The Canadian Press
Stephanie Levitz
OTTAWA–Some families seeking foreign caregivers to look after their children or family members with a disability will be exempt from paying a $1,000 application fee.
The federal government published new regulations around hiring foreign caregivers yesterday, following through on a budget promise to change a system many felt placed an unfair burden on lower income families.
The $1,000 application fee to hire a foreign workers had been implemented in 2014 to address abuses in the broader temporary foreign worker program.
But the result was some seeking to use the program to hire caregivers no longer could afford it, given the annual fee was on top of all the other expenses associated with getting help.
The new regulations apply to those who earn less than $150,000 a year and want to hire someone from abroad to look after their children.
Those seeking to hire a caregiver for people with a physical or mental illness also will be exempt from the labour market impact assessment, or LMIA, fee.
Employment and Social Development Canada, which manages the program, said people who need care in those instances often already are on fixed incomes, and rely on others stepping away from their own role in the workforce to provide care.
Being able to hire a caregiver benefits both, the department said.
“The LMIA processing fee can create a barrier to receiving the caregiver support that they require,” it noted.
“Having access to a caregiver may also allow those hiring the caregiver to return to or increase their participation in the workforce.”
The government said the changes will cost about $28.3 million in foregone revenue over the next 10 years.
Upon forming government, the Liberals originally had promised to waive the fee for everyone applying to hire a caregiver under the temporary foreign worker program, but ultimately decided not to pursue that approach.
Data published yesterday suggested the government expects the changes to benefit 3,357 applicants per year who meet the income threshold, and a further 827 households who hire caregivers for those with physical or mental disabilities.
