Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and Work Permits for Hiring Caregivers / Nannies in Canada
Presently, Caregivers and Nannies have no LMIA exemptions. If a Caregiver changes Employers the new employer must have the LMIA approved before a work permit can be approved.
To advertise for a caregiver / Nanny you must post in Canada’s national Job Bank. They will also require the Employer to show that they have made reasonable efforts to hire a Canadian, a permanent resident or a foreign worker already in Canada as a live-in caregiver. The Employer is required to advertise your position in the national Job Bank. Find out more about the minimum recruitment efforts required under the Live-in Caregiver Program on the ESDC website.
You can hire a live-in caregiver who is already in Canada and has a valid work permit. The caregiver will need to apply for a new work permit naming you as the employer. It is illegal for the caregiver to begin working for you without this permit. You cannot hire a caregiver on a trial basis to find out if they are suitable. It is a crime to employ a worker who is not authorized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
When you have found a caregiver you want to hire, contact the ESDC/SC Live-in Caregiver Call Centre to obtain more information about the Live-in Caregiver Program at 1-800-367-5693 (from within Canada or the United States) or 506-546-7569 (from outside Canada or the United States).
PROBLEMS
As of January 2016, the LMIA application process is taking eight plus (8+) weeks and the work permit almost as long or longer. For further info or clairfiaction you can try to call CIC 1-888-242-2100, however, it is next to impossible to talk with a real person. When an employer has found a caregiver they want to hire, they can contact the ESDC/SC Live-in Caregiver Call Centre to obtain more information about the Live-in Caregiver Program at 1-800-367-5693, HOWEVER, you need the LMIA. ESDC/SC while very helpful and you can actually talk with a person you need CIC to get the work permit. Online is the best method for dealing with CIC.
In, conclusion, a LMIA is required before applying for a work permit renewal with the same employer or with a new employer. Apply for the LMIA ASAP because it can take 8+ Weeks for employers to obtain a positive LMIA. When the LMIA is approved apply online for the CIC work permit (unknown length of time but estimated to be 3-4 months). Hopefully, the new Trudeau Government will streamline the Caregiver / Nanny process in the near future.
Filipino Home Caregiver and our contractors can handle the processing of the LMIA, work permit and visas for the workers abroad or the work permit extensions inside Canada. Contact us online.
If you are a Caregiver apply online.