Canada Caregiver Immigration Program: Home Care Worker Pilots
Canada's caregiver immigration program is closed to new applicants. The Home Care Worker Immigration pilots, for child care (NOC 44100) and home support (NOC 44101), paused intake on December 19, 2025. Ministerial Instructions set new applications to zero from March 31, 2026, in force until March 30, 2030 unless repealed earlier. IRCC is still processing existing applications.
December 19, 2025
IRCC paused intake to the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots
March 31, 2026
Ministerial Instructions set new applications accepted for processing to zero
March 30, 2030
Those instructions remain in effect until this date, unless the Minister repeals them earlier
$85
IRCC’s biometrics fee per person
The earlier Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot closed to new applications on June 17, 2024.
Can you apply to the caregiver pilots now?
IRCC’s own page is titled "Closed: Immigrate through the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots" and says the pilots are closed while it focuses on processing existing applications. Intake was paused on December 19, 2025, and IRCC’s notice states that intake "will not re-open in March 2026."
IRCC paused intake until further notice, citing ongoing high demand, interest that exceeds the spaces available and longer wait times. The new pilots had limited application spaces.
Separately, Ministerial Instructions published in the Canada Gazette on December 20, 2025 set the number of new applications accepted for processing to zero effective March 31, 2026. Those instructions remain in effect until March 30, 2030 unless the Minister repeals them earlier. So the 2026 to 2030 window is the life of the zero-intake instrument, not a countdown to a reopening.
Treat every caregiver program as closed unless IRCC’s own website shows it open today.
The rule
The caregiver pilots are closed, and they are closed now, not at some future date.
What are the two caregiver pilots?
The Home Care Worker Immigration pilots launched on March 31, 2025 and replaced the older Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots. Eligible applicants are meant to receive permanent residence on arrival in Canada. The older pilots first required Canadian work experience (24 months, cut to 12 months on April 30, 2023).
The program is split into two separate pilots, depending on whether you care for children or for adults. Your job offer must be in the pilot’s own NOC, and your experience or training must match the main duties of the NOC for the pilot you apply under.
| Pilot | Job offer NOC | Experience or training can also count in | The work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child Care | 44100 (Home child care providers) | NOC 42202 (Early childhood educators and assistants, some jobs excluded) | Caring for, supervising, and supporting the development of children in a private home |
| Home Support | 44101 (Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations) | NOC 33102 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates) | Personal care, help with daily living, and related household support for seniors, adults with disabilities, people recovering from illness or injury, or others in a private home |
Within each pilot, IRCC set up separate intake streams. A "workers in Canada" stream was for applicants already authorized to work in Canada, and a stream for applicants not currently working in Canada was planned to open at a later stage. Which streams ever opened, and the spaces available, were limited and are now subject to the intake pause.
The live-in rule belonged to the original Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP). The LCP is closed to new applicants, except those already holding an LCP work permit based on a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) submitted before December 2014. The Home Care Worker Immigration pilots’ job offer rules do not require you to live in the employer’s home.
What did the pilots require?
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Job offer | Full-time (at least 30 hours per week), continuous and permanent, from a single Canadian employer, in NOC 44100 or 44101 |
| Language | CLB / NCLC 4 in English or French, in all four abilities: reading, writing, listening and speaking |
| Approved tests | IELTS, CELPIP or PTE Core for English, TEF or TCF for French. Results must be less than 2 years old when you apply |
| Work experience | At least 6 months of continuous, full-time and relevant work experience in the past 3 years, gained inside or outside Canada |
| Or training | A relevant home-care or child-care training credential completed in the past 2 years, from a full-time program of at least 6 months |
| Education | A Canadian secondary school diploma or equivalent, with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for education completed outside Canada |
The language threshold is set at a single level rather than escalating between a work permit and a PR stage. As a one-step PR pathway, the pilots ask applicants to meet it at the time of the permanent residence application.
Your experience or training must be in a NOC the pilot lists. Foreign experience can count, a major change from the older pilots, which required Canadian work experience. Some employers may require additional childcare or healthcare-specific training or certifications.
How did the process work when intake was open?
These are the steps as the pilots were designed. Because intake is paused, do not submit anything until IRCC confirms the relevant stream is open.
Confirm a pilot is open
Caregiver intake is paused until further notice. Check the official IRCC caregiver pages to confirm which pilot and stream, if any, is currently accepting applications.
Secure a qualifying job offer
Obtain a full-time, continuous, permanent job offer from one Canadian employer in NOC 44100 for child care or 44101 for home support.
Meet the language requirement
Take an approved language test and reach at least CLB/NCLC 4 in all four abilities.
Show education and experience or training
Provide proof of education at least equivalent to a Canadian secondary school diploma, plus either the required recent relevant work experience or a qualifying credential of at least 6 months.
Submit the PR application
Eligible applicants apply directly for permanent residence under the correct pilot and stream.
Biometrics, medical, and police certificates
Provide biometrics in most cases (the IRCC fee is $85 per person, to a family maximum of $170). Complete an immigration medical exam, and supply police certificates for countries where you have lived.
Receive your COPR
If approved, you receive your Confirmation of Permanent Residence. Under the newer design, eligible workers are intended to obtain permanent resident status on arrival in Canada.
Which family members can be included?
Under the current caregiver pilots, you can include these family members on your permanent residence application:
- Your spouse or common-law partner.
- Your dependent children, and a dependent child of a dependent child.
Work or study permits for family members follow IRCC’s general rules. Eligibility criteria for accompanying family members can change with program updates.
Which free tool checks your own case?
- Pathway ExplorerWhich programs to read about, from a few answers
- Language ConverterIELTS, CELPIP, PTE Core, TEF and TCF to CLB
- Document ChecklistTypical documents by application type
Free, with no account. What you enter in a tool stays in your browser.
What do people ask?
Can I apply for the Canada caregiver immigration program in 2026?
No, not as a new applicant. IRCC paused intake to the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots on December 19, 2025, while it processes existing applications. Ministerial Instructions then set new applications accepted to zero from March 31, 2026, in force until March 30, 2030 unless repealed earlier. That end date is when the instrument expires, with no reopening scheduled. Check the official IRCC caregiver page for the live status.
What is the Home Care Worker Immigration pilot program?
It is Canada's current caregiver route to permanent residence, launched on March 31, 2025. It has two pilots: Child Care for home child care providers (NOC 44100) and Home Support for home support workers (NOC 44101). It replaced the older Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots and was designed to give PR on arrival in Canada. Intake is paused.
What are the caregiver immigration requirements in Canada?
The pilots asked for four things. You need a full-time, continuous, permanent job offer of at least 30 hours a week in NOC 44100 or 44101. You also need CLB or NCLC 4 in all four language abilities, a Canadian secondary diploma or its equivalent, and 6 months of recent relevant experience or a 6-month credential. Foreign experience counts. Our Language Converter maps test scores to CLB levels.
Why did the caregiver pilots close?
IRCC paused intake on December 19, 2025, until further notice, citing ongoing high demand, interest in the pilots that exceeds the spaces available, and longer wait times. It said the pause lets it prioritize processing of existing applications, and that intake will not re-open in March 2026. The pilots had launched on March 31, 2025 with limited spaces. That is why live status matters more for caregivers than for most streams.
Can a Canadian employer sponsor me for a caregiver visa?
Not through the caregiver pilots while intake is set to zero. The Home Care Worker pilots required a qualifying full-time offer from one Canadian employer, yet an offer cannot reopen a closed pilot. People in this position look at other routes: an LMIA-based work permit as a home child care provider or home support worker (IRCC limits who can apply), a provincial nominee program, or Express Entry, each with its own rules. Our Pathway Explorer shows the published criteria for each.
Do I need to live with my employer to be a caregiver in Canada?
No. The live-in rule belonged to the old Live-In Caregiver Program, which is closed to new applicants except those already holding an LCP work permit based on an LMIA submitted before December 2014. The 2019 pilots did not require caregivers to live in the employer's home, and the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots' job offer rules do not require it either.
Can my family come with me as a caregiver?
The Home Care Worker pilots let you include your spouse or common-law partner, your dependent children and a dependent child of a dependent child in the permanent residence application. Work or study permits for family members follow IRCC's general rules. Rules for family members change with program updates, so confirm the current criteria on IRCC.
Part of:Immigrating permanently
- Medical Exams for Canadian Immigration: What to Expect
- Police Certificate Requirements for Canada
- Canada Medical Inadmissibility: Can a Health Condition Bar Entry?
The textbook on this subject
Volume 2: Immigrating to Canada $79
The economic and family pathways to permanent residence, explained from the published criteria.
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This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.