Nanny Canada

From Monday’s Globe and Mail

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s plan to accept 10,000 more skilled workers into Canada next year is a sound one, and so is the government’s overall target of 255,000 newcomers. Some other changes make less sense, and may be motivated by politics, more than economics.

Mr. Kenney acknowledged that the seven-year backlog to sponsor grandparents and parents has become unmanageable, and announced a two-year moratorium on applications. In the meantime, however, he will increase the quota by 10,000 over two years, to 25,000, and introduce a two-year multiple-entry visitor’s visa for these family members.

To compensate, there will be a lower quota in other categories, including live-in caregivers. The target is 8,000-9,300, compared to 10,500-12,500 in the past two years.

Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Why would a country with a declining fertility rate and the expected mass retirements of baby boomers want to recruit yet more older people? “The government has it backwards,” says Sergio Karas, an immigration lawyer.

While family reunification is a goal for Canada’s immigration program, family-class newcomers already make up two-thirds of all those accepted. Parents and grandparents are unlikely to create economic growth and will have more health needs.

Live-in caregivers are a category that should be expanded. They perform a key role in the labour market: caring for children in a country with no national daycare policy, and looking after the elderly. There is already a shortage of quality care for the aged, a problem that will grow in years to come with the country’s demographic shift.

Canada’s live-in caregiver program is unique in the world, and allows caregivers to apply for permanent residency after living with a family for two years, caring for either children or the aged. It has real weaknesses, such as long application-processing times, abusive employers and nannies being recruited for “fake” jobs, but the program itself remains sound.

The government would be wise to put resources into having it run more smoothly, and make sure that well-qualified caregivers are recruited to bona fide jobs and that their permanent residency applications are processed in a timely fashion. As the population ages, Canada will need more of them.

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On April 1, 2011, Service Canada has introduced new rules and regulations under the ’Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
In order to keep you up to date with the relevant changes that may concern your employment of a foreign caregiver, please note the following:

1. Any contract / work permit extension required to continue the employment of your present caregiver for another year (or more) must be processed 6 months ahead of the date of expiry of the present work permit.
The procedures with Service and Immigration Canada will take approx. 6 months to complete.
Note: If the caregiver has already applied for a permanent residence status, asking Immigration Canada to provide an ‘Open visa’, there is no need to apply for a new work permit as long as the caregiver will continue working for the same employer.

2. The B.C. provincial government have already announced the new minimum wage rate that applies for the live-in caregiver program in B.C.:

• a. Effective May 1, 2011, the minimum wage in BC is $8.75 gross per hour
• b. Effective November 1, 2011 the rate will climb to $9.50 per hour
• c. Effective May 1, 2012 the rate is set to be $10.25 per hour

Note: The room & board deduction has not changed – $325.00 monthly ($150.00 bi-weekly).

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