Ottawa’s Filipino community is expressing worry over a recent move by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to halt two pilot programs that offered migrant workers important pathways to permanent residency. IRCC disclosed the pause on Dec. 19 for a program catering to child-care workers and another for home support workers due to high demand surpassing available admission spots.
Aimee Beboso from Migrante Ottawa, a group aiding Filipino migrant workers, voiced concerns that pausing the programs would lead to a shortage of essential home care workers. Beboso emphasized the significance of these workers in providing care for the elderly and individuals with disabilities due to insufficient capacity in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
The programs, launched on March 31, allocated 2,750 spaces each with application streams for existing Canadian workers and new applicants. Beboso highlighted that the pause left workers already in Canada uncertain, especially if they faced changes in their employment status, potentially jeopardizing their residency.
Statistics Canada’s 2021 report revealed that half of Filipino immigrants admitted under economic categories availed permanent residence pathways for caregivers. Regina Sosing, who arrived in Canada in 1994 through a previous caregiver program, lauded the 2025 pilot for simplifying the process to obtain permanent residence for caregivers, facilitating family reunification.
The demand for home care workers in Canada has surged, notably in Ontario, as the aging population requires more support. The Ontario government estimated around 650,000 residents receiving home care services, underscoring the pressing need for caregivers. While Sosing acknowledged the pause’s intent to address application backlogs, she expressed concerns about its repercussions, citing personal challenges in securing adequate home care for her mother.
IRCC assured that applications submitted before the pause would still be processed, but the upcoming round set for March has been canceled. Sosing found a glimmer of hope in the programs’ temporary pause, yet acknowledged the disappointment within the Filipino community over the delay’s impact on migrant workers.
