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Steps to Hiring a Live-in Caregiver

Do you wish to have someone help you with the basic necessities of someone you care about? For instance, do you need constant assistance for eldercare, individuals with special needs or childcare? If this is the case, then you should hire a live-in caregiver. Live-in caregivers will help and assist you with these specific circumstances. There are certain steps that you must take in order to ultimately hire a live-in caregiver. In this article, I will explain and outline the steps needed from the employer to hire a live-in caregiver as well as the steps that the live-in caregiver needs to take.

How to Find a Live-in Caregiver

As an employer looking to find a live-in caregiver, there are standard requirements that need to be met. Through the live-in caregiver program, the employee must have a valid work permit to proceed with being hired. Therefore, the employer must ensure that this is done before offering employment. The employer must also ensure that they have attempted to hire employees through advertisements, personal or business contacts, and/or hiring agencies. After this is done, then they may be able to go through the application process of the live-in caregiver program in order to hire them.

Requirements for the Employer:

• The Live in Caregiver Program (LCP) applies only to caregivers who live in the home of the person for whom they are caring. This is the case even when the home is not the employer’s residence.

• The employers must employ the live in caregiver on a full time basis and must provide private and well-furnished room with a lock for exclusive use by the caregiver.

The Live-In Caregiver program allows families to hire foreign live-in caregiver when citizens or permanent residents of Canada are not available to do that specific job. A live in caregiver may be hired to provide care for children under 18, elderly person who is 65 years of age or over or a person with disability, on a full time bases. There are three significant steps that you need to follow to apply under this program.

• FIRST you would be required to get positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from your employer. The employer would have to pay a fee to Employment and Social Development Canada, and receive the positive LMIA. This would confirm that there is a need for this job in Canada, and the wages and working conditions that are offered by the employer are equivalent to the wages paid to a Canadian in the same occupation.
• SECOND you and your employer would have to sign a written employment agreement. You would be required to submit your employment contract and the positive LMIA with your application. The contract will outline the details of the working conditions, including your duties, hours of work, wages, and accommodations. The contract should also include the holiday and sick leave entitlements and termination and resignation terms. This is necessary for your security as the employee.
• THIRD you may apply either online or fill out the application on paper. In addition you will be required to have your travel documents, which include your passport, citizenship documents etc.

If you are the employer and require assistance with hiring a foreign live in caregiver or if you are a worker that would like come to Canada to work. You can contact us and our team of experienced professionals will be happy to assist you.