You need to complete at least two years of employment to apply for permanent residence in Canada. Please note that the two-year requirement does not include any extended time away from Canada. For example, if you go away on vacation for three months, that time will not be included as part of the two years of employment. In some countries, you may need to reapply for a visitor visa to return to Canada. If you leave Canada for more than one year or if your employment authorization has expired, you will have to reapply to the overseas visa office to return to Canada under the Live-in Caregiver Program. Program participants who wish to leave the Program and return permanently to their home country are free to do so at any time. However, adequate notice should be given to the employer.

Your application for permanent resident status could be cancelled if you misrepresented your education, training or experience to the visa officer when you first applied under the Program.

If you apply to stay in Canada, you must complete an application for permanent resident status. At that time, you must prove you worked as a full-time live-in caregiver for two years.

Your application for permanent residence in Canada will not be assessed on the basis of your financial situation, skills upgrading in Canada, volunteer work, marital status or the number of dependants you may have back home. However, you could be found to be ineligible for permanent residence if you, your spouse or any of your dependent children have a criminal record or a serious medical problem.

Live-in caregivers who work in Quebec will also be assessed on additional criteria, including knowledge of French, by provincial authorities. For further information, see the booklet published by the Quebec government, entitled Working as a Live-in Caregiver in Quebec: A guide for foreign workers and their employers.