published on 16 January 2026 @ 3:38 pm · COMMENT

Canada Pauses Home Care Worker Pilot Applications

Effective December 19, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has paused intake for the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots, originally designed to help permanent residents fill critical labour shortages in senior care, child support, and disability services. The decision comes amid continued high demand and longer processing times, as the number of applicants already in the system exceeds available program capacity.

While intake is paused and will not reopen in March 2026, IRCC will continue processing applications already submitted, prioritizing those in the existing pipeline. The pause is intended to manage application inventory and maintain sustainable immigration levels under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan. Prospective applicants should monitor official announcements for future updates, as new intake opportunities will only be announced when program capacity allows.

The government’s decision to pause intake is intended to preventing backlogs for this pilot program. However, critical shortages in senior care, child care and disability remain in our labour market and must be addressed through immigration solutions.

filed under: IMMIGRATIONPERMANENT RESIDENCE