The federal government has announced a set of new regulations which are said to better protect the rights of foreign live-in caregivers, as well as make it easier for them to obtain permanent residency in Canada. 

The changes will be included in the Live-in Caregiver Program, designed to regulate immigrants who work as caregivers in private homes for children, elderly and disabled people.

With the current rules, caregivers must work two out of their first three years of living in Canada before they are eligible to apply for residency. One of the changes to be introduced will give caregivers one additional year to get permanent residency in Canada, allowing a caregiver four years to complete a total of 3,900 work hours. In addition to this, they will also be able to apply before that period, if they use a portion of overtime hours worked.

The changes will also introduce the need for a medical examination when applying for Canadian permanent residency. “We propose to implement this change in Juana Tejada’s honour,” said Jason Kenney, Canada’s Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister, referring to Juana Tejada, a caregiver who died of cancer earlier this year, after being denied permanent residency because of her disease. 

The changes will also include a requirement for the employer to cover all travel costs when the worker moves to Canada, as well as medical insurance until they become eligible for provincial health coverage.