Federal government continues to make family reunification a priority

Processing surge puts Government on track to largely eliminate Live-in Caregiver Program backlog by end of 2018   

TORONTO, Dec. 3, 2017 /CNW/ - Caregivers and their families will be reunited and the inventory of Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) applications will be largely eliminated by the end of 2018, thanks to the commitments made today by the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Great progress has been made on the backlog in recent years. As of October 1, 2017, there was a 63% reduction in the number of caregivers and their family members waiting for their permanent residence applications to be finalized since reaching its highest level in May 2014.

This fall, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) dedicated additional resources to process LCP applications and encourage caregivers and their family members to submit any documents that were missing from their applications. With this focus, IRCC is on track to finalize 5,000 more cases than originally planned by the end of 2017. This surge will allow IRCC to welcome 20,000 new permanent residents in the caregiver category in total this year, reaching the high end of the target range as set out in the 2017 levels plan.

Having taken these steps, IRCC is committing to:

• Finalizing a minimum of 80% of the cases that were in the LCP inventory as of October 1, 2017 by the end of 2018;
• Processing 80% of new, complete LCP applications submitted on or after October 1, 2017 within 12 months; and
• Admitting high numbers of LCP caregivers and their family members as permanent residents until the remaining cases are processed.

The multi-year levels plan for 2018-2020 set out targets for the number of permanent resident admissions in the caregiver category that will allow IRCC to meet these commitments.

Earlier this year, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration recommended that the Government deliver a plan to end the backlog of Live-in Caregiver Program applications. With this plan in place, caregivers waiting for their Live-in Caregiver Program applications to be finalized should get decisions on their cases and be reunited with their families soon.

Quote  

The commitments the Government has made today will mean that many Live-in Caregiver Program applicants who have faced long delays and family separation may soon reach their goal of permanent residence. After diligently providing care for Canadians, they may soon be in the company of their own loved ones, together in Canada.     

– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• The Live-in Caregiver Program was a program that offered a direct path from temporary status to permanent residence for caregivers. It closed to new applicants in 2014 but grandfathering provisions meant that thousands of caregivers who were already part of the temporary portion of the LCP but who hadn't yet applied for permanent residence would still have the opportunity to do so. This means that up to 6,000 more applications for permanent residence under the LCP could still be submitted to IRCC.
• Further developments are expected soon on the Budget 2017 proposal to eliminate the $1,000 Labour Market Impact Assessment fee for Canadian families seeking to hire a foreign caregiver to provide care to a person with high medical needs and for Canadian families with an income less than $150,000 seeking to hire a foreign caregiver to provide childcare. Waiving this fee will help support Canadian families meet their caregiving needs.

Associated link

• Applying for Permanent Residence as a Caregiver

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SOURCE Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada