Filipiniana News
– May 2019
By
Maria Deanna P. Santos
With the June
4, 2019 deadline fast approaching, this is just a shout-out to those who may
qualify for permanent residence (PR) under the Interim Pathway for Caregivers
(IPC) but have not yet submitted their PR and open work permit (OWP)
applications.
In case anyone
missed the news, the IPC was introduced by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen on 23 February
2019, when he made the initial announcement regarding the PR program for caregivers
that will replace the current caregiver pathways that are set to expire on 29
November 2019. While IRCC is still ironing out the details of
the new PR program for caregivers, the IPC went into full force shortly
afterwards.
As previously announced, PR applications under the IPC will only be accepted
within a short three-month period: from
4 March 2019 to 4 June 2019. According to
IRCC, this program “is meant to provide a permanent residence option for those
who, in good faith, have come to Canada and are
providing care to Canadians, without a clear pathway to permanent residence.”
Caregivers may qualify for permanent residence under the IPC if they
meet the following criteria:
a) completion of at least one year of full time authorized work as a
caregiver (for children or for people with high medical needs or a combination
of these jobs) since 30 November 2014;
b) completion of education that is equivalent to a Canadian high school
diploma (foreign credentials must be accompanied by a valid education
credential assessment);
c) completion of an official
English language test with a minimum score equivalent to CLB 5;
d) at the time of PR
application, hold a valid work permit, on implied status or eligible for
restoration, other than those who are holding a live-in caregiver program work
permit.
If the caregiver applicant will meet the above requirements, there is
also the added benefit of being granted an open work permit that will allow the
applicant to work for any employer in any occupation in Canada while the PR
application is in process, as in the old Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
Unlike the two caregiver pathways which are expiring on 29 November 2019,
there is no quota on the number of PR applications that IRCC will accept under
the IPC until 4 June 2019. To date, there
has been no indication whether this deadline will be extended.
A further accommodation provided by IRCC for applicants under the IPC
program is that it will accept evidence that the caregiver applicant has
applied for an education credential assessment and/or scheduled to take an
official English language test, if the results will not be received by 4 June
2019.
Despite its well-meaning objective however, the IPC still leaves a lot
of caregivers unable to qualify for permanent residence under this class in the
following situations:
a) if they were authorized to work under the live-in caregiver
program;
b) if they will be unable to complete at least a year of qualified
caregiving work by 4 June 2019;
c) if they have lost temporary
foreign worker status for any reason;
d) if they are unable to meet the language and education requirements; or
e) if the caregiver and/or a family member is found to be inadmissible
at the permanent residence application stage and after having completed the
required caregiving work on valid work permits
Although IRCC is granting some flexibility in some aspects of the
application, the very short window of opportunity for those who intend to apply
under the IPC makes it extremely important that the permanent residence
application is done correctly. If the
application is incomplete and is returned after the IPC ends on 4 June 2019,
then the caregiver applicant may have lost a very rare opportunity.
Moreover, if the language test results and education credential
assessment would later turn out not to meet the minimum requirements, the PR
application under the IPC will be refused.
If the PR application under the IPC is refused, any future PR application
will then have to meet requirements under the existing or future caregiver pathways
or be based on the highly-discretionary option of applying for permanent residence
on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
The IRCC has not provided further details on the new caregiver programs
other than that they will be announced soon and before the November 2019 expiry
of the current pilot programs.
All we know is that the new caregiver programs will have the
following features:
a) the caregivers will be assessed for permanent residence
before they come to Canada;
b) the caregivers will be issued occupation-specific
(instead of employer-specific) work permits that will allow them to change
employers without need to obtain new work permits;
c) the caregivers’ spouses will be granted open work permits
and their dependent children will be issued study permits; and
d) upon completion of two years of work experience, the
caregiver (and their dependent family members) “will have access to a direct
pathway” for permanent residence in Canada.
Interestingly, the Ontario government is also considering the issuance
of provincial nomination to workers in NOC C and D occupations including
caregiving. If this materializes, then this
could be another possible route to permanent residence for caregivers.
Until details of these other options become clear, those who qualify
under the IPC should not waste the opportunity and are strongly urged to apply
before the deadline of 4 June 2019.
This
article is meant for information purposes only and not as specific legal
advice. Each case is unique and is best
discussed in detail with a qualified, experienced and trusted immigration legal
advisor to increase the chances of success.
The author is a Filipino-Canadian immigration
lawyer and may be reached at deanna@santoslaw.ca
or tel. no. 416-901-8497.
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