Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) • Caregiver
Families can hire a foreign caregiver to provide care, in a private residence, to children under 18 years of age, seniors or persons with certified medical needs of 65 years of age or over, when Canadians and permanent residents are not available. There are 2 categories under this program.
Processing Fee:
Employer(s) are required to pay $1,000 CAD processing fee for each position requested.
- Families or individuals seeking to hire a foreign caregiver to provide home care for individuals requiring assistance with medical needs are exempt from paying the LMIA application processing fee with submission of a medical certificate attesting to the individual’s incapacity to care for themselves.
- Families or individuals with a gross annual income of $150,000 or less seeking to hire a foreign caregiver to provide childcare in their home to a child under 13 years of age, also qualify for the processing fee exemption.
Caregivers for children
Families or individuals can apply under this category to take care of their children under 18 years of age. This category includes positions of Nanny (NOC 44100)
Caregivers for people with high medical needs
Families or individuals can apply under this category to take care of their elderly family members (parents) who are 65 years of age or over or with disabilities, a chronic or terminal illness. This category includes following positions:
- Registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse (NOC 31301)
- Licensed practical nurse (NOC 32101)
- Attendant for persons with disabilities, home support worker, live-in caregiver, personal care attendant (NOC 44101)
Important information about making LMIA Application
- Multiple employers
Private household employers can partner with another employer (maximum of 2 official employers) to share the responsibilities of hiring an in-home caregiver. For example, 2 adult children may act as employers of a caregiver for an incapacitated parent.
- Canada Revenue Agency business number
Individuals hiring a foreign caregiver are considered employers and must obtain a business number (BN) from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to meet the initial registration requirements for advertising on the national Job Bank website or its provincial/territorial counterpart.
- Financial ability
To hire a foreign in-home caregiver, employers must demonstrate their financial ability to pay the caregiver’s wages. Service Canada will assess the financial ability of the employer by using the Low income cut-off and adding in-home caregiver salary to it. To have their financial ability assessed, employers must complete the “Financial ability” section of the LMIA application form
- The Caregiver (worker) can also live outside the home of his/her employer.
- Families or individuals can only hire a Caregiver (based on LMIA based work permit) from within Canada.
How can IMC Immigration help?
- The LMIA rules, regulations and requirements are subject to frequent changes. These changes deal with different categories of jobs, duration, exemptions etc. Continuous research, attention to detail and painstaking hard work is required to obtain a positive LMIA. We help in assessment of our client’s profile and advice them on their eligibility to get an LMIA.
- We also assist our clients/employers with the advertisement posting.
- We help Canadian employers for applying Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application and legally representing them before ESDC during the procedure.