• Canada’s guide to retirement living and care
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• Caregiving

Hiring a live-in caregiver

If a senior requires more constant management of their daily care and household operations than a personal support worker (PSW) can provide, then a live-in caregiver can be hired through the overseas caregiver program offered by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) Live-in Caregiver Program.

While this seems like a feasible alternative to moving into seniors' care, we also suggest other alternatives. Look into adult day programs and community resources that allow similar freedoms to seniors and families but are not at all the same level of commitment. Consider the advantage offered by services in your area, as follows: 

Placement costs and salary for live-in caregivers

1. The placement will cost $3,000, payable to an agency and may take up to 4 months, allowing for visa and immigration papers to be processed, and for health and criminal record checks to be completed
2. The approximate salary for the maximum allowable 44-hour week would be $1,954 with deductions then made for CPP, unemployment insurance, workers’ safety insurance and federal tax

The senior becomes an employer

The senior who needs the live-in caregiver would become the live-in’s employer, responsible for mandatory employer-paid benefits, including:

1. Transportation to Canada from the live-in caregiver’s country of permanent residence
2. Medical insurance coverage provided from the date of the live-in caregiver’s arrival until he or she is eligible for provincial health insurance
3. Workplace safety insurance coverage for the duration of the employment

HRSDC and the labour market opinion

The senior must apply to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada/Service Canada for a labour market opinion, required when hiring a foreign worker in Canada's labour market:

• Caregivers have up to four years from the date of their arrival in Canada to complete the employment requirement to be eligible for permanent residence under the live-in caregiver class

Items the senior must agree to

The senior must agree that the live-in caregiver:

1. Works in a private home
2. Lives with them in their home
3. Has a private, furnished room within their home
4. Is employed on a full-time basis
5. Has her health insurance paid for until she becomes eligible for provincial health insurance

regarding the employment contract

1. The senior would need a detailed employment contract to include the duration of the contract, duties of the position, wages, hours of work (including overtime, holidays, and sick leave), accommodation arrangements, as per provincial and municipal standards; transportation costs; health insurance; terms of resignation and termination; and registration for provincial workplace safety insurance.
2. The senior would need to keep records of the number of regular and overtime hours the live-in caregiver has worked for them on a weekly/monthly basis. The caregiver will need this information for their application for permanent residence.

Caregiver eligibility requirements

Caregivers are carefully screened by a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) visa officer before they enter Canada, having met the eligibility requirements of the Live-in Caregiver Program:

1. Successful completion of the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school
2. At least six months of full-time classroom training or at least one year of work experience as a caregiver or in a related field or occupation within the last three years, including at least six months of continuous employment with one employer
3. The ability to speak, read and understand English or French to function on their own in an unsupervised setting
4. Passing medical, security and criminal clearances
5. A signed written employment contract with an employer in Canada

Alternatives to hiring a live-in caregiver

Many people feel the overall costs associated with retirement homes seem prohibitive at first, but after some consideration of the fact that costs are all-inclusive, they realize they can afford it. Assisted living facilities near you offer a robust lifestyle and a varied collection of services. Homes encourage you to take a trial stay in order to fid out what you actually might be missing.