the Live-in caregiver program of Canada has its pros and cons. the pros: eligibility to apply for Permanent Resident status,from work permit after completing the 24month full-time employment as a live-in caregiver ( no other country offers this transition from work permit to permantnent residence to nannies /domestic helpers),a caregiver has a job waiting for her when she (or he) gets to Canada,a caregiver has a place to stay (lives with the employer),gets paid an average (($900 to $1100) net a month and if she's good in budgetting gets to keep most of it;it's less processing fee - for caregiver it's only $150 Cdn and another $150 for medical (that's it),whereas the processing fee for Permanent Resident (or Federal Skilled Worker) applicant it's $550 plus landing fee of $975 plus settlement funds of at least $10,000Cdn,the caregiver program has less requirements ,actually only 4: Grade 12 Equivalency which is two year post secondary education ,no need for a university degree; fluency in English or FRench; either 1 year work experience as paid caregiver or 6 month full-time in-class caregiver training certificate; and job contract. my estimate is 7 out of 10 applicants pass. the cons: separation from family members for 3 years or longer;subject to abuse since caregiver lives with the employer, those abuses may include long hours,low pay,verbal and in few cases physical or even sexual abuses;after the caregiver completes her 24 month required full-time caregiver employment and becomes an Immigrant,it may be difficult to find jobs outside of caregiving (employers will look at your resume and your previous work experience shows live-in nanny/caregiver,so it would be more difficult to compete with people whose experiences came from having regular jobs (retail,office,restaurants,etc.),due to either lack of information or lack of support system,or lack of opportunities to meet other people live-in caregivers don't have anyone to turn to when they need help,(there are some who are refused on their applications for Permanent Resident due to omissions on their applications,or their inability to prove that they have completed the 24 months within 36 monhts/3 years from arrival date in Canada ,the live in caregiver program cannot be extended for longer than 3 years from arrival date,meaning in order to stay in Canada one has to apply for permanent resident status and obtain it,if refused one goes back to the Philippines. I myself would like the live-in caregiver program to continue.Afterall,I have sponsored 3 caregivers in the past(the 4th one has application pending).The LCP is not perfect,it can be improved,but the pros outweighs the cons. To date, 8 of my relatives were able to come to Canada through the LCP. 2 of them are now citizens,3 are now immigrants. The LCP is so pupular now that the Cdn Embassy in Manila cannot keep up with the applications,it will now take 2 to 3 years for interview,whereas in other Visa posts abroad such as HK,Singapore,Taiwan,within 4 to 6 months the visas are issued,and I heard in Vienna,it only takes 3 to 6 weeks. The LCP has been criticized by advocacy groups and there's even a suggestion that unless changes are made,that it should be scrapped. So,to you caregivers out there..do you agree that Canada should scrap the LCP (Live in caregiver Program). Why or why not? also share with us your experiences,issues concerns.
http://pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=155182
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