In late 2011, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that over 14,000 open work permits would be issued to live-in caregivers who had been waiting upwards of 18 months after applying for their Permanent Residence.  At first, he was applauded by nannies who were appreciative of the ability to exit their live-in jobs to work on a live-out basis.  Unfortunately, this has resulted in an over saturation of the live-out market which is very sparse of jobs to begin with.  At our agency, we see anywhere from 20 to 30 live out nannies at our office each week and unfortunately turn 95% of them away due to the fact that, without a drivers license, there is absolutely no market for them.  Many are turning back to the live-in market which is making employers happy but delays caregivers’ independence.

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Published December 7, 2011 in Embassy Magazine

By Manuela Gruber Hersch, ACNA Canada

Canada’s live-in caregiver program has been successful for decades. However, changes in April 2010 designed to protect foreign caregivers and a decreased quota of permanent residence applications for 2012 have many in the industry concerned about the program’s future.

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By Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News, November 10, 2011

OTTAWA — Immigrants admitted through the government’s foreign live-in caregiver stream say they’ve been duped by the immigration minister, who touted the program’s success and certain growth prior to the May election, only to claw back on the number targeted for permanent residency next year.

Although the government maintains 98 per cent of live-in caregivers eventually become permanent residents, last week Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said fewer people were qualifying for the program, adding that it was one of two streams poised to take a hit in 2012 as the government freezes overall immigration while boosting certain economic streams.

It’s a far different tune than the one Kenney was singing last year.

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Globe & Mail editorial – Published November 7, 2011

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s plan to accept 10,000 more skilled workers into Canada next year is a sound one, and so is the government’s overall target of 255,000 newcomers. Some other changes make less sense, and may be motivated by politics, more than economics.

Mr. Kenney acknowledged that the seven-year backlog to sponsor grandparents and parents has become unmanageable, and announced a two-year moratorium on applications. In the meantime, however, he will increase the quota by 10,000 over two years, to 25,000, and introduce a two-year multiple-entry visitor’s visa for these family members.

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In April 2010, the entire Live-In Caregiver industry was turned upside down and the federal immigration program was rendered almost unrecognizable.  There is no question that abuses of the LCP were widespread and rampant, and that changes were needed.  However, what happened next seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction; all of the onus was shifted to the employer and caregivers were now going to be provided better work environments, faster processing and increased protection under the program.

1 1/2 years later, we are taking a look back and discussing ways to move forward for actual protection because, let’s face it.. we are worse off than we were before.  Double the processing times, on average, for caregivers and families in regards to LMOs, work permits, initial PR assessment (open work permits), final Permanent Residency and family reunification.  Abusive agencies and families moving to a “black market” unscrupulous industry.  Worse than that, the Conservative Immigration Minister has been silent on the issue after rallying the Filipino Canadian community to provide overwhelming support for his party in the last Federal election.

Today we met with a foreign Live-In Caregiver who has been put through the ringer and her story is shocking and shows exactly why agencies need to be regulated and enforcement needs to be taken seriously.  We’d like to share her story with you.

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Lately, we have been receiving an abundance of hits via a site called CanadaVisa.com where an angry group of Live In Caregivers have been using their discussion forums to compare processing times. Unsurprisingly, many are irate with the increases and now there is talk of mobilizing to create a protest and strike across Canada.

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Before the last election, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney proposed significant changes to the live in caregiver program and caregiver groups were in overwhelming support. Promises of no second medical, over-time accruement towards faster completion, no recruitment fees, flights paid, health insurance, and most importantly of all, faster Permanent Residence processing times. In the following video at Caregivers One Special Day, Kenney reiterates many of those promises:

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ACNA Canada tipped us off to a very well written blog called An Uncomplicated Mind which, in this article by Joe Rivera, describes the thoughts of a community that has been taken for a ride by our government and has really been made to look foolish.  Minister Kenney made a lot of people act in a particularly naive way after vowing to fight for their rights.  But the honeymoon is over and this excerpt from the original posting outlines that very clearly..

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The following article, originally from Filipino news blog Atinitonews.com, sums up the further struggles of Live-In Caregivers in Canada despite Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s promise of widespread change for them.  Canadian employers are paying exponentially more than just a few years ago to hire these caregivers from abroad and this was supposed to ensure that Live-In Caregivers were to enjoy better employment protection, faster processing and less hassle in general.  Unfortunately, processing times have doubled, the Conservative government is silent on the issue and – as we discussed in a previous article – caregivers are actually being seriously and negatively affected by these increases as their OHIP is running out before they can even get their open permit.

Is this the end for the LCP, or are we just in the midst of a change?  Seems like these changes have been going on for ever though, and I don’t think anyone is really sure how it’s going to end up.

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Minister O’Connor: “It’s parents that decide to have children, not the government”

Childcare advocates to cabinet ministers: Tips on families, finances and federalism

Posted on BlueChildCare.ca by Amanda on Aug 10, 2011

A group of parents and early childhood educators are challenging several of the Conservative cabinet ministers’ statements marking the fifth anniversary of the Universal Child Care Benefit.

Yesterday Conservative cabinet ministers Diane Finley and Gordon O’Connor held a photo-op to showcase the fifth birthday of the Harper government’s Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB). Today a group of parents and early childhood educators (ECEs) who attended the public event in an Ottawa park are challenging several of the ministers’ statements.

“Minister Finley said that a childcare system would “remove parents’ choices”, said Ottawa ECE Shellie Bird.  “I beg to differ.  A childcare system could offer a choice of full-day learning programs, part-day nursery school, family childcare (in a caregiver’s home) or parenting resources But – like health care or public education – quality childcare isn’t something parents can develop themselves.”

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