Filipinos can foresee an opportunity to work in Canada by next year as they seek workers to be employed under their Live-in Caregiver Program. Canada sees a possible 17,500 hiring of caregivers to fill the caregiver positions that Canadian professionals were not able to occupy.

THE REQUIREMENTS

The four main requirements to be able to qualify for Canada's Live-in Care Program (LCP) are as follows:

1. have successfully completed the equivalent of a Canadian high school education (Canadian high school is equivalent to 12 years, the Philippines has 10 years. one must have at least another 2-years post-secondary education to meet this requirement);
2. have six months of full-time training in a classroom setting** or twelve months of full-time paid employment, including at least six months of continuous employment within the past 3 years with one employer in a field or occupation related to the job the applicant is seeking as a live-in caregiver;
3. must be able to speak, read and understand either English or French at a level that allows the applicant to function independently in a home setting (applicants are encouraged to take the IELTS or TEF as a proof of language proficiency);
4. must have a written employment contract between the applicant and his/her future employer. The contract must define the job duties, hours of work, salary and benefits.

** For Philippine applicants, a six-month training course must be taken from an accredited training school by Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). On-the-job training (OJT) or a practicum is not considered part of the required training, as well as correspondence courses, evening and weekend classes, nor they are considered full-time.

HOW TO APPLY

1. Find a prospective employer from Canada. It is not mandatory to use a recruitment agency to be able to get an employer.

2. Secure a positive Labour Market Opinion (LMO) from your future employer.  Once  you have found a prospective employer and he/she is interested to hire you, the employer must send an LMO application to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada/Service Canada (HRSDC/SC). A positive LMO is important as it determines and approves the employer's need to hire foreign workers and protect the employee from unjust wages and working conditions. A copy must be furnished by the employer for you (applicant), to be sent together with the employment contract.

3.Sign a written employment contract. You and your employer must come into terms and sign an employment contract. As mentioned, a written employment contract is to be sent to you together with a positive LMO.

4.Secure a work permit. You got your employment contract and LMO, now you need a work permit/work visa. You may obtain a work permit from Canadian visa application centres (VACs) located in Manila and Cebu. You may apply for a work permit either via online or personally go to the VAC near you. Applicants are encouraged to personally submit their completed requirements than to mail-in via courier to the nearest Canadian visa office in the Philippines (in Manila or Cebu). Prepare to pay for fees, though, as the VACs may collect fees for biometrics and processing. 

Note: Visa offices have specific instructions about which documents you must send with your application. Inquire about such documents to the VAC near you prior to personally going to the visa office and apply for the work permit.

After the visa office begins to process your live-in caregiver work permit application, you will be invited to an interview. A visa officer will interview you to make sure you meet all the requirements of the program.

(According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada website, it may take 39 months to process a Live-in Caregiver Program application. The time estimate is based on  how long it took to process 80 percent of all cases between October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013. Processing times are subject to change. )

5. Undergo a medical exam and background checking. You may also need to get a medical exam and background security checks before a work permit may be issued to you.

After you pass the medical examination and security screening and meet all other requirements, you will receive a letter of approval. The work permit will be issued only upon your arrival in Canada.

6. Obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC). Upon approval of your requirements and application, you may secure an Overseas Employments Certificate (commonly known as exit permit) from the Philippine Overseas Employment Authority (POEA).

For more details about this program, you may visit and read on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website.

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Canada to hire more caregivers in 2014