Updated September 18, 2026: this post previously said IRCC had not published a reopening date. That is no longer the full picture. Ministerial Instructions MI86-88 keep both pilots closed to new applications, and those instructions remain in effect until March 30, 2030.
If you’ve been researching how to bring a caregiver to Canada — or how to come to Canada as a caregiver yourself — you’ve probably run into outdated information. A lot of it still describes the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot as open programs you can apply to right now. They aren’t. Here’s where things actually stand in September 2026, and what still works for both families and caregivers.
The Pilots Are Closed Until 2030, Not Just Paused
On December 19, 2025, IRCC announced it was pausing intake for both Home Care Worker Immigration pilots — Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker — because demand kept outpacing available spaces, which was driving processing times up for everyone already in the queue. The pause was expected to lift in March 2026. It didn’t.
What followed is more definitive than a pause. Ministerial Instructions MI86-88 state that IRCC will not accept new applications under the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots, and those instructions remain in effect until March 30, 2030. Instructions can be changed or withdrawn earlier, and IRCC is not obliged to give notice if that happens — but as things stand today, nothing is scheduled to reopen before 2030.
This isn’t a rejection of the program itself — applications submitted before the pause are still being processed under Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan. But if you’re starting from zero today, there is currently no way to apply through either pilot.
What This Means If You’re a Family Looking to Hire a Caregiver
The pilots were never the only way to bring a caregiver into your home — they were a permanent residence pathway for the caregiver, built on top of an employer-sponsored work permit. The work permit side of that equation, based on a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), is still fully operational. Families needing a caregiver for children, an elderly parent, or a family member with a disability can still go through the LMIA process to hire someone internationally — that part of the system hasn’t changed.
What has changed is what happens for the caregiver after they’re working for you. Without an open pilot, their route to permanent residence isn’t a straight line anymore — which is exactly why the caregiver’s own options matter to you as an employer too, not just to them.
What This Means If You’re a Caregiver
If you already hold a work permit and are working in Canada as a caregiver, your current status isn’t affected by the pause — it only blocks new pilot applications, not people already working here. The practical question is what your path to permanent residence looks like without the pilots open. A few things worth knowing:
- The LMIA-based work permit route is still your entry point. You can still come to Canada — or extend your stay — as a caregiver through an employer with a positive LMIA, the same as before the pause.
- Permanent residence isn’t limited to the paused pilots. Depending on your occupation classification, work experience, and where in Canada you’re working, routes like the Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominee Program streams, the Rural Community Immigration Pilot, and the Atlantic Immigration Program can be worth evaluating while the caregiver-specific pilots stay closed.
- Nothing about your existing application changes. If you already applied under either pilot before the pause, IRCC continues processing it — the pause only affects new intake.
Why So Much Information Online Is Still Wrong
The pilots have flipped status twice in under two years — closed in June 2024, replaced by new versions in March 2025, then paused again in December 2025 — and a lot of content published during the open windows was never updated. If a page tells you to “apply today” without mentioning a pause, treat that as a sign it wasn’t refreshed for 2026, not as current guidance. The safest way to confirm status before making a decision is IRCC’s own Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker Pilots page.
How Immigration Pros Can Help
Whether you’re a family that needs a caregiver hired properly through the LMIA process, or a caregiver already in Canada trying to figure out your best route to permanent residence while the pilots stay closed, the right first step is the same: an honest read of where you actually stand today, not what a program looked like a year ago. Start with a free assessment and we’ll walk you through what’s realistically available right now.
