im under the live in caregiver program- when can i work as a nurse?

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 13, 2010

Your thread has been moved to the International Forum. ALL posts related to immigration questions and issues must be posted to the International Forum. The Canadian Nurses Forum is for nurses already working in Canada to discuss issues and topics relevant to Canadians.

Fiona59 · Jan 13, 2010

Let's see. Toronto is Ontario. Why would Saskatchewan issue a Graduate permit to a non resident?

Every working nurse in Canada has to pass the national exam.

What about the people who sponsored you as a caregiver? No loyalty to working out a contract?

5cats · Jan 13, 2010

First of all I assume you signed a contract with your employer who sponsored your work permit, if you quit your work your visa becomes unvalid and you have to leave the country.

You would need to find an employer for a new work permit and In Saskatchewan your chances for that right now are zero. Especially since you have no recent experience as a nurse, plus until you would get a grad nurse licence even more time will have passed. But there's no recruitment right now for IEn's.

5cats

ayen5819 · Jan 13, 2010

I have a friend in saskatchewan and she is under the GN license for 8months before she took the CRNE.. She applied for a GN license first and now a registered nurse in Saskatchewan.

My contract with my employer will be finished at august 2010 because my application took a while so she has already sponsored another caregiver and im about to find another employer. So before i could apply for another contract i am thinking of my options as a nurse if it would be possible. But my working visa as a caregiver is up until 2012..

I have been an ER and ICU nurse back for 3 and a half years..

5cats · Jan 13, 2010

people who came here with experience from the Philippines needed all a very intense and prolonged orientation time, because the systems are so different. So unfortunatly that doesn't make you attractive for employers here, but as I said there's no recruitment now anyway for IEN's. The ones that are still coming were recruited about a year ago.

5cats

ayen5819 · Jan 13, 2010

Thank you for the information.. There is no recruitment for IEN's anywhere in Canada? or just in Saskatchewan? But is it possible that i could be assessed so i would be eligible to take the CRNE in toronto? I am not really aware on how things work out here,is CRNE like NCLEX in a way that you could file an application for assessment then if your eligible to take the exam you could take it within 1 year. Does it goes like that too..

3 months ago I received an application form from London Health Sciences Center (which i passed my requirements about a year ago when i am still in the philippines) and if it would go well they would call me for an interview but they would like me to be a registered nurse here.

And if it is not possible for me to work as a nurse i am already looking for another employer as a caregiver. I am thinking of volunteering in one of the hospitals here. Would that be possibleÉ

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jan 13, 2010

london health sciences center, if you mean london uk then you will more than likely find this a scam as there isn't such a place and to work in the uk you need to meet nmc requirements then find a employer of which will be hard as the employer has to prove that they can not employ someone from the uk or eu and with uk suffering from high unemployment at the moment this will be hard to do.

if you plan on staying in canada then you have to be aware that many places now are having unemployment or hiring issues and preference has to be give to a canadian or pr before someone else. currently you have to apply to the province you want to work in, they will access your application and decide whether to give you eligibility or not for the crne.

i also think you need to read this as you may have issues changing employers if you haven't followed the rules. looking at this you need to sort a new visa out just because it stays valid until 2012 you can only work for name on the permit

you can only work for the employer named on your permit. you must get a new work permit before you begin working for someone else. you cannot even work for someone else just to try things out, without a valid work permit. your permit to work in canada could be cancelled if you work for anyone other than the person named on your work permit. read about applying for a work permit under working in canada on the left-hand side of this page.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/caregiver/extend-stay.asp#change

NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN · Jan 13, 2010

Why did you go through the caregiver program? Were you trying to immigrate to Canada quicker? Now it seems like you're stuck and the longer you go with out practicing nursing the more outdated you are. Hope you can work things out. Good Luck

ayen5819 · Jan 13, 2010

@ silverdragon-- London Health Sciences Center is a hospital in London Ontario which is i think about 2 hours from Toronto.

Its like i send them my documents but then they would still schedule me for an interview and it is not 100 percent sure that they would hire me as a nurse but if i can pass the CRNe they would take it into consideration.

As of now as i have said i am under the LCP program and my working permit for my employer would expire this august but my working visa as a LCP would expire on 2011. Its because my application in the Phils. took about 2 years and now my employer would have a new caregiver by sept or oct. So i am now looking for a new employer that would sponsor me as a live in caregiver and process a new work permit so by the time that i finished my contract in my present employer i would have a new job and permit.

I was just wondering if i would be able to take and pass the CRNE(which i know would take months for the assesment and all stuffs) is it possible for me to not finish my working visa as a caregiver, then apply for a permit wherein i could work as a nurse. Thank you so much for the help.

ayen5819 · Jan 13, 2010

@ nurse cubanita- My uncle told me that his employer is in need of a caregiver and when i finish the program and become a permanent resident which i think would take 3 years i could work as a nurse here. They told me that applying under the LCP is the easiest way to come here in canada but then it took 2 years for my papers to be processed.

I am thinking of volunteering in one of the hospitals here so that i wont be stagnant.

petgroomer · Jan 13, 2010

Hi ayen,

I think that your main problem now would be to find another employer willing to sponsor you so that you complete the required time as a living caregiver in order to obtain permanent resident. Fortunately, you may be able to start processing your application with one of the colleges at the same time you work towards your PR status. Moving through the registration process is tough and lengthy, so you could start applying once you get settled in a new care giving job. It's not impossible to study for CRNE while working.

Regarding the possibility of a hospital sponsoring you, you may need to contact CIC because that is not the same as the Live-in cg program and you may need to start your immigration process from scratch.

Here in Ontario the situation doesn't differ much from what 5cats said about Sask. If you could get your PR and license on your own that would make you more suitable to nursing employers rather than the hospital helping you all the way through the registration/immigration process. They don't want or need to spend that much $$$ helping someone with so many licensed nurses looking for work now.