PROCESS OF HIRING FROM ABROAD
Once you fill out the family registration form, we are able to give you resumes of caregivers that match your specific needs in terms of the experience, skills and personality traits that you are looking for in your "ideal" caregiver. The resumes are quite lengthy and will give you all the necessary information regarding the caregiver. Resumes can be viewed during your in-home consultation, at our office, couriered to your home, and now online. Once you select the caregivers you would like to interview (most employers chose to interview 6-8 candidates), we arrange to have the caregivers call you for an interview at a pre-determined time. We will provide you with a ten page list of different types of questions you may want to use. Feel free to use our questions, or use your own questions during the interview process. After speaking to all the caregivers you may want to narrow it down to you favorite three from the caregivers you have already spoken to, and we arrange for a second interview. Some employers are confident in making a decision after the first interview. You are entitled to interview as many times as it takes to feel confident in making your decision.
Helping Hands Caregiver Services will complete all the leg work associated with the application procedure to the Canadian Government for the Live-In Caregiver Program. This will include proof of advertising and collecting resumes of local caregivers, before attempting to hire abroad.
Once the application for a live-in caregiver is completed it will be sent to HRSDC. It generally takes 3 to 6 weeks to receive a Validation of Offer of Employment from HRSDC. Once the Employer's 'Offer of Employment' has been validated by the HRSDC the employer will receive a copy of it in the mail. The confirmation letter as well as the employer/employee contract will be sent to the appropriate office abroad by Helping Hands Caregiver Services. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is responsible for the final determination of whether a foreign Caregiver is eligible to come to Canada under the Live-in Caregiver Program.
Once the Live-in Caregiver application has been accepted and the interview, police clearance and medical (by a Canadian designate doctor) has been passed by the caregiver at the Canadian Consulate abroad, an Employment Authorization will be issued.
As you can see, the processing of all the appropriate paperwork can take several months, so plan ahead and be patient. Unfortunately only under exceptional circumstances can we request an expedited process.