FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2025
Migrant groups create new web-page to protect careworkers from immigration scams
Toronto & Vancouver – After months of delay, the federal government has quietly updated Immigration Canada’s website indicating that the long-promised Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots will finally open on March 31, 2025. But with no details on specific eligibility or application procedures, care workers are panicking, and predatory immigration consultants are taking advantage. Caregiver groups are calling on the federal government to immediately release all application details, ensure the program has no caps on applications, and to implement a regularization program immediately for all those who have lost status because of government delays and unfair requirements. Caregiver groups have also launched an online resource to ensure workers get accurate information and avoid exploitation.
“The only reason this program is opening is because care workers fought for it for decades,” said Jhoey Dulaca, a former care worker and organizer with Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “But after so many years of waiting, workers can’t afford another failed program. There must be no cap on applications so that every care worker in Canada can apply and the program details must be immediately released. Anything less will push thousands into crisis.”
In past programs, the government set an arbitrary 5,500 application cap which was filled within hours, leaving thousands of care workers in limbo, unable to apply for PR even though they qualified under the program. Many, like Teresa Andrade, who spoke at a press conference in December, became undocumented as a result and others had their children age out, permanently separating families. An admissions cap creates panic, forcing caregivers to seek out immigration consultants to apply on their behalf who scam them out of tens of thousands of dollars. Those who can’t apply within the cap remain on restrictive work permits and face continued exploitation before potentially losing their immigration status.
Calls for Action:
- No caps on applications – All care workers in Canada must be allowed to apply so they can access implied status, open work permits, and protect their children’s immigration status. An application cap is separate from an admissions cap which has been set at 7,500 per year.
- Release the requirements & application now – Workers need clear guidelines and full applications immediately to prevent exploitation.
- Regularization now – Many care workers have been forced to become undocumented due to the failures of past programs. They must have access to permanent residency.
- Clear the backlog – Grant permanent residency to the thousands of care workers and their families who have made applications and have been waiting on a decision for years.
“This delay is already harming people,” said Julie Diesta, a former care worker and organizer with the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregiver Rights. “Our members are hungry, losing their homes, and facing mental health crises. We need full application details and a commitment to no admissions caps now and we need a permanent program with PR on landing for all, not pilot initiatives!”
Protecting Care Workers from Scams
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change has launched a webpage where caregivers can sign up to receive accurate updates and a step-by-step guide to prepare for applications. Media outlets are urged to share this to prevent fraud and misinformation.
Care workers can sign up for updates here: https://migrantworkersalliance.org/cw2025/
Media Contact
info@migrantrights.ca
Background
- Trudeau urged to uphold gender justice and ensure permanent resident status for all as thousands of migrant women face exclusion and deportation (March 8, 2024)
- Migrant Rights Network & Supporters Open Letter: Migrant healthcare and childcare workers deserve rights and permanent resident status (April 10, 2024)
- Immigration Canada Press Release: Canada announces new pilot programs to support caregivers and Canadian families, intends to make the caregivers program permanent (June 3, 2024)
- Reported in the CBC, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Global News
- Without a Single Dry Eye in the Room, Care Workers Demand Action on Delayed Immigration Program (December 3, 2024)
- Reported in Globe and Mail, Metro Morning
- Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot website updated with one sentence (January 26, 2025)
Migrant Rights Network is Canada’s largest migrant-led coalition of 40 organizations in 8 provinces which are made up of tens of thousands of migrant members, including farmworkers, domestic workers, current and former international students, refugees and undocumented people. The Landed Status Now Working Group is composed of all the migrant care worker-led organizations in Canada, including Caregiver Connections Education and Support Organization, Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregiver Rights, Migrante Canada and Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.