The Caregivers programme closes to candidates outside Canada

The “candidates not working in Canada” stream of the Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot (HCWP) (Caregivers) in Canada is now closed, according to a notice on the official website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

When the HCWP was launched, both the Home Support and Child Care options of the pilot were expected to have an intake for candidates not currently in Canada, with full details promised at a later date. However, this stream was listed as “closed” on the IRCC website on 29 September 2025, without ever having opened for applications.

Other options for Caregiver candidates outside Canada

Care workers outside Canada still have other options for immigrating to the country in 2025.

For workers under National Occupational Classification (NOC) 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates – immigrating through Express Entry remains a viable route, as these professionals are among those eligible for the category-based selection under the Healthcare and social services category.

The most recent Express Entry draw for healthcare had a cut-off score Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of 470.

For other professionals who would have been eligible under the HCWP, many Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) continue to consider candidates in the NOC codes relating to home care workers.

Some PNP streams that continue to invite care professionals eligible under the HCWP include:

• Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP): Skilled Worker Overseas Stream
• Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP): Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
• New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP): Priority Occupations Stream
  • The NBPNP Priority Occupations Stream invites only NOC codes 33102, 44101 and 42202. NOC code 44100 (Home child care providers) is not eligible under this stream.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP): Skilled Worker Category

Why did IRCC decide to close the HCWP international intake stream?

Although the immigration department has given no specific reason for closing the “candidates not working in Canada” stream, figures in IRCC’s most recent Ministerial Transition binder suggest the closure may be due to the large volume of applications already on hand.

As at 11 September 2025, IRCC had a total of 34,400 applications in the caregiver pilots, including not only applications under the HCWP but also those from earlier pilots such as the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot.

The department stated in the transition binder that it expects to process only 14% (4,816 applications) of these in 2025. From 1 January to 11 September 2025, 4,200 new permanent residents arrived in Canada through the caregiver pilots, meaning IRCC intends to process roughly 600 further applications this year (not counting applications that may be refused as ineligible).

The current backlog far exceeds IRCC’s planned admissions through these streams. According to earlier announcements, IRCC had planned to welcome 2,750 new permanent residents through the HCWP in-Canada intake stream.

According to Immigration Levels Plan, IRCC’s admissions level for all federal economic pilots is 10,920 new permanent residents for 2025.

This allocation covers not only successful principal applicants but also any accompanying dependants they wish to bring to Canada, and is shared between:

• AFIP – the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot
• The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot
• The Start-up Visa in Canada
• The Caregiver pilots

Another possible reason for closing the HCWP international intake stream is that IRCC is focusing on transitioning temporary residents already in Canada to permanent residence (PR), as seen in its prioritisation of Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws within Express Entry and its requirement that provinces reserve 75% of provincial nominations for candidates already in Canada.