Canada’s Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) has closed the ‘applicants not working in Canada’ stream, as announced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The stream was listed as ‘closed’ on September 29, 2025, without opening to applications. At the inception of the HCWP, both Home Support and Child Care options were to feature an intake for applicants not in Canada, with more details promised later.

Other Immigration Options for Caregivers Outside Canada

Caregivers outside Canada still have alternative immigration pathways in 2025. Workers falling under National Occupation Classification (NOC) 33102 can consider immigration through Express Entry, with a recent CRS cut-off score of 470. Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) also continue to consider candidates under home care worker NOC codes.

• Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) Skilled Worker Overseas stream;
• Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream;
• New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) Priority Occupations stream*;
• Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) Skilled Worker category.

*The NBPNP Priority Occupations stream only invites specific NOC codes. NOC code 44100 is not eligible under this stream.

Reasons for Closing International Intake for HCWP

Although IRCC has not provided a specific reason for closing the ‘applicants not working in Canada’ stream, data from IRCC’s recent Minister Transition Binder indicates a significant existing inventory of applications, totaling 34,400 among caregiver pilots.