| Parents | Before you look abroad | Male caregiver? | Before you sign a contract | Well-meant tips | You shoud know | Provincial health plans | Salary deductions | Employment standards | Termination of employment | Questions and answers | Room and board deductions | Hiring a caregiver who is in Canada | Your obligations | Your responsibilities

Before you look abroad

If you want to hire a caregiver from abroad, we recommend that you become familiar with the terms of the program before spending time or money recruiting employees from abroad. Be sure that the Live-in Caregiver Program is the best way to meet your needs. Do not hesitate to contact us to ask questions that are not answered on our web site.

If you exhausted local resources and still didn't find a suitable caregiver, you may look abroad. You must have sufficient income to pay a live-in caregiver and you must provide acceptable accommodation in your home. Your job offer must contain care giving duties for a child or an elderly or disabled person. A job offer for a housecleaner, for example, is not acceptable under the program. Look at the profiles of our caregivers - if you find someone suitable, it will save you money and time. All of our caregivers meet and far exceed the minimum requirements set forth by the Canadian government.

You will be asked to declare that you can provide the wages, benefits and working conditions required by provincial or territorial labour laws. We will provide information on acceptable wage standards, taxation, health insurance, workers' compensation and other relevant matters. Remember that the minimum wage in your province or territory may be below the market wage in your community. You should be prepared to pay a wage rate and provide benefits comparable to those provided to other caregivers in your community if you want to keep your employee. A foreign live-in caregiver must work full-time - part-time employment offer will not be considered by the HRSDC.

When the HRSDC has confirmed your offer of employment, you will be provided with a letter of confirmation. Your offer will be sent to the appropriate visa office abroad. If your potential employee is considered to be eligible to participate in the Live-in Caregiver Program and meets all other requirements, a work permit will be issued.

If you live in the province of Quebec, and Quebec will be your employee's province of employment, the procedure is a bit different - you will need a Certificate of Selection from your provincial government.

Live-in caregivers have the right to change jobs without their employers' permission as long as they remain live-in caregivers. They are also eligible to apply for permanent residence after working for two years as live-in caregivers in Canada.