IRCC announces eligibility for new Home Care Worker pathways to permanent residence

Home care workers can now get more information on the forthcoming pathways to Canadian permanent residence.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has posted more details on the forthcoming Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP)—including reduced language, work experience, and education eligibility criteria for candidates.

The Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots are two forthcoming Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exempt immigration pathways for foreign home care workers to find employment and receive permanent residence (PR) upon arrival to Canada. They are set to be launched on March 31, 2025.

The immigration department clarified that upon opening, the HCWP will only accept applications from candidates who are currently in Canada. Applicants outside Canada will have the opportunity to apply at a later date.

IRCC also provided further details for these pathways, which will be covered in this article, including

Which streams are included within the HCWP;
Eligibility requirements for language scores, work experience, and job offers;
HCWP eligibility for out-of-status workers in Canada; and
Guidance for applicants to the (now closed) Home Child Care Worker and Home Support Worker Pilots.

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What are the streams for the new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots?

Foreign nationals can apply to the new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot (HCWP) under one of two streams:

The Workers in Canada stream; and
The Applicants not working in Canada stream.

Upon opening at the end of March, only the Workers in Canada stream will accept new applications. The Applicants not working in Canada stream will open its application intake later in the year.

IRCC advises that potential applicants to the Workers in Canada stream take an approved language test, and get their education assessed through an Education Credential Assessment (ECA), in anticipation of the HCWP’s opening date in March.

The immigration department has not released details on application procedures for the Applicants not working in Canada stream. More details will be posted by IRCC once available.

IRCC also warns that “guidance on how to prepare to apply” may change at any time and advises those interested to check their web pages regularly for any updates.
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Who is eligible for the HCWP?

IRCC has announced the following eligibility criteria for the HCWP:

Eligibility criteria	Details
Work experience	- Six months of recent, relevant work; OR - A credential of at least six months of related home care training.
Language proficiency	CLB 4 or higher in English or French.
Job offer	Must have a job offer from either - A private household; OR - An organization* that directly hires full-time home care workers to provide short-term or occasional home care.
Education	Secondary school diploma.

In addition to the above, home care workers must also have an intent to reside in a Canadian province other than Quebec to be eligible for these new streams.

Candidates who qualify based on work experience may have gained this work experience either in Canada or abroad.

Job offer conditions

*Foreign nationals applying to the HCWP may hold a job offer from any of the following organizations:

Home health care service providers;
Home care support service providers;
Direct care agencies;
Personal care services in residential settings; or
Pediatric home health care service providers.

Job offers from recruitment and placement agencies are not eligible.

Note that an LMIA is not required in support of job offers.

Additional eligibility for out-of-status workers and previous applicants

IRCC has opened eligibility for the HCWP to home care workers in Canada who are currently out of status. These individuals may still be eligible to apply under the HCWP due to a public policy. A limited number of spots are available to this cohort.

In addition, some previous applicants to the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots (previous home care worker immigration pathways that were closed in June 2024) may continue to apply under the old pathways. Newcomers who applied under the previous pilots' “Gaining experience category” before June 2024, and who have now built up enough eligible work experience may send IRCC proof of their work experience under previous guidelines, to have their permanent residence (PR) application considered.

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