Au pair in Canada
Official Au Pair in Canada Program Information
There is no official au pair in Canada program, however there
are two programs you can apply to, to become an au pair in Canada.
They are the Working Holiday Program and the Live-in Caregiver
program.
The Live-in Caregiver Program is designed
specifically to bring workers to Canada to care for children, the
elderly or disabled when there are not enough Canadians to fill the
positions.
The Working Holiday Program (WHP) allows young
citizens from countries with a reciprocal agreement with Canada, to
live and work in Canada for 12-24 months. To work in the
"childcare" field on this visa, you will need to lodge additional
forms to have an unrestricted visa issued. See visa information
below.
Official Au Pair in Canada Contracts
Au pair in Canada General Requirements
| Topic |
Au pair in Canada - Working Holiday Visa |
Au pair in Canada - Live-in Care Giver Program |
| Age |
18-35 |
No age limit |
| Pocket Money |
To be negotiated |
To be negotiated |
| Working hours, free time and holidays |
To be negotiated |
To be negotiated |
| Accommodation and meals |
An au pair in Canada is provided with a private, lockable room
in the family home |
An au pair in Canada is provided with a private, lockable room
in the family home. The host family may deduct a fee for board and
lodging from your wages |
| Travel costs |
A working holiday maker must pay for their own travel costs. We
are currently waiting to hear from CIC Canada if a working holiday
maker falls under the regulations for a live in carer if they find
a host family prior to departing their home country. |
The host family is responsible for one way travel costs from
the au pair's country of residence to the host families home in
Canada. If the au pair is already in Canada, the host family is
responsible for the au pair's transportation costs to their
house. |
| Language skills and courses |
An au pair in Canada must be able to speak, read and
understand English or French. Attending a language course is not
required |
An au pair in Canada must be able to speak, read and understand
English or French. Attending a language course is not required |
| Length of stay |
Varies depending on country of origin (ranging from 12-24
months) |
Up to 4 years and 3 months |
| Insurances |
An au pair in Canada is required to have their own
comprehensive private insurance, including hospital cover as well
as liability insurance for the duration of their stay. We are
awaiting confirmation from CIC Canada if a working
holiday maker falls under the regulations for a live in carer if
they find a host family prior to departing their home
country. |
The host family must provide health care insurance until the au
pair is eligable for provincial / territorial health care
insurance.
The host family must also register the au pair for Workplace
Safety Insurance at no cost to the au pair.
|
| Au pair in Canada Job duties |
Childcare and light housework |
Childcare and light housework |
| Driving as an au pair in Canada |
TheBestAupair recommends obtaining an International Driving
Permit prior to arriving in Canada. If your driver's licence is NOT
in English or French, we consider an International Driving Permit
essential. |
TheBestAupair recommends obtaining an International Driving
Permit prior to arriving in Canada. If your driver's licence is NOT
in English or French, we consider an International Driving Permit
essential. |
Visa Information
Citizens from the following countries are able to work as an au
pair in Canada under the Working Holiday Program: Australia,
Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany,
Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United
Kingdom.
Working Holiday Visa Program Details
To work as an au pair in Canada, working holiday makers must
provide proof of sufficient funds, have a return air ticket, have a
valid passport, possess no criminal record or serious medical
conditions and have comprehensive private health insurance,
including hospital cover as well as liability insurance for the
duration of their stay.
To work as an au pair in Canada on a working holiday visa you
have two options to apply for the visa:
- To apply for the working holiday, you don't need to have a job
pre-organised, although you can if you wish. During the application
process, you'll be asked if you would like to work in childcare,
answer 'yes' to that, mail your application and requirements to
your nearest Canadian Visa Office. Click here to find it: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions.asp.
They will mail you the medical form, instructions and list of
doctors. After you complete the medical exam, in another 6-8 weeks,
a decision can be made on your application. If you are successful,
a Letter of Introduction (LOI) will be emailed to you and you
can enter Canada and be issued an unrestricted work permit so you
may start working in childcare and hence as an au pair in
Canada.
- If you need a faster processing time than the above, apply for
the working holiday, don't tick 'no' to working in childcare. They
will process your application as a routine case. When you
enter Canada with your LOI, you will be issued a
RESTRICTED work permit so you may work in any
field except childcare, healthcare or teaching. Contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Centre
where you will get medical examination forms and further
instructions, then CIC will modify your Work Permit and remove
the occupational restrictions and then you can work as an au pair
in Canada.
Further information
Please refer to https://www.whpcanada.org.au/application_status-processus_demande.shtml
The following link provides a list of participating countries
for the Working Holiday Program:
http://www.international.gc.ca/experience/intro_incoming-intro_entrant.aspx?lang=eng&view=d
Live-In Caregiver Program Details
You can also become an au pair in Canada under the Live-In
Caregiver Program. This program has been set up to bring workers to
Canada to take care of children and the elderly in a private
household when there are not enough Canadians to fill the
positions. Certain requirements regarding education, job experience
and language skills must be met to be eligible for this program. An
application to hire a live-in carer must be submitted by the
prospective employer (host family) to Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada/Service Canada (HRSDC/SC). If all requirements
are met, the host family will be issued a positive LMO (Labour
Market Opinion).
The Au pair and host family must sign a written employment
contract. The postive LMO and employmeny contract must then be
submitted with your work permit application. Once granted, the work
permit is valid for 4 years and 3 months, and then you can start
working as an au pair in Canada. More information can be found at
the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/caregiver/apply-how.asp
Human resources and Skills Development Canada website provides
guidelines for wages, maximum hours etc. by province:
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/caregiver/wages.shtml
Additional Information
You can find additional information about being an au pair
in Canada in the websites listed in the Relevant links section on
the right panel of this page.
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