Canada To Launch Caregiver Programme For Foreign Workers On March 31, 2025

Foreign caregivers will soon have an updated pathway to work and live in Canada, as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots will begin accepting applications on March 31, 2025.

This new programme will replace the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot, which stopped accepting applications on June 17, 2024.

Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, unveiled these enhanced caregiver pathways on June 3, 2024, calling them an important step forward.

Permanent residency on arrival: Caregivers will receive permanent resident status immediately upon entering Canada, removing the delays and uncertainty of previous programmes.

The total number of applications expected for 2025 is estimated between 4,000 and 5,000, with Canada’s broader pilot immigration quota reducing from 10,920 in 2024 to 10,875 in 2025, according to the Immigration Levels Plan.

Canada’s ageing population is creating an increasing demand for professional caregivers, particularly in home care services. In its 2017 report, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), a government-funded, not-for-profit organisation, showed that over the past 40 years, the population of seniors in Canada more than tripled. This trend is expected to continue, placing a greater strain on healthcare systems and increasing the need for home care services.

Between 1977 and 1997, the number of seniors aged 65 and older grew from 2 million to 3.5 million.

By 2017, the seniors population reached 6.2 million.

By 2037, this figure is projected to increase by 68%, reaching 10.4 million.

Older seniors (75 and older):
This subgroup is growing faster than the overall seniors population.
By 2037, the number of older seniors in Canada is expected to be 2.1 times its 2017 size.