Become a Live-in Caregiver in Canada

The live-in caregiver program, in short LCP, is a program through which a Canadian citizen can employ a foreign national as a caretaker or nanny for his children in case there is no Canadian citizen or permanent resident available for the job.

What are the Rules a Foreign National Should Obey to Become a live-in Caregiver?

A foreign national applying for live-in caregiver in Canada must follow the rules mentioned below:

1. you should be able to provide at least 30 hours of full-time care to:

• children aged less than 18 years
• Elderly persons who age is 65 or above.
• Person with disabilities

2. you must live and work without any supervision in a private household where he can provide care.

3. you should meet all the requirements set by CIC and human resources and skills development Canada.

On the Other Hand, an Employer Must:

1. Meet all the requirements set by the LCP program

2. Wages, occupation and working conditions

3. Advertisement requirements

Applying for Permanent Residency

If the live-in caregiver wants to apply for permanent residency, then he should:

1. Have worked for at least 2 years from the arrival date in Canada to satisfy the employment requirements to get eligible for permanent residency.

2. you can choose between the two options to calculate the number of employment hours that are required to apply for a permanent resident visa in Canada:

• 24 months of full-time employment with authorization
• 3900 hours of authorized employment full-time; this may include 390 hours of overtime duty.

Requirements to be Satisfied by the Foreign National:

1. Language proficiency: the employer should make sure that the live-in caregiver or employee being hired can speak, write, and understand at least one of the official languages of Canada, which are English and French. The employee must show some fluency levels to prove that he can communicate and live independently in an unsupervised environment.

2. Education and training: Employers should make sure that the live-in caregiver can Successfully complete the education equivalent to high school education in Canada. The employee should get full-time training for at least 6 months. The live-in caregiver should have worked for at least 1 year as a full-time caregiver or in a related occupation within last 3 years.

Multiple Employers’ Facility:

The foreign national applying for the live-in caregiver can work under more than 1 employer but not more than 2. However, both employers should meet the requirements set by the Live-in Caregiver Program and must sign all documents, including:

1. Labour market opinion, LMO application
2. Employment contract
3. Bedroom description form and etc.

Business Number for Employers:

A business number is a 9-digit identifier which is assigned to an employer by CRA for the purpose of taxes. Canadian citizens or permanent residents who want to hire live-in caregivers are considered employers, and they must get a business number, BN, from the Canada revenue agency, CRA. The business number is to:

• Meet the registration requirements to advertise on the national job bank website or its provincial counterpart.
• Apply for a live-in caregiver program
• Pay the wage, including the vacation pay
• Make deduction from the wage as prescribed by the law and Live-in Caregiver Program and
• Issue pay stubs, statements and remuneration paid (T4).

How to Obtain a Business Number?

The employer can obtain the business number by registering in any one of the following ways:

1. Through the Internet: the employer can utilize the online service to get registered for a business number.
2. Through phone: the employer can call CRA business enquiry number- 1-800-959-5525. The employer should be ready to answer the questions for BN.
3. Through mail or fax: the employer gets a BN form, fills it and can send it through mail or fax to the tax service office.

The employer should provide proof that the dependent is in need of care which includes the documents proving the following:

• Age & percentage for a child under 18 years
  1. birth certificate, or
  2. adoption certificate, or
  3. official guardianship or
  4. Medical doctor’s note confirms the pregnancy.

• Age of senior
  1. Birth certificate
  2. Passport
  3. Old age security identification card

• Disability for disabled person-
  1. Completed medical disability certificate
  2. Physician note proving that the patient has a disability

We can help you with the process and the documentation. Contact our firm, and we can get started immediately.