Canada Shuts PR Pathway For Caregivers Applying From Outside Country

Canada has officially closed the "applicants not working in Canada" stream of its Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP). This decision came quietly on September 29, 2025, as listed on the official immigration website. The stream was meant to help foreign home care workers immigrate to Canada but never actually opened for applications.

When the program first launched, it included two pathways — one for Home Support Workers and another for Child Care Providers. Both were supposed to have openings for applicants not already in Canada. However, those openings never happened.

Other Ways Caregivers Can Still Come to Canada

Despite the closure of this stream, foreign caregivers still have options in 2025.

If you're a nurse aide, orderly, or patient service associate — listed under NOC 33102 — you may still qualify through Express Entry. These roles fall under the Healthcare and Social Services category, which is currently one of the top priority areas.

The most recent healthcare-focused Express Entry draw had a CRS score cut-off of 470.

For others in caregiver roles, several Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are still accepting applications. These include:

• Manitoba's Skilled Worker Overseas Stream
  
• Ontario's Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
  
• New Brunswick's Priority Occupations Stream (Only for NOC 33102, 44101, and 42202)
  
• Newfoundland and Labrador's Skilled Worker Category
  

Please note that Home Child Care Providers (NOC 44100) are not eligible under New Brunswick’s stream.

Why Did IRCC Shut the Door?

The immigration department did not give a direct reason. But reports show the likely cause: a huge backlog of applications.

As of September 11, 2025, there were 34,400 applications pending under various caregiver programs. These include the Home Child Care Provider Pilot, the Home Support Worker Pilot, and the current HCWP.

The department only plans to process 14% of these — about 4,816 applications — this year. From January to mid-September, 4,200 caregivers had already become permanent residents. That means only around 600 more will likely be processed in the rest of 2025.

This limited intake is due to Canada's overall immigration targets. For 2025, the country plans to accept 10,920 new permanent residents under all federal pilot programs. This includes not only the HCWP but also:

• The Agri-Food Pilot
  
• The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot
  
• The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
  
• The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot
  

The total also counts family members of successful applicants, not just the workers themselves.

Shift in Focus: From Overseas to In-Canada Candidates

Another key reason might be Canada's current strategy. The country is now prioritizing applicants who already live and work in Canada. This includes temporary residents, students, and foreign workers.

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC), a stream under Express Entry, has seen increased attention. Provinces are also being asked to give 75% of nominations to people already inside Canada.

This trend shows a shift in focus. The goal is to transition more temporary residents into permanent ones rather than bringing in new workers from abroad.