Care Giver Nanny
Caregiver & Nanny Work Permit in Canada
A foreign national may be able to work temporarily in Canada as a home child care provider (NOC 44100) or home support worker (NOC 44101) through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program when the employer has a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and the worker meets IRCC's work-permit rules.
The rules are different depending on where the worker is located, their current immigration status and whether the job is in Quebec or elsewhere in Canada.
Positive LMIA
Required for this Temporary Foreign Worker Program caregiver route.
30+ Hours/Week
TFWP in-home caregiver employment must be full-time.
NOC 44100 / 44101
Special temporary caregiver work-permit rules apply to these occupations.
Outside Quebec Restrictions
Overseas applicants and visitors generally cannot use this specific caregiver route for jobs outside Quebec.
What Is a Caregiver LMIA Work Permit?
Under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), a family or private household may hire a foreign caregiver when qualified Canadians or permanent residents are not available and the employer meets the applicable LMIA requirements.
The caregiver generally works in the private residence where care is being provided and must work at least 30 hours per week.
Home Child Care Provider
NOC 44100
Includes positions such as nanny, in-home child care provider and similar caregiver roles providing care to children in a private residence.
Home Support Worker
NOC 44101
Includes home support workers, personal care attendants and similar in-home caregiver positions supporting seniors, persons with disabilities or people with chronic or terminal illness.
Other healthcare occupations, such as registered nurses or licensed practical nurses, can have different TFWP and professional-licensing requirements. The special caregiver work-permit restrictions on this page specifically concern NOC 44100 and NOC 44101.
Who Can Apply for This Caregiver Work Permit?
If You Are Currently in Canada
For a caregiver position under NOC 44100 or 44101, you may be able to apply through the TFWP if:
- You have a valid work permit, or
- You have a valid study permit, or
- You are legally allowed to work in Canada without a work permit, other than as a business visitor
Your prospective employer must first obtain a positive LMIA before you apply for the employer-specific work permit.
If You Are Outside Canada
For this specific caregiver TFWP route:
- You generally cannot apply from outside Canada for a NOC 44100 or 44101 caregiver job located outside Quebec
An applicant outside Canada may use this caregiver work-permit route when the job is in Quebec, subject to the applicable federal and Quebec requirements.
Important for B.C. and the rest of Canada outside Quebec:
an employer should not obtain an LMIA for an overseas caregiver assuming that the LMIA will allow that person to come to Canada under this route. IRCC does not accept this type of work-permit application from outside Canada for a caregiver job outside Quebec.
Can a Visitor in Canada Apply?
Generally no for a caregiver job outside Quebec.
A person who is in Canada only as a visitor cannot use this specific LMIA-based NOC 44100/44101 caregiver work-permit route for employment outside Quebec.
A visitor who plans to work in Quebec may be able to apply from inside Canada if they meet the applicable work-permit eligibility requirements. A visitor may also be eligible for a work permit in Canada under a different occupation or immigration provision, but that is a separate assessment.
Can You Apply at the Border or Port of Entry?
No. IRCC specifically states that an application for this type of NOC 44100 or 44101 caregiver work permit cannot be made at a port of entry.
Employer LMIA Requirements
The employer must first obtain a positive LMIA from Service Canada. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program assesses whether the job is genuine, whether the employer can pay the caregiver, whether recruitment requirements were met and whether the employment complies with program rules.
Care Recipient & Employer
- Care generally must be provided in a private residence
- Child care can be for a child under 18
- High-medical-needs care can include seniors age 65+ or persons with disabilities, chronic illness or terminal illness
- Employer must provide proof of the person requiring care
- Employer must have a CRA business number/payroll account for caregiver employment
- Employer must demonstrate financial ability to pay the caregiver
Employment Conditions
- Minimum 30 hours per week
- Wage must meet or exceed the applicable prevailing wage
- Recruitment and advertising rules must be met
- Employment agreement and required supporting documents must be provided
- Employer must comply with employment standards and workplace-safety requirements
- The employer cannot charge or recover recruitment or LMIA fees from the worker
Caregiver Wage Requirements
There is no single Canada-wide caregiver wage that should be permanently displayed on this page. The employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the occupation and the specific work location.
Service Canada generally uses the current Job Bank median wage for the occupation and economic region. If no local median is available, provincial/territorial and then national wage data may be used.
The employer must also comply with any higher applicable provincial or territorial minimum or regulated wage. Employers are required to review prevailing wages during the employment period and update pay where required by the TFWP rules.
High-Wage vs. Low-Wage LMIA
The caregiver LMIA is processed under the applicable high-wage or low-wage TFWP stream based on the current wage threshold for the province or territory.
High-Wage Position
A high-wage LMIA may request an employment duration of up to 3 years, provided the requested period reasonably reflects the employer's need.
Low-Wage Position
A low-wage LMIA for an in-home caregiver may request a maximum employment duration of 1 year.
The provincial high-wage/low-wage threshold can change. The current threshold should be checked when the LMIA is prepared rather than hard-coded into this page.
LMIA Processing Fee & Caregiver Exemptions
The standard LMIA processing fee is currently $1,000 for each position requested. However, specific caregiver employers can qualify for an exemption from this processing fee.
Fee Exemption – Medical Care
Families or individuals do not pay the LMIA processing fee when hiring a foreign caregiver to provide home care to a person requiring assistance with medical needs, when the required medical evidence is provided.
Fee Exemption – Child Care
Families or individuals do not pay the LMIA processing fee for in-home child care of a child under age 13 when the family's gross annual income is $150,000 or less.
The employer or representative cannot recover the LMIA processing fee or prohibited recruitment fees from the foreign worker.
Does the Caregiver Have to Live in the Employer's Home?
No. A caregiver cannot be required to live in the employer's home. A caregiver position may be live-in or live-out.
If the employer and caregiver voluntarily agree to a live-in arrangement, the TFWP requires appropriate private accommodation. The caregiver must have a private furnished bedroom that meets applicable standards, and the employer cannot charge the foreign caregiver room and board under the TFWP caregiver policy.
Service Canada may refuse to process an LMIA where the employer is seeking to hire an in-home caregiver exclusively on a mandatory live-in basis.
Transportation & Housing for Low-Wage Caregivers
Transportation
For a low-wage in-home caregiver, the employer must generally pay the caregiver's transportation costs to the work location in advance and cannot recover those costs from the worker.
Housing
If the caregiver will not live in the employer's home, a low-wage employer must ensure that suitable and affordable accommodation is available in the community.
Caregiver Qualifications
A positive LMIA does not automatically mean IRCC will issue a work permit. IRCC assesses whether the foreign worker has the qualifications needed to perform the job and whether the applicant is admissible to Canada.
Language
The employer must ensure the caregiver can speak, read and understand at least one of Canada's official languages—English or French—well enough to communicate effectively and independently in an unsupervised caregiving environment.
Training / Experience
The worker must have the education, training, qualifications or experience reasonably required to safely perform the duties of the offered caregiver position. The exact requirement depends on the job and NOC duties rather than a universal caregiver diploma rule.
Immigration Medical Examination
Caregiver work commonly involves close contact with children, seniors or persons with disabilities. An immigration medical examination is generally required for jobs where public health must be protected, including in-home caregivers and child-care workers.
Only an IRCC-approved panel physician can complete an immigration medical exam. The timing and instructions depend on the work-permit application and IRCC requirements.
Extending a Caregiver Work Permit or Changing Employers
If a caregiver is already working in Canada on a valid employer-specific work permit, they may be able to extend the permit or change employers.
Same Employer
If the employer obtains the required LMIA and the worker applies to extend before the existing work permit expires, the worker may be able to continue working under maintained status while IRCC processes the application, provided all maintained-status conditions are met.
New Employer
A new employer generally needs the required positive LMIA and the caregiver must apply to change the conditions of the work permit. In some cases, an eligible worker can request authorization to begin the new job while the new work-permit application is being processed.
Caregiver Work Permit Process
1
Check Worker Eligibility
Confirm the caregiver's location, status in Canada, occupation and whether the job is in Quebec or elsewhere.
2
Check Employer Eligibility
Review the need for care, financial ability, CRA account, wage, working conditions and TFWP requirements.
3
Recruit & Advertise
Complete the current recruitment requirements for the applicable high-wage or low-wage stream.
4
Apply for the LMIA
The employer submits the LMIA application to Service Canada with the required evidence and fee, unless a caregiver fee exemption applies.
5
Apply for the Work Permit
After a positive LMIA, the eligible caregiver submits the employer-specific work-permit application to IRCC.
6
Maintain Compliance
The employer and worker must continue complying with wage, occupation, work-permit and employment conditions throughout employment.
Does a Caregiver Work Permit Lead Automatically to Permanent Residence?
No. A temporary caregiver work permit and a caregiver permanent-residence program are separate immigration processes.
The current Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots – Child Care and Home Support are closed to new applications. A person should not accept a caregiver job or obtain a work permit on the assumption that it automatically provides access to a currently open caregiver PR pathway.
Existing caregiver workers may still have other federal or provincial permanent-residence options depending on their occupation, location, work experience, language, education and immigration status.
How Sia Immigration Can Help
Worker Eligibility
Review whether the caregiver can legally apply for the intended work permit based on their current location and immigration status.
Employer & LMIA Review
Review the caregiver position, wage, recruitment, employer financial ability and LMIA documentation.
Work Permit Application
Prepare or review the work-permit application after the employer receives the required positive LMIA.
Caregiver & Nanny Work Permit FAQs
Can I come from India or another country to work as a nanny in British Columbia using an LMIA?
Generally no under this specific NOC 44100/44101 caregiver TFWP route. IRCC does not accept this type of caregiver work-permit application from outside Canada for a job located outside Quebec. For a B.C. caregiver LMIA route, the worker generally needs to already be in Canada with qualifying temporary status or work authorization.
Can a visitor in Canada get a caregiver work permit?
Generally not for a NOC 44100 or 44101 caregiver job outside Quebec. IRCC specifically lists visitors in Canada among those who cannot use this caregiver work-permit route outside Quebec.
Can a student in Canada apply for a caregiver LMIA work permit?
A person currently in Canada with a valid study permit is among the categories IRCC lists as potentially able to apply for this LMIA-based caregiver work permit. The employer must first obtain a positive LMIA and the applicant must meet all work-permit requirements.
Does the employer need an LMIA?
Yes. This temporary caregiver work-permit route requires the employer to obtain a positive LMIA before the worker applies for the employer-specific work permit.
How many hours must a caregiver work?
Under the TFWP in-home caregiver rules, the position must be full-time, which means at least 30 hours per week.
Does a caregiver have to live with the employer?
No. The employer cannot require the foreign caregiver to live in the home. Live-in accommodation can be arranged voluntarily if both parties agree and the TFWP accommodation requirements are met.
What wage must a caregiver be paid?
The employer must generally offer at least the current prevailing wage for the caregiver occupation and work location, normally based on the Job Bank median wage for that economic region, and must also meet any higher applicable employment-standard wage.
How much is the caregiver LMIA fee?
The standard LMIA processing fee is currently $1,000 per position, but families or individuals can qualify for an exemption when hiring for qualifying medical-care needs or when hiring to care for a child under 13 and the family's gross annual income is $150,000 or less.
Can the employer charge the LMIA fee to the caregiver?
No. Employers and representatives are prohibited from recovering the LMIA processing fee or prohibited recruitment fees from the temporary foreign worker.
Does a positive LMIA guarantee a caregiver work permit?
No. A positive LMIA allows the eligible foreign worker to apply for the applicable employer-specific work permit. IRCC still decides whether the worker qualifies for the work permit and is admissible to Canada.
Does a caregiver work permit guarantee permanent residence?
No. Temporary caregiver work authorization and permanent residence are separate. The current Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots are closed to new applications, so an individual PR assessment is required.
Check Your Caregiver Work Permit Eligibility Before Starting an LMIA
Caregiver work permits have unusual location and status restrictions. In particular, a positive LMIA does not make an overseas caregiver eligible for a NOC 44100 or 44101 work permit outside Quebec.
Before an employer spends time or money on the LMIA process, Sia Immigration Solutions can review the caregiver's current status, work location, occupation and employer situation.
Important: Temporary Foreign Worker Program rules, prevailing wages, LMIA requirements, work-permit eligibility and caregiver immigration programs can change. A job offer or positive LMIA does not guarantee a work permit or permanent residence. Current IRCC and ESDC/Service Canada requirements should be reviewed before submitting an LMIA or work-permit application.
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