March 1, 2025 — Canada is set to open new programs granting permanent residence on arrival to caregivers from the Philippines and other countries.
Called the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots, the new programs will begin on March 31, 2025.
Under previous programs, caregivers come as temporary foreign workers and they are not guaranteed permanent residence when they apply later.
Caregivers and their supporters have fought long and hard for the status of permanent residence on arrival.
Advocates have argued that if caregivers are good enough to work in Canada, they should be good enough to stay in the country as residents.
As well, permanent residence protects workers from abuse and exploitation by unscrupulous employers.
Based on the federal government’s 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada will welcome 395,000 permanent residents in 2025.
The number includes 10,920 new permanent residents under the category of “Federal Economic Pilots”.
The new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots will fall under the Federal Economic Pilots, which also covers the Agri-Food Pilot, Community Immigration Pilots, and the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot.
It is not known yet how many of the 10,920 permanent residency spots will be allotted to incoming caregivers.
The government’s 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan also indicates that Canada will welcome 9,920 permanent residents under the Federal Economic Pilots in 2026.
The same number of 9,920 is targeted for 2027 under the Federal Economic Pilots.
To recall, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced through a media release on June 3, 2024 that new programs will be opened for caregivers.
“The new pilot programs will provide home care workers with permanent residence (PR) on arrival in Canada,” the release stated.
The announcement also indicated that caregivers arriving under the new programs will have the ability to work in settings outside homes.
“They will also be allowed to work for organizations that provide temporary or parttime care for people who are semi-independent or recovering from an injury or illness. This new pathway means that caregivers can more easily find proper work with reliable employers and have clear, straightforward access to permanent resident status as soon as they arrive in Canada.”
The June 3, 2025 IRCC media release quoted Rechie Valdez, the only Canadian Filipino who is a Member of Parliament. She is also Minister of Small Business and represents the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville in the House of Commons.
“After hearing stories and feedback from caregivers across Canada, I am proud that we are taking concrete action to create policies to support the caregiver community. Generations of women and men have advocated for this important pathway and have cared for our families and loved ones here in Canada. Now is the time to return the care they deserve,” Valdez said.
In 2018, the federal government held public consultations regarding Canada’s caregiver programs.
In its report, the government stated that the “most frequent request raised by stakeholders was to grant caregivers permanent residence on arrival, to recognize their contributions to Canada and end their precarious status as temporary residents”.
“Stakeholders spoke about the importance of caregiving work and referred to caregiving as a permanent rather than a temporary need,” the government reported.
Also, many stakeholders felt that “caregiving work was devalued.”
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