回复: 想去加国做住家保姆
联邦拟修例保障外籍保姆权益
联邦公民、移民及多元文化部长康尼(Jason Kenney)昨天在多伦多一个菲律宾社区举行的新闻会上宣布，将正式向政府提出修订外籍保姆计划中的不公平条例，包括取消对外籍保姆所特设的第二次体检要求、缩短超时工作外籍保姆申请居民身份的期限、简化更换雇主所需程序以及将虐待保姆的雇主列入黑名单等等。康尼表示，修例的主要目的是为了保障外籍保姆权益。
新民主党移民事务评议员、华裔国会议员邹至蕙表示，外籍保姆对加拿大家庭和谐做出贡献，政府应维护他们的权益并保护他们不受伤害。自由党国会议员詹嘉礼也认同这些修订建议，但指出这些改变仍过于保守，很难真正达到帮助外籍保姆的目的，即让他们尽快完成移民申请并早日与家人团聚。
http://info.iask.ca/news/todaydigest/
News Release
Minister Kenney proposes significant improvements to the Live-in Caregiver Program
Toronto, December 12, 2009 ― Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today proposed regulations to better protect the rights of live‑in caregivers and to make it easier for them and their families to obtain permanent residence in Canada. The announcement follows extensive consultations with caregiver groups from across the country, as well as heartfelt testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
The first proposed change to the Live-in Caregiver Program eliminates the requirement for live-in caregivers to undergo a second medical examination when applying to become permanent residents, a change advocated by the late Juana Tejada.
Ms. Tejada developed cancer while working as a live-in caregiver. She was initially denied permanent resident status when she did not pass her second medical examination. It was only through special ministerial intervention that she gained status in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
“Our government fully supports the ‘Juana Tejada Law.’ We propose to implement this change in her honour, to ensure that no one else has to endure this same painful experience,” said Minister Kenney.
Another proposed change will allow live-in caregivers who work overtime to apply for permanent residence sooner. Currently, live-in caregivers must work for two years within the first three years of entry into the program before they can apply for permanent residence in Canada. Unfortunately, events ? such as pregnancies or loss of employment ? have resulted in some live-in caregivers not meeting the two-year requirement.
Under the new measure, live-in caregivers would be eligible to apply for permanent residence after 3,900 work hours ? the equivalent of working a standard work week for two years. Also, a portion of their overtime hours could count toward the work requirement and enable caregivers to apply for permanent residence sooner. Equally important, these changes would also increase the time that live-in caregivers are allowed to complete the work requirement from three to four years.
“These important changes help fulfil Canada’s duty to those who care for our young, our disabled and our elderly,” Minister Kenney said. “The Government of Canada is taking action to protect foreign workers from potential abuse and exploitation.”
The proposed regulations will also require employers of live-in caregivers to pay for:
- travel costs for live-in caregivers to come to Canada;
- medical insurance until live-in caregivers become eligible for provincial health coverage; and
- workplace safety insurance and any recruiting fees owed to third parties.
Under additional administrative changes to the program, employment contracts will have to spell out these employer-paid benefits. They will also have to include clauses clearly outlining job duties, hours of work, overtime and holidays, sick leave, and termination and resignation terms.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will work closely with caregiver groups to improve information packages that live-in caregivers receive before they leave for Canada. CIC will also set up a dedicated live-in caregiver hotline. Emergency processing of work permits and new authorization requests from employers to hire a live-in caregiver will help caregivers when they need to change employers urgently. Live-in caregivers will continue to be able to apply for study permits when they want to take courses longer than six months; they do not need study permits for shorter courses.
Today’s announcement builds on recently proposed regulatory changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers found to have provided significantly different wages, working conditions or occupations than they promised may be put on a blacklist making them ineligible to hire a live-in caregiver for two years under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Employers on this blacklist could be identified on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website in order to inform prospective and current temporary foreign workers of ineligible employers.
The Live-in Caregiver Program helps Canadians recruit caregivers to live and work in the homes of those they care for in order to provide child care or support for seniors or people with disabilities. The program facilitates the entry of qualified caregivers into Canada when there is a shortage of Canadians or permanent residents to fill available live-in caregiver positions. Because of Canada’s ageing population, the program is expected to grow in the years ahead. In 2008, Canada admitted 12,878 live-in caregivers.
The proposed changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program will be published in the
Canada Gazette on December 19 for a 30-day comment period open to all Canadians. Final regulatory changes will be published after this period.
For more information on the proposed regulatory amendments, consult the following:
Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Alykhan.Velshi@cic.gc.ca
CIC Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-12-12.asp
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