Canada Closes HCWP Stream for Caregivers Abroad. Are there any New Pathways to apply?

Canada Closes HCWP Stream for Caregivers Abroad. Are there any New Pathways to apply?

The Home Care Worker Immigration Pilots (HCWP) was first launched on March 31, 2025, as a pathway for home care workers to apply for permanent residency in Canada. The HCWP program has two major streams: the Workers in Canada stream and the Applicants Not Working in Canada stream. While the program initially replaced two pilot programs, the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and Home Support Worker Pilot programs, the “applicants not working in Canada” under HCWP has now officially been closed as of September 29, 2025. Some of the main reasons for the closure of this PR pathway are said to be the excessive number of applications, pending backlogs, and the overall application submissions exceeding the initial planned intake. While this can be disheartening, Caregivers looking to migrate to Canada can apply for PR through alternate pathways such as the Express Entry program, Provincial Nominee program (PNP), or by applying for a work permit via LMIA.

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What are the alternate pathways for caregivers abroad?

While the Home Care Worker Immigration pilots (HCWP) officially closed on September 29, 2025, skilled workers seeking to work in home support or home child care can still migrate to Canada through alternative immigration pathways.

Some of the pathways through which skilled care workers abroad can apply for permanent residence in Canada are as follows:

Express Entry

Caregivers in job roles that fall under the NOC code 33102 (Nurse Aides, orderlies, and patient service associates) can apply for PR through the Express Entry program. Express Entry regularly holds category-based draws, and those belonging to NOC code 33102 may qualify for the Healthcare-targeted Express Entry Draws.

Given below is an example of Sharon, who is a nurse aide applying through the Express Entry program:

 

Name	Sharon
Age	29
Occupation	(NOC 33102) Nurse aide, orderly, patient service associate
Education	3-year Nursing Diploma from India
Work experience	3 years (full-time) in a private hospital in India
Language	IELTS General = CLB 8 (Listening 7.5, Reading 7, Writing 7, Speaking 7)
Canadian experience	NA

 

Here’s how Sharon can apply for Express Entry as a nurse aide:

Step 1: Check NOC eligibility.

NOC 33102 is eligible for category-based Express Entry Draws under the healthcare occupations category. Sharon’s job role, which is that of a Nurse Aide, falls under NOC 33102; this takes her to the next step.

Step 2: Getting the credentials recognized.

Sharon completes the process of having her credentials recognized by a registered Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). Having your credentials verified by an ECA is equivalent to holding a post-secondary diploma in Canada.

Step 3:  Language proficiency test

Sharon takes the IELTS General Training test and scores (Listening 7.5, Reading 7, Writing 7, Speaking 7), which equates to a CLB Level 7+, the minimum eligibility for Express Entry.

Step 4: Creating an Express Entry profile

Sharon logs in to the official IRCC Express Entry portal and creates an Express Entry profile. Calculating her scores, which are:

[Age: 110 + Education: 98 + Language: 112 + Work experience: 50 = 470]

Sharon scores an overall CRS score of 470, which is a good score for Healthcare Express Entry Draws.

Step 5: Receiving an ITA (Invitation to Apply)

Sharon receives an ITA for Canada PR if a healthcare category-based Express Entry Draw has a CRS score of around 470.

Step 6: PR application submission

Sharon then uploads all the required documents and completes the application fee payment. The application, once submitted, can take up to 6-12 months to be processed.

Despite the suspension of the HCWP stream, Sharon qualified through the Express Entry program, as her occupation is listed in the eligible NOC (33102). She has a good IELTS score, has had her ECA, and her overall CRS score matched the minimum cut-off CRS score in the draw.

*Want to apply for Express Entry? Let experts at Y-Axis guide you with the process.

Canada PNP

Canadian provinces regularly conduct PNP draws, welcoming caregivers through PNP immigration pathways. The Canada PNP is another great alternative for caregivers, as it provides a direct PR pathway and is comparatively more flexible. Provinces such as Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Manitoba have a huge demand for caregivers, healthcare workers, and home support roles.

The table below has the list of Canadian PNP programs that have a huge demand for caregivers:

 

Program	Stream
Manitoba	Skilled Worker Overseas
Ontario	Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream
New Brunswick	Critical Worker Pilot / Priority Occupations
Newfoundland and Labrador	Skilled Worker Stream

 

You can follow the steps below to apply through Canada PNP:

Step 1: Check your eligibility (Must be NOC 33102)

Step 2: Get a valid job offer from a registered Canadian employer (the job offer must be relevant to your job role)

Step 3: Submit an EOI (Expression of Interest) to the PNP program of your choice.

Step 4: Upon eligibility, you will receive a provincial nomination certificate

Step 5: Apply for Canada PR through the base PNP or enhanced PNP
 

*Want to apply for Canada PNP? Let Y-Axis guide you with the steps.
 

Why was the HCWP Stream closed?

The HCWP (Home Care Worker Immigration Pilot) stream was officially closed on September 29, 2025. While no official reasons were announced, several factors may have contributed to this decision, including exceptionally high application volumes, high demand, and pending backlogs.

 

Here’s why the HCWP stream was closed in September 2025, just 6 months after it was launched:

• Each of the HCWP streams had a cap of 2,750 applications for 2025, and both streams were filled within a few hours after their launch.
• There was a huge demand from caregivers abroad, registering an exceeding number of applications.
• While the HCWP was a replacement for the previous pilot programs, it came with stricter resources.
• There are numerous pending backlogs, with recent reports suggesting that at least 34,400 caregiver applications are currently pending and yet to be processed, of which only 14% are expected to be processed. 

 

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