Q: What are the new requirements for the Live-in Caregiver Program?
Effective April 1, 2010, all employers applying for a Labour Market Opinion under the Live-in Caregiver Program and wishing to hire foreign live-in caregivers must meet the following requirements:
The employer must:
• Pay for the caregiver’s health insurance at no cost to the caregiver until he/she becomes eligible for provincial health insurance.
• Enroll the live-in caregiver in provincial workplace safety insurance (also known as workers’ compensation) or equivalent insurance if the former is not available.
• Pay for the services, fees and costs of a recruitment or third party agency if you are using one for recruiting the caregiver. Employers are not permitted to recoup recruitment fees from live-in caregivers.
• Pay for transportation costs for the caregiver to travel from the caregiver’s country of permanent residence to the location of work in Canada (where caregiving will take place). Or if the caregiver is already in Canada, pay the transportation,costs for the caregiver to travel to the new place of work in Canada.
• Submit to HRSDC/Service Canada an employment contract with the Labour Market Opinion application to hire a foreign live-in caregiver. The employment contract must include the duration of the contract, duties of the position, wages, hours of work (including overtime, holidays, and sick leave as per provincial legislation), accommodation arrangements, as per provincial and municipal standards; transportation costs and arrangements; health insurance coverage; terms of resignation and termination; registration for provincial workplace safety coverage.
The employer must also:
• Keep records of the number of regular and overtime hours the live-in caregiver has worked for you on a weekly/monthly basis. The caregiver will need this information for their application for permanent residency.
Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
For more information, call Caregiver Connections at 416-656-5778
