Qualifying as a Live in Caregiver

To take advantage of the Canadian Live-in Caregiver Program, you must have the following:

•  The equivalent of a Canadian high school education. This requirement is intended to increase the likelihood that participants, who later become permanent residents, will be able to find employment.
• successfully completed a minimum of 6 months of full-time training in a classroom setting in a training program related to the caregiving work which they will be doing or;
• 12 months of recent paid caregiving work experience. For example, this work experience may have been gained as an au-pair, by giving geriatric care, or in pediatric nursing. In order to meet these criteria for work experience, you must have completed at least one year of full-time, paid employment, including at least six months of continuous employment with one employer in a field or occupation related to the job that you will be doing. This experience must have been obtained within the three years immediately prior to the day on which you submit your application for a Work Permit to a visa officer.
• The ability to speak, read, and understand either English or French at a level that permits you to function independently in a home setting. For example, you must be able to contact emergency services if required and understand the labels on medication. You will be unsupervised for most of the day and may be put in a position of having to communicate with someone outside the home. A good knowledge of English or French will also enable you to read and understand for yourself what your rights and obligations are.
• You must be in good health (you will have to pass a medical examination) and have no criminal record in the countries in which you have lived.