For more than a century, Canada has seen thousands of migrant care workers enter the country to provide much needed care work.
In June 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced impending new pilot programs for migrant care workers. While the announcement brings hope that “new pilot programs will provide home care workers with permanent residence on arrival in Canada,” this report identifies persistent problems with Canada’s migrant care worker programs and demonstrates why permanency upon arrival is a requisite for necessary program changes. Given the ongoing and structural issues of Canada’s migrant care worker programs, the newest pilot programs will also need other critical improvements to ensure dignified work and meaningful inclusion for much-needed care workers in Canada.
About the authors
Cenen Bagon
Rincy Dominic Calamba
Kassandra Cordero
Alicia Massie
Alicia Massie is a Joseph Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholar and PhD Candidate at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University. As a feminist political economist, she specializes in policy and economics related primarily to temporary migrant workers in Canada, focusing specifically on migrant care workers. Her extensive work encompasses progressive economic policies throughout the care economy.
Anita Minh
Alice Mũrage
Alice Mũrage is a researcher with the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS) and the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University.
