Filipiniana News - January 2018 Caregiver Program Changes Before the end of 2017, IRCC promised to expedite family reunification for caregivers and their families by addressing the huge backlog of permanent residence applications under the now defunct Live-in Caregiver Program. In addition, employers who would like to hire caregivers for people with high medical needs and those who would like to hire caregivers for children with annual household income of less than $150,000 are now exempt from paying the $1,000 LMIA processing fee. We truly hope that these changes will only be the start of other significant changes that will help improve the status of caregivers in Canada who are initially admitted as temporary workers. Among others, the employer-specific and precarious nature of the caregiver work permits will need to be removed, being the root cause of their vulnerability to various forms of abuse and exploitation. Reope...