Ready to process your application for Permanent Residence? Good for you! Here are following links that could help you make your application smoother. Good luck!

1.Get a copy/download application forms and instructions in filling up the forms, http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/notices/notice-permanent.asp

click http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/live-in.asp

2.Renewal/amendment/replacement of Philippine passport: www.philcongen-toronto.com/consular/docs/PassportRenewal.pdf

3. Securing a police certificate from overseas like,Hong Kong: http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/11_useful_info/cert_no_crime.html#oversea

Philippines NBI clearance: http://www.philcongen-toronto.com/consular/consular_notarial.php

and http://www.nbi.gov.ph/faq.htm

4. Medical Exams in Canada (incase required): www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medicalinfo.aspx and for designated Medical practitioners in Ontario Canada: http://www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medicalinfo.aspx?CountryID=2042&ProvID=15205&ProvinceName=Ontario&CountryName=Canada 

(Please take note that the second medical exam is no longer required but CIC will still require you to do so if they see it otherwise.)

Medical Exams/ Designated Medical Practitioners in the Philippines: http://www.cic.gc.ca/dmp-md/medicalinfo.aspx?CountryID=2009&CountryName=Philippines

5. Processing times for Permanent Residence (Live-in Caregiver): www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-other.asp

There could be changes on information and policies relevant to your application so it is important to check the www.cic.gc.ca website from time to time.

a

Important websites (Application for Permanent Residence Status)

One of the most important documents that an immigrant has to have here in Canada is the health card. Here in Ontario, this is known as the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). The health care system is funded by the government. OHIP pays for most basic and emergency medical for Canadian and permanent residents. But OHIP does not pay for all medical expenses. A dental service is one example not covered by OHIP.

How to apply for an OHIP Card?
1. Upon arrival, you must go to Service Ontario office
2. Fill up the registration from and provide the following original documents:
• Proof of citizenship or permanent residency status
• Proof of residency
• A document that confirms your identity
3. After verification of your information, your photo will be taken
4. In Ontario, you will need to wait for 3 months to receive your OHIP Card and be able to avail of the health services.

NO OHIP, It Sucks!
Jet is a 16 year old girl who arrived in Canada on March 2011. After three weeks,  she felt pain in her stomach so her mom brought her to a walk-in clinic. She was dismayed to find that although Jet was issued an OHIP number,  the clinic didn’t accept her because she is not a registered patient and that her OHIP is not yet active. She brought Jet to another walk-in clinic who accepts new patients. Jet was required ro undergo a urine test and diagnosed of having a kidney infection. The doctor required further testing thus they need to bring it to the laboratory. The laboratory test cost  a lot.  Ultimately, Jet was prescribed with anti biotic and asked not to go to school until her follow-up check-up is conducted.

In the end, Jet’s mom cannot do anything but to pay all her daughters bill:
CAN$88.00- Doctor’s assessment
CAN$ 5.00- Clinics Urine test
CAN$43.00- Laboratory Urine test
CAD$40.05- Anti biotic
______________________
CAN$168.05 = TOTAL

Jet’s  follow-up consultation showed that her urine test  showed negative of any bacteria so she doesn’t need to be seen by the doctor again. She was still advised to finish her anti-biotic. If Jet will get a doctor’s certificate to show her school that her absences is caused by medical ailment, she needs to see a doctor and pay $80.00 for doctors assessment and $20.00 for the medical certificate. This would be an additional cost so they decided not to get one but her mom wrote a letter to the school stating the reason of her absences.

Having no OHIP card could be a burden to a family especially if someone will get sick during the three months waiting period. Is there any way that Jet’s mom or any new immigrant in this same situation could save money on medical expenses while his/ her OHIP card is not active? Feel free to share your ideas on the comments box.

a

New Immigrant, NO OHIP, It Sucks!

Jen heaved a sigh of relief after waiting for hours at a divorce lawyer’s office.

“At last, it’s over,” she declared after signing her application for divorce.

Jen, is one of the 17 Filipina clients of her lawyer that is seeking divorce from their husband in the Philippines. Jen’s lawyer earlier that day claimed, “I have a lot of client who are seeking divorce, and 12 of them are all Filipina nannies.”

Jen is one of those Filipina women who decided to end their marriages after arriving in Canada.

The rising cases of these Filipina nannies divorcing their husbands in the Philippines are becoming normal in the Filipino community, where divorce or separation is still not openly encouraged.

Atty. Deanna Santos, a lawyer from the Filipino community acknowledges that separation appears to be “a very sad reality among Filipina caregivers- an inevitable consequence of the lengthy family separation.”

The Live-in Caregiver Program requires a completion of 24 months work as caregivers or nannies in a span of 4 years (as of April 1, 2010) before they are eligible to apply for a Permanent Residency in Canada. The processing time for Permanent Residency also take a year or more. In total, a caregiver or a nanny has to wait for at least 3 years before she can be reunited with her family. At that span of waiting period, a lot of marriages break down.

Why the divorce/separation?

Three stories of Migrant Mothers

 Jen confides that she had been thinking of separating her husband years even while she was still in Hong Kong. Their “irreconcilable differences” had worn her out. They were married when they were 21, lived together for four years and had a son.

She left for Hong Kong and worked there for four years of which put a strain on their already rocky relationship.

“I don’t feel a connection anymore. I don’t love him. It seemed we’re just two people who happened to have a son,” she declared. “I just can’t use this as  reason to separate from him back home, you know how people talk.”

Ellla

Ella doesn’t look like a 33-year old. Her slim physique, small face and bright, brown eyes deny the fact that she is already a mother of three: aged 15, 12 and 9. She was married at 15, had her first child at 18.

Her brown, soft eyes hardened as she takes a sip of  her coffee. “I’m done with him,” she resolved.

This Ella is different from the Ella I met two years ago. A long distance call from her husband would be enough to startle her. Oftentimes, she would hush us when we are in the middle of conversation. She explained that her husband would always suspect that she was just out having fun whenever he heard voices and laughter on the background.

“He doesn’t want me to go out with my friends and he always suspect that I’m out when he hears laughter on the background,” she explained.

Even when her husband first cheated on her, Ella couldn’t afford to get really angry. When she threatened divorce, her husband immediately told their firstborn child. Their son pleaded with Ella not to divorce their father for their sake. She gave in.

“He uses my kids against me. He knows I can do everything for them,” she lamented helplessly.

One threat from her husband that he would take their kids away should she go against his wishes and Ella would agree to everything he asks.

Another affair had Ella decided she had enough. She told him she is divorcing him and this time, it’s for real.

“He got the gall to threaten me that he’ll take our kids. I told him to go ahead. I must have surprised him because he did know what to do. He asked our kids to intervene; I told my kids that this is not something they can decide for me. They are upset with me but in time, I believe they will understand why I made my decision.” She said firmly.

She sighed, grew sombre and said, “But you know, what’s surprising from all of this, is that I surprised myself, too. I am no longer scared of him and I am more confident that divorcing him is the best decision I made for myself. I am happier and more peaceful with myself.”

Gloria

Gloria is planning to divorce her husband upon joining her here in Canada.

“I understand that we have our weaknesses as a human being,” she begins, “Especially so when you get used to having someone. When they leave your side, you’ll miss their presence terribly and you’ll seek it from someone else. I can accept all other weaknesses but there comes a point when it’s already too much and that’s when we call it abuse.”

Gloria’s husband cheated on her and not with just any other girl. It was her sister and they had an illegitimate child. Their three teenage children are not even aware of it.

As bad luck would have it, she is in her depressed state when Gloria met a guy in Canada and fell in-love with him. She thought he was the answer to all her loneliness. It turned out she is just one of his girlfriends. She broke up with him. Her husband learned of her affair, too.

Now that everything seemed even, can they make-up? 

Gloria says, “My mother told us to forget everything and begin again for the sake of our children but I don’t think I can do that. We lost trust in each other completely. I think it’s better for us to separate than to be screaming at each other all the time. That would be more peaceful,” she concluded.  

Did coming to Canada made them a bit bolder?

What is its indirect role?

 Gloria believes that her leaving home for Canada has given her husband an excuse to cheat. She also acknowledges that this is a common situation.

“It is either the husband in the Philippines or the wife here in Canada that enters in an extra-marital affair,” she observed.

“Had I not left home, I don’t think this would’ve happened,” she said. 

On the other hand, Ella believes that coming to Canada has given her the opportunity to get to know herself better. It has given her the independence and capability to provide for her children, thus, giving her the courage to stand up against her husband.

“I think that even if I remained in the Philippines, my husband would’ve still cheated on me and I would still accept him. I think that coming to Canada and having a space between us had given me enough time and opportunity to look at my situation clearly.”

Jen admits that divorcing her husband in Canada is a lot peaceful because she won’t have to listen to admonishments from her relatives.

All these women acknowledge too, that Canadian culture’s view of divorce and marriage influenced them to look at their marriages in a different perspective.

“Divorce here is easy and accepted. You are not judged when you divorce your spouse. Further, some ex-couples become friends or in good terms with their former partners. The children, too, ultimately, are fine with it.” Gloria stated.

 The Divorce Process

The most common divorce application filed by live-in caregivers is the uncontested divorce which is often based on at least one year separation.

How much to divorce?

Atty. Santos said that the court filing fee is approximately 500.00 CAD in total but lawyer’s fees may range from a hundreds to few thousands, depending on the lawyer.

How long will it take?

The length of processing depends on number of factors:

1.) Length of time it takes to receive proof of service,

2.) Time you submit the required documents, and;

3.) Court processing times. It could range from a few months to a year or so.

Gloria acknowledges that the real cost of divorce is the sadness of it all. “Most of us marry with our intention of keeping it till the end. Divorce is hard for everybody in the family especially the children but when there’s no longer love and trust in a marriage, it is no longer a marriage.” She summed up.

What “Divorce” in Canada means…

Atty. Santos explains that divorce in Canada means “that a marriage is dissolved and the spouses can remarry (as far as Canadian laws are concerned.) However, divorce of a marriage between Filipinos is still not recognized in the Philippines. Therefore, if one spouse remarries another person, she/he can be sued for bigamy in the Philippines. If one spouse becomes a foreign citizen, then a divorce filed by the foreign citizen will be recognized in the Philippines (i.e. will allow both the foreign and the Filipino spouses to remarry.)”

 Need more information on divorce? Read: http://www.cleo.on.ca/english/pub/onpub/PDF/family/getdiv.pdf

a

To Canada…and Freedom?

Police Officer Philip Mendoza briefs caregivers on police procedures

How do you rescue a nanny from an abusive employer?

This question was posed by the caregiver community for Police Officer Philip Mendoza from the Community Mobilizing Unit of the Toronto during the CRC’s Breakfast Meeting at the Cuisina Lounge.

In a case reported by FilCore Support Group  chairman Edna Tiosen, a nanny  called for help because she was working  from 7:00 AM to 1:00 AM- 18 hours a day, looks after 2 kids and an elderly with Parkinson’s disease; sleeps on the floor and has no days-off. On the weekends, she works in her employer’s mother’s home or her sister’s.   

Tiosen responded by reporting to the police station and asking for police escort to “rescue” the nanny from her employer’s house. The police officer refused to provide escort explaining that police officers cannot enter a home without a search warrant unless there is a physical abuse.

Officer Mendoza explained that such is really the case and that the possible solution to this would be for the Police officers to invite the nanny and ask if everything is okay. In an event where a nanny is in a “forcible confinement,” the nanny herself must report it to the police.

In another case presented by Judith Gonzales, a nanny was threatened by her employers that a police record means inadmissibility of her Permanent Resident status.

Officer Mendoza explained that such intimidation should not be headed and he stressed that a foreign worker has the same right as a Canadian citizen or resident.  

Mendoza encouraged that nannies should exercise their right and not be afraid to speak up or report to the police if their situation is at stake. He also expressed that the police can do more and can work beside the caregiver community in upholding their rights.

The Caregiver Resource Center said that it has been assisted by the police in rescue operations where: 1. a nanny is under a deplorable working conditions; 2. A nanny is intimidated by her employer; 3. the nanny has a suicidal tendency; 4.) the safety of the caregiver is at stake. 

 Rescuing a Nanny in Distress:

Merfa Bataclan of the Filipino Canadian Community House summarizes the steps involved in dealing with a nanny in distress:

1.  In case of violence or domestic assault, the caregiver must call 911.

     2. For non emergency but critical cases, the caregiver can call the police trunkline 416-808-2222. The trunkline then connect you to the right Police Division.

    3. Then, call a friend to let them know of your situation and call any of the following caregiver advocacy and counselling groups:

                       Nanny Hotline Ontario LCP – 1-866-372-3247

                      Caregiver Resource Center – 416-439-3246

                      Filcore-Support Group Durham Region – 416-317-0967

                     Filipino Canadian Community House – 416-783-9285

                    Philippine Consulate Office – 416- 922-7181

                    Philippine Labour Office – 416-975-8252

               Any of these groups/offices can be contacted and they can also make a back up call to the Police for police presence and protection.

                4. Then while counsellor/advocate are on their way, the caregiver is advised to get ready for the escape if she needs so by preparing some backpack of clothing, necessities and or food to be brought to a safe house or temporary shelter.

                5. The Police and or counsellor can mobilize temporary shelters to accommodate the caregiver. It is important though that caregivers should have a safety plan for any untoward incident that may happen.

a

POLICE AND THE CAREGIVER COMMUNITY

Toronto, Ontario – In its aim to disseminate, clarify and review further the recent changes on the Live-in Caregiver Program, and the perceived changes on the Temporary Foreign Worker, the Caregivers Resource Center led by Terry Olayta and its allied organizations hosted the Caregivers Breakfast at the Cusina Restaurant in Bathurst, Toronto last September 18, 2010.
Ms. Geraldine Nerdjivania, Regional Program Advisor from the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship presented the new regulatory and administrative changes effective as of April , 2010 under the Live-in Caregiver Program that includes the following:
1. Provide more time to caregivers to complete the work experience to apply for permanent residence, increasing the time period from three to four years;

2. Allow a portion of overtime hours ( up to 3900 hours) to count towards the work requirement (3900 work hours within a minimum of 22 months); Under this provision, Ms. Nerdjivania stressed that only 3900 hours are counted to make sure that the caregiver will not overwork herself just to accumulate the required hours.

3. Require employers to pay for travel costs to the location of work, workplace safety insurance, recruiting fees owe to third parties and medical insurance until caregivers are eligible for provincial health coverage;

4. Require that employment contracts between live-in caregivers and their employers contain additional mandatory clauses. In addition to outlining hours of work, job duties, salary and mandatory benefits, contracts must now also describe employer-paid benefits and outline overtime, holidays, sick leave entitlements, termination and resignation terms; Ms. Nerdjivania also emphasized that the new contract, downloadable under www.cic.gc.ca clearly spells out all the duties and responsibilities of the caregiver to make sure that “the primary duty of the caregiver is taking care of the children, the disabled and the aged and not household chores or to shovel the snow.”

She further stressed that a caregiver cannot be made to sign a contract that goes against the Employment Standards.

5. The second medical exam required before applying for permanent residence is no longer required. The medical examination completed to qualify for the initial work permit/temporary residence as a live-in caregiver will now be assessed by medical officers overseas for excessive demand in anticipation of the applicant applying for permanent residence under the LCP; Ms. Nerdjivania clarified that a second medical check-up may be required by a commissioner only if there is possibly a danger to public health like having tuberculosis.

6. CIC and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada will begin emergency processing to help caregivers in an abusive situations change employers urgently.

The Changes on the new Temporary Foreign Worker and the LCP
Meanwhile, Atty. Deanna P. Santos outlined the announced changes on the Temporary Foreign Worker that will take effect on April 01, 2011. These changes will include a: 1.) More rigorous rigorous assessment of jobs for foreign workers to ensure that offers are legitimate; 2.) That assessment will consider whether employers have followed the rules in the past before they can hire a nanny or temporary foreign worker. A bad track record could lead to a denial of the necessary permits to hire foreign workers; 3.) There will also be a four-year limit on the amount of time a foreign worker can be employed in Canada. Once that limit is reached, the workers must return home and wait four years before they can work in Canada again.
The third provision on the proposed changes had stirred confusion in the caregiver communities since the Live-in Caregiver Program is under the Temporary Foreign Worker.
Atty. Santos explained that the implementing guidelines are still being formulated and that the CIC has given its assurance that the changes will not affect the caregivers who are applying their Permanent Resident status within Canada.

Ms. Nerdjivania read through the following provisions:

“There are two exemptions to the four-year cumulative duration provision, …. for work that would create or maintain significant social, cultural or economic benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents, or for work pursuant to an international agreement between Canada and one or more countries. More specific information will be provided in the form of operational guidelines. These are being developed and will be available prior to the regulations coming into force April 1, 2011.

With regard to those temporary foreign workers who have applied for permanent residence, the intent of the regulatory amendments is not to require applicants for permanent residency to leave the country. It is likely that a temporary foreign worker, whether employed as a live-in caregiver or in another capacity, who has applied for permanent residency will qualify for an exemption pursuant to section 200(3)(g) of the regulations, until such time as a decision on the application for permanent residency has been made. Full details will be available in the operational guidelines referred to above.”

Likewise, Ms. Nerdjivanian stated that “the Live In caregiver Program has not changed per se with these Regulatory Changes. Live in Caregivers under this program WILL be able to apply for permanent residency at the end of 4 years.”

Some caregivers present were also able to raise their specific concerns to the panels. Most of the concerns/cases asked were case specific and needs further study.
Also present during the occasion was Merfa Bataclan-Yap, Pastor Gerry Falco, and Mr. Joe Oliver.
The forum was a joint activity of the CRC with the FilCore Support Group of Durham region, Association of Caregivers in Thornhill, Cash in a Flash, Cusina Lounge, United Filipino Mothers Association, Parent, Youth, Families and Friends in Action. Filipino Canadian Community House, Atty. Ma Deanna P. Santos, and the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship. ///ada

(L-R) Mr. Joe Oliver, Ms. Geraldine Nerdjivania, Atty. Ma.Deanna P. Santos and Pastor Gerry

a

CRC, Filcore hosts discussion, information dissemination on the changes on the Live-inCP

Live-In Caregiver Program

The Association of Caregiver and Nanny Agencies  (ACNA) on their Press Release on July 5, 2010 has raised some questions on the newly-approved Live-in Caregiver Laws. They claim that the revisions of the LCP have a “negative effect on family life and further eroded Canadian productivity.”"

ACNA claim that based from their survey, there was a 70-90% drop in placement following the changes made by the Government of Canada under the Ministry of Immigration, Citizenship and Multiculturalism.

Good or Bad?

Under the new LCP laws, the employers are required to pay for 1.) travel cost for live-in caregivers to come to Canada; 2.) medical insurance until the live-in caregiver become eligible for provincial health coverage, and 3.) Workplace safety insurance and any recruiting fees owed to third parties. These revisions, the ACNA, explains has placed a burden on families wanting to hire a live-in caregiver to care for their young, disabled and the aged.  ACNA points out that although the families who hire a live-in caregiver shoulders all the expenses, the caregiver is under no obligation to stay with them. This, ACNA maintains, makes Canadian families vulnerable to individuals who abuse the program by coming to Canada under the LCP at no personal cost, without intention of staying long-term and seeking new employment.

Further, in a position statement by a group “Protection for Canadian Families,” they alleged that Minister Jason Kenney has only sought to protect the overseas caregiver’s rights and not the tax-paying Canadian families.

Moreover, some individuals within the Filipino community has also raised the above concerns, stating that the changes is killing the LCP and that the main reason for these changes are to eliminate the program.

Employment Standards

However, Marna Martin, chair of the Canadian Coalition for In-Home Care responds to the above-mentioned concerns, stating that the new revisions will reduce the number of caregivers arriving in Canada without legitimate employers or “Released Upon Arrival.” These RUAs usually take months to find new employers who are willing to process their papers. As a result, most ended up working “under the table”or accepting payments that are below the minimum wage. With the new law, Martin asserts that the newly-hired caregivers are assured that the Employment Standards and government regulations are followed and they won’t be buried in debt incurred by placement fees.

Although Martin acknowledges that there will be fewer overseas VISA’s issued, the abuses under the program will greatly be reduced. She also stated that the closures of caregiver and nanny agencies has not reduced the number of families hiring caregivers but rather, they are opting to post their ads on-line and not through the agencies.

a

Group raise questions on the new LCP laws

December 12, 2009 is a good day for the Live-In Caregivers of Canada as Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenny announced the proposed new regulations drafted that will better protect the rights of its Live In Caregivers and will make it easier for these foreign workers and their families to obtain permanent residency in Canada.

Here is the list of the proposed changes:

1.  Eliminate the requirement for a second medical examination when applying for permanent residency.

Also known as the Juana Tajeda law,  this law has came about when live in caregiver Juana Tajeda was applying for  permanent residency and was denied because of her cancer.  Her illness has developed while already  working in Canada.  Her application was first denied but later on approved only due to humanitarian and compassionate grounds.  This change will ensure that no one will undergo that painful experience again.

2.  Live In Caregivers who work overtime can now apply for residency sooner.

Current Situation: Live In Caregivers must work for two whole years of their three years stay before they can apply for residency.  This means that unplanned events such as pregnancies or lost of employment can affect this requirement since they won’t be able to work for two straight years.

Proposed Change: Live In Caregivers can now apply for residency after completing 3,900 work hours or working from Mondays-Fridays for eight hours.  So if they render overtime work then these hours will be counted.  Also, these changes would also increase the time that live-in caregivers are allowed to complete the work requirement from three to four years.

3.  Additional benefits will be given as stipulated in the contract.

The proposal also specifies the following to be paid by the employer:

- fare that the live in caregiver will need to come to Canada

- medical insurance until the live in caregiver is entitled for provincial health coverage

- workplace safety insurance

- any recruiting fees owed to third parties

These all have to be stipulated in the contract.  Also, the contract must include clauses about the work scope and duties, hours of work, overtime and holidays, leaves and termination and resignation terms.

4. CIC will set up a hotline for live in caregivers.  Also, study permits are no longer need by live in caregivers if the course they will be taking is shorter than six months.

These proposed changes have already been published at the Canada Gazette for a 30-day comment period open for all Canadians.

a

Good News to All Live-In Caregivers in Canada!

You heard the news: caregiver jobs are in boom in Canada this time.  So how can you get a slice of that cake?  Here’s how.

STEP 1: Get Yourself a Training Certificate

The only way for your application for a caregiver job to get noticed is to have a Caregiver Training Certificate from a registered Training Provider.  This will usually last from 6 months (lecture) to 7 mos (with OJT).  Check first with The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or TESDA, the government agency that regulates skills development in the Philippines, if the training center you are eyeing is registered with them.  If not, steer clear because the training certificate they will be issuing you won’t be accepted in the Canadian Embassy.

STEP 2: Have Yourself Assessed

Literally millions of people are applying for a Caregiver job in Canada right this minute and a training certificate is just the first step for you to get noticed.  To make you more qualified, you should get yourself assessed.  An Assessment is a written and practical exam wherein your knowledge and skills in Caregiver techniques will be gauged.  A National Certificate will be issued to you after you passed both exams.  This will serve as your license.   Again, TESDA is the government agency in charge of this testing and certification.

STEP 3:  Have Your Papers Authenticated

Because a lot of fly by night schools are emerging in the country today, the Canadian Embassy has required all documents to be autheticated by the government agency in charge of giving the certificates.  So to have this done, go the the nearest TESDA.  Submit your training certificate, transcript of records and copy of the special order number they issued your school to have your papers verified and authenticated.  TESDA will then pass the authentication certificate to DFA to have your papers blue ribboned, another requirement by the Canadian Embassy.

Sometimes to really check if TESDA really issued the Authentication, the Canadian Embassy will write to them verify if the papers are really from them.  That is how strict the Canadian Embassy is.  So don’t think you can take the short way and just buy a training certificate which is being sold in some areas in Manila.  Getting caught will instantly ban you from entering Canada for a long time.

STEP 4: Network

Now that you have everything in order, it’s time to network!  Put yourself out there so you can find the nest caregiver job suited for you.  Tell everybody who can help you that you are looking for a caregiver job and you have everything in order and in time someone will point you in the right direction.  You will land your caregiver job in no time!

a

How to Get a Job as Caregiver in Canada

The boom of the Caregiver Industry has not only gave birth to new jobs but to new scams as well.  Read on to become aware of what you should beware of in getting to your dreams of becoming a caregiver.

Fly By Night Schools

Since the Canadian and US Embassy have mandated that caregivers entering their territories have a diploma to show that they are professionals,  Caregiver Schools have prolifirated everywhere around the globe.  Unfortunately, most of them are fly by night schools just taking advantage of people.  A fly by night school is a school that has no proper permit to operate and once they are policed by the proper government agency governing them they will simply just pack up their bags and transfer to another location so that they can avoid registering their programs.

Why are fly by night schools dangerous?

1.  The diploma you will get from these schools will not be honored by the US and Canadian Embassy.  So that is not just wasted money but also time and effort.

2.  They don’t teach the proper skills thus if ever you get to Canada or US under a different visa and managed to find work there, you may be putting your charges at risk since you don’t really know the proper procedure of care and operations of household equipment

So how can you avoid getting duped by this fly by night caregiver schools?  Always ask for their Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA -for Philippines) Registration Permit before enrolling.  But since permits can also be faked,  you may also call the TESDA office that has jurisdiction over the school you are eyeing and ask for the program registration number of the school.

Illegal Caregiver and Nanny Recruiters

A lot of people are now claiming that they have relatives in Canada or in the US and that they can sneek a caregiver aspirant into the country by pretending that their relatives will hire them so that they say be issued a work visa.  But once in Canada, the person must look for a real employer.  In order to avail of this privilege,  one must pay the relative of this “employer” in Canada a hefty amount ranging from P40,000-P100,000.  Since a direct caregiver employer is hard to find, a lot of people are biting into this scam.  But that’s what it is just is, a scam.  So never get duped by this modus.  Think of it this way:  if they can really do that, why are they not starting with their own relatives, right?  But if you take this risk anyway, you should at least see an LMO from the prospective employer before handing your money.

Illegal  Recruiters or Agencies

These are agencies that have no permit from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA).  Before an agency can send people abroad, they must first get accreditation from POEA.  Upon registration, that’s the time that they can use the work order they have from their partners abroad.  To avoid being duped by agencies who have no legal papers, check POEA’s listings.

And before you pay any fees, you MUST see the LMO  from the prospective employer.

If they have accreditation they should be on the list.  Also, be weary of agencies that ask for fees since the policy nowadays is that your placement fee will be paid through salary deduction.  It is now illegal in Canada  for any recruiters or placement agencies to collect recruitment fees.

Additional info:

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/philippines/visas/working-travailler.aspx?lang=eng

http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/article/713441

a

Scams Caregiver Aspirants Should be Aware Of

When applying for a Caregiver job in Canada, be sure to ask your employer first for your job description.  Being a Caregiver entails a lot of things so it is better to be sure first of the things expected of you to be sure that you really are qualified to do them.  Here are some Caregiver job descriptions you can expect:

1.  Live-In Caregiver

Being a Live-In Caregiver means that you will be living with your employer or in Nursing Homes and may be expected to do also some household chores like doing the laundry, ironing clothes, cooking and dish washing so be sure to know how to operate hi-tech gadgets that will be used to perform these duties.  Also, you may be assigned to take care either of a child, an elderly or a person with disability.  Be sure to ask what kind of person you will take care of to further prepare for the job.

2.  Non-medical Caregiver  / Hospice Caring

This is the term being used for Caregivers based in the hospitals  or homes.  They are like nurses who take care of different people.  Unlike Live-In Caregivers,  they have limited interaction with their patients since they take care of a lot of different people.

These caregivers comprehensive assistant to patients and or elderly, ill or terminally ill patience  who wish to live independently.   You provide nursing assistant, companionship and may run errands.

3.  Housekeeper

In this line of work, you are specifically tasked to do just housework.  Again, because of the increasing popularity of this Caregiver job description, there is now a curriculum being honed specifically for that.  But for the meantime, there is a portion in the curriculum of Caregiving that tackles housekeeping.  This teaches prospective Caregivers how to use the gadgets specifically found abroad and how to perform the task well.  It also teaches Caregiver students how to sanitize their surrounding to really keep the place of work clean and germ free.

a

Different Kinds of Caregivers In Canada