Make the Live in caregiver program fair and balanced for Canadian Families

In April 1, 2010 new changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program were implemented.

The Live-in Caregiver Program is an immigration program used by Canadian families to hire overseas caregivers and nannies when there is a lack of Canadian or Permanent residents available locally.

Canadian employers are now required to pay for all recruitment fees if using a recruitment agency, airfare to the location of work in Canada, temporary medical insurance and workers compensation.

To put all the cost on the hiring family is unfair, leaves the program unbalanced, and provides no protection to Canadian families in the event that the placement not work out. In some cases a caregiver has been known to use a family simply to get to Canada, with no intention of working for them, and leaves shortly after for a more appealing employer, such as one with less children or living in a more urban location and closer to friends or relatives.

This has left Canadian families at extreme risk of being taken advantage of by unsuitable candidates, potentially losing thousands of dollars on a placement which doesn’t work out.

The changes were initiated to bring the LCP in line with the temporary foreign worker program. However, unlike large corporations who bring in temporary foreign workers, Canadian families cannot claim back the caregiver’s travel expenses on their taxes.

Requiring employers to pay for all recruitment fees will also risk forcing legitimate recruitment agencies to go overseas, where the Canadian government has no jurisdiction. This will not help caregivers working in Canada, who rely on good agencies for advice and assistance, and will take away jobs and tax revenues in Canada.

We strongly encourage the Canadian Government to provide relief to Canadian families seeking affordable child care, by exploring options to minimize the risks currently being faced when participating on the Live-in Caregiver Program.