Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot Paused | What Caregivers Need to Know for 2026

Effective March 31, 2026, IRCC will accept zero new permanent residence (PR) applications under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (Child Care & Home Support).

On December 20, 2025, the Government of Canada announced a pause on new intakes under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots until further notice. This decision was published under the official policy direction in the Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 159, Number 51 (Government Notices).IRCC has chosen not to reopen the March 2026 intake in order to manage and reduce the current backlog.

As a result, the pilots will not reopen in March 2026, as previously anticipated. Applications that were already submitted will continue to be processed. The purpose of the pause is to prioritize the processing of the existing inventory. Applications submitted in 2025 are not affected, and IRCC has confirmed that they will continue to be processed.

Even if you meet all eligibility requirements, you will not be able to submit an application in 2026. You will therefore need to either wait until the program reopens or assess alternative immigration pathways.

The Pause Affects Both Programs

The pause applies to both pilot programs launched in 2025:

• Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot (Child Care)
• Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot (Home Support)

Reasons for the Pause

IRCC has stated that the decision is operational and inventory-based:

1. Processing times have increased
2. IRCC intends to prioritize applications already received
3. The pause supports sustainable intake levels and alignment with the Immigration Levels Plan

Your Next Steps

1. The March 2026 intake will not open.
2. Consider alternative pathways based on your specific circumstances. As always, it is advisable to assess Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C, where available.

Restrictions on LMIA-Based Caregiver Work Permits

Ministerial Instructions published on June 29, 2019, directed officers not to process new caregiver work permits if:

• the applicant resides outside Canada,
• the job is located outside the province of Quebec, and
• the LMIA application was made on or after June 18, 2019.

This update was formalized in program delivery instructions around December 30, 2019, wherein it further clarified that visitors already in Canada are not eligible for an LMIA-based caregiver work permit.

An LMIA-based work permit may still be issued to applicants who are in Canada on a valid study permit or work permit. At present, overseas LMIA-based caregiver work permits for jobs outside Quebec are not available.

For many years, this model functioned as a combined PR and work authorization strategy and was considered a predictable pathway to permanent residence.

Timeline Summary

1. On February 28, 2025, IRCC published the eligibility criteria for the new Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots, with the first intake conducted on March 31, 2025.
2. IRCC announced two streams:
   • Workers in Canada
   • Applicants outside Canada
3. Only the Workers in Canada stream opened on March 31, 2025. The stream for applicants outside Canada was supposed to open in 2027 but was quietly placed on hold in late September 2025.
4. On December 20, 2025, IRCC formally paused all new intakes under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots until further notice, which were supposed to open on March 31, 2026.