In Canada there are limited numbers of Canadian citizens or permanent residents willing to live in the employer’s home and care for children or elderly. To cover that shortage The Live in Caregiver Program (LIC Program) was created by the Canadian Government on April 27, 1992. The LIC Program brings temporary residents to Canada as live-in employees to work without supervision in a private household to care for children, seniors or people with disabilities to cover the shortage of such workers in Canada. In exchange foreign nannies and caregivers may apply for permanent resident status within four years of arrival in Canada, after completing two years of employment as live-in caregivers.

Not everyone can participate in the program and there are specific requirements:

For Employers:

To hire foreign live in nanny or caregiver you should have a need for full time care for :

• Children between age 0 and 18
• Elderly  (over 65)
• Disabled adult or child
• Have available a private bedroom for a live in nanny within your home
• Substantial income to pay a live in nanny salary and associated benefits

For Live in Caregivers:

To participate in the Live in caregiver program the candidate has:

• to complete secondary education equivalent to the Canadian High School
• have at least 12 months experience in caring for children, elderly or disabled within the past 3 years or relevant education
• to speak fluent English or French
• have no medical conditions at present or criminal charges in the past

Employers who want to hire live-in caregivers must apply to the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada/Service Canada for a labour market opinion. A Labour Market Opinion assesses what impact hiring a foreign worker would have on Canada's labour market.

A foreign live-in caregiver who wants to work in Canada must have received a job offer from a Canadian employer validated by the HRSDC and apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for a work permit.