Don't take your Nanny for granted. Treat her as a family member but do not lose sight of them being your employee. Be sure to have mutually agreed clear expectations and house rules to ensure that the Nanny/Caregiver is not caught in between decisions. Consider offering a raise or some kind of acknowledgement of their work after 6 months of employment. Also something after a year. Maybe a bonus at Christmas or extra holiday. Birthdays are important. Communication is the number one tool in keeping the Nanny/Caregiver. Treat her as you would like to be treated. Nannies rarely leave just for a little bit higher pay. Good relationship with the Employer and "family like" atmosphere is the N1 reason why they stay.

It is always important first to talk to your Nanny or Caregiver and address any concerns you may have. From our experience most of the Employer-Employee issues could be resolved by simple conversation. If a situation comes to the point that dismissal is unavoidable you are only bound by Labor Standards concerning how much notice you must provide to the Caregiver. Other than this, you have no other obligations

Your responsibilities are the same as any other employer in Canada.

You will be responsible to remit pay roll taxes (EI, CPP, WCB), in addition to the Caregiver net wage, comply with the labor regulations and provide fair employment conditions. You must comply with the salary requirements set down by the program and increase the salary at least once a year to meet the salary requirements. You will be responsible for keeping pay roll records and provide your Caregiver with a Pay Slip and the Record of Employment (ROE) when the time comes.

Before you get started it is always good to understand your obligations. When hiring a nanny or caregiver you are becoming an official employer so you must:

• Comply with the labour regulations for your Province.
• Provide the caregiver with a written contract clearly outlining their duties, which we will help you with.
• Keep records of the number of regular and overtime hours the in-home caregiver has worked for you on a weekly/monthly basis.
• Remit taxes.
• Review and adjust the foreign caregiver's wages to ensure they meet or exceed the requirements (as per the prevailing median wage outlined on Job Bank for your region, province and type of job).
• Ensure that you are not employing a foreign national other than in the capacity they are authorized to work.

If the nanny/caregiver is living within the family home, then the minimum requirement is a private bedroom that is a minimum of 9 m2 that is furnished and has a secure lock on the door. It must be for the sole use of the nanny/caregiver and must meet municipal building requirements and health standards set by the province. The nanny/caregiver can share a bathroom with the family.

The salary will vary according to the town/city/region and type of job. This is found on Job Bank at the following link https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis/search-wages. For a nanny you will search occupation nanny (4411) and for caregiver you will search family caregiver (4412). The table will show wages per hour and you must pay according to the Median column (the middle column within the table). For example:

Nanny 4411 as of 28 April 2020

Toronto is $15.00 per hour

Edmonton is $15.00 per hour

Vancouver (Lower Mainland-Southwest Region) is $14.42 per hour

Caregiver 4412 as of 28 April 2020

Ottawa is $18.00 per hour

Calgary is $19.25 per hour

Whiterock BC (Lower Mainland-Southwest Region) is $20.00 per hour

There are several elements that Canadian Immigration will look at:

• You have a genuine need to employ a nanny/caregiver.
• You meet the minimum income requirements. This is determined by
the combined household income that is shown on the most recent Notice of Assessments for each working family member on line 150 must be more than:

• the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) in Canada for the number of people that live within the family home and any dependents that may not be living at home – for example children away studying at university. (See the most recent table below.)
Plus
• The salary that you will have to pay the nanny/caregiver per year.

LICO table 2020

1 person $25,920
2 persons $32,270
3 persons $39,672
4 persons $48,166
5 persons $54,630
6 persons $61,612
7 persons $68,598
If more than 7 persons, for each
additional person, add $6,984

Our nannies come from all over the world but mainly from the Philippines, India, Nepal,
Sri Lanka and African countries.

Bringing a nanny from overseas will provide you with a long term, flexible care solution. Overseas caregivers do not have their own family commitments and living within your home thus able to fit around your family needs. They will offer flexible working hours, varying shifts and days off and additional support when you start early or work late. As long as you comply with provincial labour standards for reasonable time off and two consecutive days off per week, the nanny will work around your work commitments.

This is often the case and many families struggle to find a solution locally that can provide long term care that gives structure and continuity.

Current processing times quoted by the Canadian Government is 12 months. As bringing overseas applicants is the most flexible and cost-effective solution most of the families are starting process of bringing a nanny or a caregiver from overseas as a long-term care solution, whilst utilising local care options as an interim solution.

The matching process is the most important part of the process, so we recommend you take time to choose the right nanny. However, on occasion there is a relationship that does not work. We offer a free of charge replacement within the first 3 months after the nanny arrives. If there is going to be a problem, 3 months is plenty of time to identify this. But don't forget that we are here to support you even after the nanny arrives so if we can assist with the relationship, we will.

We are more than happy to assist you in searching for a local solution. We can advertise on social media and handle the response on your behalf. It is rare that our applicants already living in Canada are unemployed but you need to be aware that you may need an Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to employ a nanny/caregiver already in Canada who needs a work permit to continue her employment. We are able to assist you with the LMIA process.

When looking at finding a caregiver to live within the family home, safety and security is a paramount consideration. Because we have our own recruitment office in Cyprus, we meet all applicants face to face. We verify their references and as part of the PR and work permit process, they have extensive background checks completed by the Canadian Government and must provide police clearances for every country they have lived and worked in.

Yes, it is considered a childcare expense. We recommend you contact a professional accountant to find out how much you can claim back.

We will always look to match our employers with nannies or caregivers who are happy to live rurally but also our applicants are currently working on the Island of Cyprus where many families live rurally, and this is often where the nannies are. They are used to small locations with limited resources so living rurally in Canada is not something they are concerned about.

Hiring a nanny with a driving licence is always a challenge but as this is a 12-month process there is time for the nanny to take driving lessons and prepare for driving in Canada. Check if we currently have applicants with driving license.

We will always look to match our employers with nannies or caregivers who are happy to live rurally but also our applicants are currently working on the Island of Cyprus where many families live rurally, and this is often where the nannies are. They are used to small locations with limited resources so living rurally in Canada is not something they are concerned about.