Abstract
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.
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Notes
Recent changes to the program (April 2010) allows a 1 year extension to the period allowed to complete the 24 month employment requirement.
Government Services Canada http://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/index.php?lang=english&cont=781
Because the Province of Quebec controls its own immigration, the LCP is administered differently there.
The number of applicants has dropped most recently in 2008 and 2009, largely due to the economic downturn.
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Acknowledgements
Financial support for this research was provided through a grant of the International Opportunities Program of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The research design and protocols were developed in conjunction with a broader international team based in the U.K. with colleagues Sarah Spencer, Alessio Cangiano and Isabel Shutes; the U.S. with colleagues Susan Martin, Lindsay Lowell and Elzbieta Godziak, and Ireland with colleagues Eamon O’Shea and Kieran Walsh. Data from British Columbia was collected by Christine Davis and in Quebec by Jane LeBrun. Judi Winkup provided adept coordination of the overall research project.
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Bourgeault, I.L., Parpia, R. & Atanackovic, J. Canada’s Live-In Caregiver Program: Is it an Answer to the Growing Demand for Elderly Care?. Population Ageing 3, 83–102 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-010-9032-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-010-9032-2