Guides
Using the TFWP and caregiver pilots to staff a Canadian home care agency
TFWP caregiver pilots home care planning means an LMIA, the right pilot, IRCC work permits and employer compliance duties that outlast arrival.
What to take away
- A Canadian agency hires from abroad through two doorsthe Temporary Foreign Worker Program for the work permit, and a caregiver immigration pilot for permanent residence.
- Most in-home caregiver roles need a Labour Market Impact Assessment. An LMIA exemption does not remove TFWP employer duties.
- The Home Support Worker and Home Child Care Provider pilots are closed. The Home Care Worker Immigration pilots replaced them.
- The work permit names one employer, and ESDC can inspect the file years after the caregiver leaves.
The LMIA question for in-home caregiver roles
The agency carries the obligations under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, not the client family. Start with the federal guide to who needs an LMIA.
The answer turns on the stream and the position, not on the word caregiver. In-home care for one named person can qualify for a pilot exemption. Agency-scheduled work across many clients usually cannot.
An LMIA is ESDC's opinion that no Canadian worker was available at the wage you offered. It is not a work permit; the caregiver attaches it to the permit application.
Settle three questions first. Is the job care for one named person or for many? Does the caregiver live with the client or in housing you arrange? Which pilot covers the occupation?
Before looking abroad, check whether a domestic candidate would take the role; the guide to hiring reliable home care staff covers how to tell.
Home Care Worker Immigration pilots: streams and thresholds
The Home Support Worker pilot and the Home Child Care Provider pilot are closed to new applications. No new file will be accepted.
[figure 2]
Closed vs current caregiver pilots
Closed pilots
- Names
- Home Support Worker, Home Child Care Provider
- New applications
- Not accepted
- Who applies
- Caregiver with job offer
- Use for agencies
- Context for older files
Current pilots
- Names
- Home Care Worker Immigration pilots
- New applications
- Open
- Who applies
- Caregiver-led
- Use for agencies
- Build pipeline around
The replacement is the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots. One stream serves workers already in Canada, another serves workers outside the country.
As published, the thresholds are CLB 4 in English or French, a secondary school diploma, and about six months of recent full-time work in a qualifying occupation or a related training credential.
Occupation scope covers home child care providers (NOC 44100) and home support workers and related occupations (NOC 44101). Streams and thresholds move, so read the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots page before you advertise.
These pilots are caregiver-led: the caregiver applies and your offer supports the file. Recruiting caregivers in the GTA, Vancouver and Montreal compares what works in each market.
LMIA and work permit timelines from advertisement to first shift
Two clocks run in sequence. ESDC decides the LMIA first, then IRCC decides the work permit. Both must finish before the first shift.
[figure 3]
Two clocks before a caregiver starts
- FirstFile LMIA with ESDC
- ThenWait for LMIA decision
- NextCaregiver applies for IRCC work permit
- FinallyPermit issued, caregiver can start
Plan with ranges, not fixed dates. Caregiver LMIA files commonly run from a few weeks to several months at ESDC. Work permits from outside Canada often take two to six months. Check the LMIA processing times page and IRCC's country figures on the day you file.
The sequence:
LMIA and work permit timelines
- Confirm the occupation, the stream and whether an LMIA is required.
- Advertise at or above the prevailing wage and keep dated recruitment evidence.
- File the LMIA and wait for the decision letter.
- Send the decision letter to the caregiver for the work permit application.
- Confirm the start date, placement, payroll setup and permit expiry tracking.
Advertisement to first shift is often four to six months.
Recruitment evidence and the employer compliance file
ESDC wants proof that you tried to hire in Canada. Keep the Job Bank posting, the other channels, the posting dates and a summary of who was rejected.
- Signed job offer and employment contract
- Advertisements with posting dates and duration
- Summary of applications and reasons for rejection
- LMIA application and decision letter
- Work permit copy with expiry tracked
- Pay stubs, timesheets and remittance records
Provincial duties stack on the federal ones, and the licensing and compliance guide shows where the two layers meet.
Report changes in writing: a new work location, changed duties, reduced hours or an early end to the employment.
Penalties include fines, a hiring ban and public listing of the employer name.
Wages, rent and deductions for a caregiver
Pay the wage stated on the LMIA for every hour worked, with overtime at the provincial rate. Travel time and sleep shifts are the usual disputes.
Ontario's general minimum wage is $17.60 an hour from October 1, 2025. That is a floor, not the rate. The prevailing wage for the occupation in the province sits higher, and ESDC compares your offer against it.
Allowed deductions are limited to statutory amounts, income tax, Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance.
Recruitment fees, placement fees and the LMIA cost are prohibited. Recovering any of them from the worker is a fast route to a finding.
Housing is the third trap. Employer-provided accommodation cannot push net pay below the floor. Total employment cost, including payroll taxes, is set out in pay rates and labour costs.
Example: an Ontario rent deduction
Illustrative numbers only. A Greater Toronto agency offers 35 hours a week at $22.00 an hour, which is $770.00 gross.
The offer states a $200.00 weekly rent for a room the agency provides. The caregiver keeps $570.00.
That is about $16.29 an hour, below Ontario's $17.60 floor. A deduction that drops a caregiver under the floor draws a finding, whatever the room and board rules say.
Common questions
Can I still use the Home Child Care Provider or Home Support Worker pilot?
No. Both are closed to new applications. Use the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots and check the current stream rules first.
Can the caregiver work for a second client or move to another agency?
Not on the same permit. The permit names one employer, so a move needs a new application, and the caregiver may be unpaid while it is processed.
What happens if ESDC inspects after the caregiver leaves?
You must produce the offer, the LMIA decision letter, contracts, pay stubs, timesheets and evidence of any change you reported. Missing records count as non-compliance.
