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Closing the Open Door? Canada’s Changing Policy for Migrant Caregivers

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Gender, Migration, and the Work of Care

Abstract

This chapter assesses the shifts in Canada’s migration regime governing the admission of migrant workers for care. It focuses on the Live-in Care Program in effect between 1992 and 2014, highlighting the problematic nature of the program and noting regulatory changes to address the issues. On December 1, 2014, the LCP was replaced with two new pathways which reaffirm the program as part of a larger temporary worker program and cap the numbers transitioning to permanent resident status. Although care workers are no longer required to live in employers’ homes, requirements that no Canadian workers are available may create co-residency incentives. The changes also continue the likelihood that educated migrant caregivers work in low-level care jobs and risk permanent deskilling.

The author thanks Joanne Nowak and Alice Hoe for their contributions to this chapter.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This can be found at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/skilled-fed.asp.

  2. 2.

    This can be found at: http://www.language.ca/documents/levels_5-10_b.pdf.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Monica Boyd

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  1. Monica Boyd
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Correspondence to Monica Boyd .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History, University of Maryland , College Park, Maryland, USA

    Sonya Michel

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Ito Peng

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Boyd, M. (2017). Closing the Open Door? Canada’s Changing Policy for Migrant Caregivers. In: Michel, S., Peng, I. (eds) Gender, Migration, and the Work of Care. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55086-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55086-2_8

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