In a significant move to address the growing demand for home care workers, Canada has announced a new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot (HCWP), which will grant permanent residence to 2,750 foreign home care workers.
Announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller in a press conference on March 8, 2025, the HCWP will operate through two distinct streams:
- Workers in Canada Stream – For foreign home care workers who are already residing and working in Canada.
- Applicants Not Working in Canada Stream – For foreign home care workers applying from abroad.
The eligibility requirement for this pilot is as follows:
| Eligibility Criteria | Requirement |
| Work Experience | – At least six months of recent, relevant work experience related to home care work (either in Canada or abroad); OR |
| – An education credential of at least six months, related to home care training. | |
| Language Proficiency | – Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 in English; OR |
| – Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level 4 in French. | |
| Job Offer | – Must have a full-time job offer from either a: |
| – Private household; OR | |
| – An organization* that directly hires full-time home care workers to provide short-term or occasional care. |
While IRCC has specified that 150 of these 2,750 admissions will be reserved for home care workers who are currently out of status in the country, the department has yet to disclose how many applications will be accepted through the “Applicants Not Working in Canada Stream”.
The care worker pilot program was first announced back in January 2025. Previously, the Immigration Levels Plan estimated that the total number of applications anticipated for 2025 would range between 4,000 and 5,000 for the Healthcare worker pilot program. But now the number of allocated quota has further been decreased.
Key Dates and Application Process
The HCWP is set to officially open on March 31, 2025. Initially, IRCC will only accept applications from those applying through the Workers in Canada Stream. Foreign home care workers outside of Canada will have the chance to apply at a later date, although IRCC has not yet provided a specific timeline for when this option will become available.
A Step Toward Permanent Policy?
Minister Miller expressed optimism about the HCWP’s future, suggesting that, if successful, the pilot could become a permanent immigration pathway. He emphasized the program’s importance as a “stepping stone to proving to the rest of Canada that regularization works.”
With Canada facing an increasing demand for home care professionals, this initiative marks a crucial step in addressing labor shortages while offering foreign workers a viable path to permanent residency.
For the latest updates on HCWP application timelines and eligibility requirements, stay tuned to official IRCC announcements.