Caregiver Program Canada 2026: Closed, No March Reopen
As of September 3, 2026. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) paused intake to the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots and said the pilots will not re-open in March 2026. Existing files stay in processing. New federal caregiver-pilot applications are not being accepted.
TL;DR
IRCC notice dated December 19, 2025: pause until further notice | Pilots will not re-open in March 2026 | Hub title: Closed | Last day for the older Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot: June 17, 2024 | Language when the pilots were open: Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 in all 4 abilities | Work experience: at least 6 months full-time, or a recent training credential | Job offer wage must meet Job Bank median for that occupation | The pilots do not make you eligible for a bridging open work permit
Will the caregiver program open in 2026?
Short answer: IRCC has not published a 2026 reopening date. The December 19, 2025 notice says intake is paused until further notice and that the pilots' intake will not re-open in March 2026. IRCC will keep processing applications it already received, in line with the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan. Any future program update will be shared publicly. Treat social posts that name March 2026, 2030, or a secret reopen date as unverified unless they match that notice or the live Closed pilots hub.
If you already filed a complete application before the pause, wait for IRCC correspondence and check your application status. If you have not applied, you cannot start a new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot file on those pages today.
Is the caregiver program still open in Canada?
Short answer: No. The home care workers (caregivers) page marks the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots Closed. The same page marks the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot Closed, with last day to apply June 17, 2024. The Live-in Caregiver Program is Closed to new applicants unless you already received a work permit under that program based on a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) submitted before December 2014. The Caring for Children Pilot and Caring for People with High Medical Needs Pilot closed on June 17, 2019. The Interim Pathway for Caregivers closed on October 8, 2019. Closed means new intake is not open. It does not cancel a file IRCC already accepted.
| Program | IRCC status on the caregivers hub | Date IRCC names |
|---|
| Home Care Worker Immigration pilots | Closed | Pause; will not re-open in March 2026 |
| Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot | Closed | Last day June 17, 2024 |
| Live-in Caregiver Program | Closed to new applicants | Exception: work permit from an LMIA submitted before December 2014 |
| Caring for Children / High Medical Needs pilots | Closed | Last day June 17, 2019 |
| Interim Pathway for Caregivers | Closed | Last day October 8, 2019 |
A Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) stream or a temporary work permit is a different application. Those are not the closed federal caregiver pilots. Confirm the live provincial rules before you pay fees. Start with IRCC's provincial nominees page and our provincial nominee overview.
What is the new update for caregivers in Canada?
Short answer: The update that is on IRCC paper is the December 19, 2025 pause. IRCC wrote that interest in the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots exceeded the spaces available and that it is pausing intake so it can process the inventory it already has. The Closed: Immigrate through the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots page, date modified April 23, 2026, repeats: "The pilots are closed while we focus on processing existing applications." Both streams, Workers in Canada and Applicants not working in Canada, show Closed. The who can apply page still describes the old tests because IRCC left the instructions up. Those tests do not reopen intake.
When the pilots were taking files, you had to plan to live and work outside Quebec, meet language and education rules, show work experience or training, hold a genuine job offer, and be admissible. Language was CLB or NCLC level 4 in all 4 abilities, with results less than 2 years old. IRCC lists CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada, and TCF Canada. Education needed the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma, shown with an educational credential assessment (ECA) for a foreign credential, less than 5 years old on the date IRCC receives the application. Work experience was at least 6 months, full-time (30 hours per week), continuous, gained after age 18 and within the 3 years before you apply, in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups for that pilot. IRCC also accepts a recent, relevant training credential instead of, or with, that experience. Experience you gain after you apply does not count.
A small out-of-status public policy on the same eligibility page applied only if you were in Canada, entered legally on or before December 16, 2021, lived here continuously, had a work permit at some point in that stay, and were not under a removal order or a refugee claim. That policy does not reopen the pilots. It described who could still use the Workers in Canada stream when intake existed.
| Pilot | Job-offer NOC IRCC names | Experience NOCs IRCC also counts |
|---|
| Child Care | Home child care providers (NOC 44100). Not a daycare. Foster parent does not count. | NOC 44100. Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) only as assistant, helper, or worker |
| Home Support | Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (NOC 44101). Not a nursing home. | NOC 44101. Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 33102) |
The job offer page says these pilots do not make you eligible for a bridging open work permit. If you already work for that employer, you need another way to keep status and renew the permit. Use check processing times for a file already in the system. Do not use a blog clock.
How much is a caregiver paid in Canada per hour?
Short answer: IRCC does not publish one Canada-wide caregiver hourly wage on the immigration pages. For the closed pilots, the job offer had to pay a wage equal to or higher than the Job Bank median wage for that occupation in the province or territory of employment, or the national median if there is no provincial figure. If the employer's workers have a union, the collective agreement applies. That rule is on the job offer page. It is not a promise of a specific dollar amount. Median wages differ by city and by NOC 44100 versus 44101. Look up the occupation and location on Job Bank, then compare the written offer. A number you saw in a Facebook thread is not the legal wage.
The offer also had to be full-time (at least 30 hours of paid work per week), permanent (no set end date), outside Quebec, outside an institutional setting, and genuine. IRCC will not accept job offers for early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) or nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 33102) as the job offer, even though some of that experience can count. The employer cannot be a recruitment agency, a diplomatic mission, a non-compliant employer, you yourself, or your spouse, common-law partner, parent, grandparent, or child.
If you still want to work as a caregiver in Canada while the pilots stay closed, the path is a separate work permit, often tied to an LMIA, not a federal caregiver-pilot PR file. We are Go Far Global, a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) firm. If you already applied, or you have a job offer and need a permit that is actually open, book a consultation. Track IRCC clocks on our processing times page. More news on program closures is on the site.
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Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration or legal advice. Immigration laws and policies change frequently. Each case is unique and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) before making immigration decisions.
