This program, administered by the Federal Government of Canada and permits qualified individuals from other countries to work as live-in caregivers in Canadian homes. For detailed information about the program, visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

The staff at Preferred Personnel of Canada Inc. will assist you in determining if a local nanny or an overseas nanny would better suit the needs of your family. Keep in mind that the process of hiring an overseas nanny will take several months, and you will need to sign a minimum 1-year contract with an overseas nanny. If you require a nanny immediately, Preferred has a large pool of local nannies available for quick placement.

If you are employing a nanny, you must adhere to the legal requirements of the “Live-In Caregiver Program” as set out by the Federal Government of Canada.

Also, when employing any nanny -- either locally or overseas, you must adhere to the employment and labour standards set out by the Ministry of Labour of your particular province or territory. These standards outline minimum wages, hours of work, vacation time, vacation pay, overtime hours, overtime pay, etc. Visit the website that outlines the employment and labour standards for your province or territory.

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland
Northwest Territories
Nova Scotia
Nunavut (search Labour Standards Act on the Legislation Division section of the Department of Justice website)
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan
Yukon

Preferred Personnel of Canada Inc. provides comprehensive service and assistance in terms of matching and placing nannies with families. This includes but is not limited to the following:

• Processing all government documentation on behalf of employers
  
  
• Providing employers access to a pool of pre-screened, qualified nannies
  All of our overseas and local/Canadian nannies are screened by our staff before we accept them. They must provide reference letters, documentation that attests to their schooling/training and experience, and copies of their employment contracts (if applicable) for the past three years. It is required that all nannies have a minimum of one year of paid, full time work experience AND / OR a T.E.S.D.A approved Live-In Caregiver course, as well as two years of post-secondary education.
  
  All applicants (both overseas and local) complete detailed application forms and are interviewed by Preferred Personnel Consultants. Also, Citizenship and Immigration Canada requires all overseas nannies provide documentation of a recent medical exam, as well as a police clearance from any country the applicant has resided in for more than 6 months prior to allowing them to enter Canada. We may also request from our local/Canadian nannies, a child “Intervention Record Check” as well as a Canadian “Criminal Records Check” (Police Clearance).
  
  
• Providing employers with guidance through the selection/interview process
  
  
• Providing employers with a one-year placement guarantee
  Preferred Personnel of Canada Inc. provides a one-year placement guarantee that commences on the nanny’s first workday. If the nanny leaves the position before the end of one year, and the Rules and Regulations of the Live-In Caregiver Program and Labour Standards code have been followed during the nanny’s employment, Preferred Personnel of Canada Inc. will be responsible for finding a replacement for the remainder of the year at no extra cost.
  
  
• Providing employers with a start-up kit
  This includes interview questions, an orientation checklist, basic daily routines, cleaning checklists, sample daily menu plans, and childcare ideas. We will also provide you with our “Preferred Journal” and instruct you on how to use it to communicate with your nanny.
  
  
• Providing employers and nannies with ongoing support and consultation as needed during the employment/contract term

• Ontario (416) 499-3400  
• Alberta 1-800-899-8841

Employer’s must pay the minimum wage (according to the Live-In Caregiver Program wage table) to their nanny, whether he/she is a local nanny or a nanny you have pursued from overseas. Minimum wages are determined by local (provincial and territorial ministries of labour (see question #3 above).

The “Wages Table” on the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada website provides a quick summary of wage requirements (i.e., maximum hours, deduction amounts for room and board, vacation leave and pay) for the federal “Live-In Caregiver Program.” The program also mandates that employers pay for the following (and may not recoup any of these costs from the live-in caregiver’s wages):

• the caregiver’s health insurance until he/she becomes eligible for provincial health insurance
• provincial workplace safety insurance (also known as workers’ compensation) or equivalent insurance if the former is not available
• transportation costs for the caregiver to travel from the caregiver’s country of permanent residence to the location of work in Canada (where caregiving will take place), or, if the caregiver is already in Canada, the transportation costs for the caregiver to travel to the new place of work in Canada
• the services, fees and costs of a recruitment or third party agency if one is used for recruiting the caregiver

Consider too, that the federal “Live-In Caregiver Program” requires the employer to provide a private room for the caregiver, so you may incur some costs in setting up this private room, and again, you are not permitted to recoup these costs from your nanny’s wages.

A caregiver’s main duty is to provide primary care to the elderly / disabled individual.

This includes providing any basic care that does not legally need to be performed by a locally licensed nurse, physician, or other medical professional. It will also include providing assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, and feeding.

In addition, caregivers may carry out light housekeeping duties, run errands, plan and prepare meals, do the grocery shopping, and transport the elderly individual to medical appointments, social activities, etc.

Regarding meals, typically the caregiver will prepare any meals that fall within her/his hours of work. Keep in mind that the amount of housework a caregiver can realistically be expected to do will depend on the amount of care she/he needs to provide to the elderly / disabled individual in her/his care.