The Responsibility for Processing Outside Canada
Foreign nationals would need to make applications for initial live-in caregiver work permits for participating in the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). They would need to submit these applications at Canadian visa offices abroad.
These visa offices are typically responsible for:
- The initial selection process and,
- The issuance of initial work permits to live-in caregivers under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP)
Moreover, these officers are also responsible for processing permanent residence applications overseas for family members of live-in caregivers. This is especially applicable for those who have applied for permanent residence from within Canada.
In many cases, the visa officers typically issue the initial work permit under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) for a duration of four years plus three months. They do this when the application is consistent with other considerations such as:
- The employer need and,
- The passport validity
It is worth highlighting that this general practice serves to minimise subsequent in-Canada work permit applications.
The Responsibility for Processing in Canada
The Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (CPC-V) is responsible for processing applications in Canada under the provisions specified in the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) for:
- New work permits (for new employers or if the employers move to a new province or territory)
- Work permit renewals (the same employer)
- Study permits and,
- Permanent residence
The Role of the Inland Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Offices
It is worth mentioning that local Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) offices help in processing complex or exceptional Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) cases. The Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (CPC-V) will typically refer cases to the inland offices of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) if they:
- Feel that the situation warrants an interview or,
- Suspect misrepresentation, serious criminality or security concerns in the case – especially as described in A34, A35, A36 (1), A37 or A40
The Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (CPC-V) would need to issue all correspondence to applicants concerning the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) cases that it processes. It would also need to conclude all cases it refers to the inland offices of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for processing. Thereafter, the inland office responsible for handling the case would issue the appropriate correspondence to the applicants.
It is worth highlighting that the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (CPC-V) process a vast majority of Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) applications made from within Canada. Because of this, this chapter essentially focuses on standard processing procedures as they generally apply to the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (CPC-V). This is why this chapter does not detail processing procedures that might apply to, and deviate between, various inland offices of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
The Process for Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) Applications
Officers would need to examine all requests for consideration on Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds that accompany applications for permanent residence under the provisions specified in the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). The officers in the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (CPC-V) would need to review all in Canada requests for Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) consideration. This includes all requests from applicants for permanent residence under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
In some cases, the officers might be able to make a positive decision on Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds. In this scenario, the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (CPC-V) would need to process the application.
Similarly, in some cases, the officers might require further assessment of the application for a range of reasons. In this scenario, they would need to refer the application to a Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) local office. The officers at this local office would need to assess the referred application on a case by case basis. However, it is worth highlighting that in both these scenarios given above, the officers would need to process the application as an application for permanent residence under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).
Officers might require more information regarding the general procedures for in-Canada processing of Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) applications. For this, they would need to refer to the chapter IP 5 – Immigrant Applications in Canada made on Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) Grounds.
Source: Citizenship & Immigration
