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program, allowing the public to comment on it.
The proposed changes will affect the process by which live-in caregivers follow to obtain permanent residence into Canada. Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney has proposed these changes to better protect the rights of live-in caregivers in Canada and also to make it easier for them and their families to come into Canada.
The proposed changes are as follows:
- The second medical examination to be eliminated for caregivers applying for permanent residency, as per the “Juana Tejada Law”
- The work requirement to be changed to allow caregivers to work overtime to achieve 3,900 hours of work to apply for permanent residency in four years, rather than the previous three years.
- Employers to be required to pay for:
- travel costs for live-in caregivers to come to Canada;
- medical insurance until live-in caregivers become eligible for provincial health coverage; and
- workplace safety insurance and any recruiting fees owed to third parties.
These changes are said to be put in place to protect the rights of foreign workers and enable their transition to Canada. Employers that are found to provide very different wages, working conditions or occupations than promised may be prevented from hiring a live-in caregiver in the future.
For the full news release, please visit http://www.cic.gc.ca/. On December 19, 2009, these changes will be posted online for the public to read and comment on at http://www.gazette.gc.ca/.
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