Canada does not offer an official au pair program, however, youth between 18 and 35 may qualify for a Working Holiday Visa, now called International Experience Canada. This option is available if you want to travel and work temporary in Canada. Working Holiday participants must also pay an open work permit holder fee of $100 CAD online through MyCIC.
If you are interested in a longer visit, Canada also has a Live in Caregiver Visa open to caregivers who are age 19 and above. There is no maximum age limit on this visa program. This visa allows foreign employees to enter Canada as a caregiver. Successful applicants receive an employment authorization allowing them to work in Canada as live-in caregivers. After two years of employment, program participants can apply in Canada to become permanent residents; they may be granted permanent resident status provided they meet certain requirements. Effective November 30, 2014, Live-in Caregivers have 4 years from their date of arrival in Canada to complete the employment requirement to be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Program.
If you are hiring a caregiver who is already in Canada and has a valid work permit, contact the HRSDC/SC Live-in Caregiver Call Centre at 1-877-227-4577 to apply for a new work permit naming you as the employer.
There are three pathways for Canada's caregiver program that can be found here. These include Caring for Children Pathway, Caring for People with High Medical Needs Pathway, and the Live-In Caregiver program.
The Caregiver Program in Canada allows workers to go to Canada for live-in or live-out work as caregivers when there are not enough Canadians to fill the available positions. A "live-in caregiver" is someone who provides unsupervised care of children, the elderly, or the disabled in a private household. Live-in caregivers must live in the private home where they work in Canada. Determine if you're eligible here.
Please check with the Canadian Embassy in your country to determine the processing time for a caregiver visa. Expect normal processing times from 6-24 months. Filipino nationals wanting to immigrate to Canada should expect a longer than normal visa processing time. You can check to find out how long it is currently taking for applications to be processed from your specific country.
Both the employer and the employee must follow several steps to meet the requirements of the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). You can learn about Canada's Live-in Caregiver Visa and the steps you need to take here.
There are four main requirements applicants must meet to qualify under the Live-in Caregiver Program.
As of April 2011, LMO requirements have become more difficult. For more information, please see this website.
Caregivers are paid minimum wage, between $235-$290 per week, depending on the minimum wage set in each province. Learn more.
If you are between the ages of 18 and 35 (certain countries are not eligible over age 30 so you will need to check) and you are searching for overseas travel opportunities that will allow you the flexibility to work on short term contracts, visit the International Youth Programs page.
Canada has a variety of Youth Programs available to citizens from these countries: Australia, Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.