Live-in Caregiver - is someone who lives in the same house with a Canadian family, looking after children, caring for the elderly and disabled. After two years in this position, you are eligible to apply for permanent resident status in Canada. This program requires the following applicant.
You need to have an education equivalent to at least upper secondary education in Canada. This is to ensure that, after a two-year contract when you apply for permanent status, you will be able to find a job in the Canadian labor market.
You have to be trained for 6 months or have experience in this area in one year . Experience or training is counted in areas such as training / education of children, care for sick children, first aid, care for the elderly. Counted only the experience that was acquired in the last three years before applying for a work permit.
You need to speak English or French at home communication.
You should have a written contract of employment with your future employer, which should be specified Your duties, hours of work, the employer's obligations, salaries, insurance, etc.
If you take a job, you must have lived in the same house with the employer. The program itself is Live-in Caregiver exist only because Canada does not have enough manpower to perform exactly this kind of work, that is, when Caregiver must reside directly in the workplace.
Application Procedure
First of all, you must receive a confirmation invitation to work in the Human Resources Centre Canada (HRCC). After that, you can apply to the Canadian Consulate to obtain a work permit. If your application is approved, you will be given instructions for the medical examination. In the case of satisfactory results of a medical board and passing other tests, you will be given a work permit. It is important to understand that a work permit is not in itself a reason for coming to Canada. You must have a passport and obtain a visa for temporary residence. Visa requirements vary depending on whether the citizen of the country you are.
Work permit
A work permit is only valid for one year, and you will need to renew it. To do this, take a letter from your employer that you are invited to work as a live-in caregiver for another year and to sign a contract extension. You are permitted to work only for the employer specified in the permit to work. In spite of this, you have the right to change employer. But before you start working on a new place, you will need to obtain a new work permit. While you are working as a live-in caregiver, you are prohibited from working anywhere else. See below. "Open work permit."
Your rights
Signed by both parties to the contract is a legal document. It specifies the rights and obligations as an employer and an employee. For example, the contract should contain information about the working conditions, the maximum number of working hours per week, hourly wage, overtime pay, vacation days, etc. Terms of the contract must not contradict the provincial labor laws, which provide for such rights as:
weekends;
paid leave;
payment for work on public holidays;
overtime pay;
minimum wage (varies depending on the province), etc.
During public holidays are given the opportunity to either get a paid day off, or work on overtime rate. Public holidays in Canada are considered: New Year's Day - New Year's Day (January 1), Good Friday - Good Friday (Easter), Victoria Day - Victoria Day (celebrated in May in honor of Queen Victoria), Canada Day - Canada Day (July 1) , Labour Day - Labor Day (September), Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving Day (October), Christmas Day - Christmas Day (25 December). In addition, the provinces have their holidays.
The employer has no right to refuse to pay overtime or make you work more than the normal time. You need to know the maximum amount that can be deducted from your pay for food and accommodation. You must be a separate room in the house of the employer, which may not include anybody but you. The employer can not point you to where you spend your free time; You also have the right to refuse to perform certain work if it is not stipulated in the contract.
Deductions from salaries
In addition to deductions for food and accommodation, the employer may deduct income tax from your wages. Each year, it must send a report to the IRS (Canada Customs and Revenue Agency) and give you a copy of the report before the end of February. This report is called a form of T4. On the basis of this document, you will need to file an income tax return to the IRS each year until 30 April.
Your employer or you yourself will have to pay the compulsory medical insurance (health insurance), unemployment insurance (Employment Insurance - EI), and payments to the pension fund (Canada Pension Plan).
Learning
If, in parallel with the work, you decide to study in Canada, you will need to obtain permission to study - study permit. A study permit is not required if the course lasts for at least 6 months. It is important to remember that the work or study without permission from immigration officials considered a violation of the law and may result in deportation.
Willing to work
You do not need permission from your employer, if you decide to change jobs. However, the new employer must confirm the job offer in the HRCC, and you will have to apply for a new work permit. You can not start working at the new location until you get a new permit. The contract should also stipulate how much time you have to file a letter of resignation.
The application for permanent resident status
In order to apply for permanent resident status in Canada, you need to work as a live-in caregiver for at least 2 years to 3 years after arriving in Canada. If, say, during these two years, you at some time traveled from Canada, it is the time spent abroad does not count. If you uedite from Canada for more than a year or validity of your work permit expires, you have to go through the whole process again. Together with the application you must attach documents (such as tax returns and forms T4) to support your work as a live-in caregiver. You can include in your application your family members (See. Q & A: Who is considered a family member?). You and your family will receive a residence permit at the same time, although the documents will be considered at the Canadian consulate responsible for the country in which they reside. Your family members will be required to successfully pass a medical examination and other tests, regardless of whether they go to Canada or not. If you are working as a live-in caregiver in Quebec, you will be brought to the additional requirements, for example, to the knowledge of the French language.
Open work permits
Once your application is approved, in principle, you are eligible to apply for an open work permit. While you're waiting for the final decision on your application, open work permit (open work permit) provides you with the opportunity to work anywhere, in any field, and does not tie you to a specific employer.
