Want to hire a foreign worker as caregiver in Canada. What steps do I take?

Employer must first try to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident in the available job. When you apply to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for permission to hire a foreign worker, you will be asked to show what efforts you made in this regard.

If you have been unable to hire a Canadian or permanent resident, your next step is to apply to ESDC for what is known as a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which confirms that there is no Canadian worker available to do the job. If ESDC issues you a positive LMIA, you are then authorized to hire a foreign worker.

It also tells you which documents you must give your future employee so that he or she can apply for a work permit through a Canadian visa office outside Canada.

You are responsible for finding a foreign caregiver. To do so, you can use advertisements, personal contacts or hiring agencies.

When you have found a foreign caregiver you want to hire, you must first contact Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). If your future employee applies for a work permit and meets the program’s requirements, he or she will receive a work permit. The approval process could take several months. Check the latest information on IRCC processing times. Your caregiver cannot work for you until we approve a work permit showing your name as the employer.