Canada’s Live-In Caregiver Program: Is it an Answer to the Growing Demand for Elderly Care?

Canada is unique among the countries included in this volume with regards to the immigration status of care workers; they are much more likely to be immigrants or permanent residents rather than temporary workers (migrants). One program specific to Canada that enables care workers to migrate to Canada is the Live in Caregiver Program (LCP). Through this program workers are able to migrate without having to meet the qualifications of the immigration points system or family sponsorship. One of the key requirements is that they work for at least 24 out of 36 months as a care worker in the home of their client who in turn is their immigration sponsor. Though this has typically been a means to bring in care workers to work with children, increasingly care workers are attending to elderly clients. Interviews we conducted with 19 immigrant care workers in the home and long-term care sector who came to Canada through the LCP, contributed to a broader understanding of the way in which this recent shift in focus can help to address the growing need for care of older persons in their home. However, it has been implemented with little of the additional resources needed for this increasingly complex clientele. This program holds clear potential, but not without it being better customized to meet the needs of older persons and their care workers.