Canada's Home Care Worker Immigration pilots are IRCC programs providing a direct pathway to permanent residence for workers providing home child care or home support services. Unlike earlier caregiver programs that required workers to first gain temporary status and accumulate Canadian experience before applying for PR, the current pilots allow eligible workers with a qualifying job offer to apply directly for permanent residence. As of early 2026, intake for the pilots has been paused — IRCC stated it will not reopen intake until further notice, though applications received before the pause continue to be processed.

For current intake status, eligibility requirements, and processing updates, refer to the IRCC Home Care Worker Immigration pilots page.

• IRCC: Home Care Worker Immigration pilots — canada.ca/home-care-worker-pilots
• IRCC: Pausing Home Care Worker Immigration pilots application intake — canada.ca/pausing-home-care-pilots
• IRCC: Home care workers (caregivers) — canada.ca/caregivers

Background — evolution of caregiver immigration programs

Canada has a history of caregiver immigration programs that have evolved substantially over time:

• The original Live-in Caregiver Program required caregivers to live in their employer's home and complete 24 months of Canadian work experience before applying for PR — widely criticised for creating conditions for exploitation
• The Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot (introduced 2019) replaced the live-in requirement and offered direct-to-PR options — both are now closed
• The current Home Care Worker Immigration pilots (launched 2024) continue the direct-to-PR framework for home child care and home support workers

Two streams

The Home Care Worker Immigration pilots have two streams matching the two types of home care work:

• Home child care stream — for workers who provide care for children in a private home setting (babysitters, nannies, home daycare providers)
• Home support stream — for workers who provide personal care, homemaking, and support services to elderly persons, persons with disabilities, or persons with chronic illness in a private home setting

Eligibility requirements

For both streams, the key eligibility requirements include:

• Job offer: a genuine full-time, non-seasonal job offer from a Canadian employer in the relevant home care occupation — the job offer must be for a position in Canada
• Language: minimum CLB 4 (or NCLC 4 for French) in all four language abilities (reading, writing, listening, speaking) — demonstrated through an approved language test
• Education: Canadian secondary school credential or a foreign credential determined to be equivalent — an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is required for foreign credentials
• Experience or training: relevant work experience or formal training in home child care or home support, as specified in the program requirements

For current eligibility details, including any specific experience thresholds and credential requirements by stream, refer to the IRCC pilot eligibility page.

Direct to permanent residence

The defining feature of the current pilots is that eligible workers apply directly for permanent residence — they do not need to enter Canada first on a temporary work permit, accumulate Canadian work experience, and then apply for PR in a separate process. This is a significant improvement over earlier programs. Workers who are approved receive PR status from the outset.

Note: workers who are in Canada on a work permit and wish to apply through the pilots may also be eligible — the program allows for applications from both inside and outside Canada.

Intake paused — 2026

IRCC announced that it would pause intake for the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots because interest in the program exceeded available spaces. As of early 2026, no new applications are being accepted. IRCC has stated it will update the program page when intake reopens. Applications already submitted before the pause are being processed in line with the Immigration Levels Plan. For current intake status, refer to the IRCC pilot page.

Workers already in Canada — open work permit

Caregiver workers who are already in Canada on a work permit may be eligible for an open work permit while their PR application is being processed, allowing them to change employers if needed. For details on open work permits for caregivers, refer to the caregiver immigration overview page.

The pause on intake for the Home Care Worker pilots reflects a broader IRCC trend of managing volumes across multiple immigration streams due to Canada's overall immigration reduction targets announced in late 2024 and 2025. Workers in the home care sector who cannot access the current pilots may wish to explore other pathways — including the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (LMIA-based work permits), and after accumulating Canadian work experience, the Canadian Experience Class through Express Entry. For current pathway options for caregivers, refer to the IRCC home care workers page.