Report Abuse
My Home Caregivers is committed to helping you to locate a good family as your employer. We also want to ensure that you are being treated honestly and fairly in your job. We encourage you to keep in touch with us, and let us know how you are doing. And if you have questions or concerns about your job, your status, your situation or your rights - let us know!
Report Abuse
If you feel that you are being abused or unfairly treated by an employer or agency, you should report it. You will NOT be deported by doing so. It is important to resolve these situations, and not to ignore or run from them. Tago ng Tago is the wrong way to go.
- If you were recruited by My Home Caregivers, you may contact us directly by clicking here
- If you were recruited through another agency, private individual or relative who has not taken action to help you, you can contact Alberta Employment and Immigration (1-877-427-3731), British Columbia Employment Standards (1-800-663-3316), or Saskatchewan Labour Standards (1-800-667-1783) and report what is happening.
Help us Stop Illegal Recruiting Practices
Our staff has worked for years to help stop illegal recruiting practices. These practices give recruitment agencies a bad reputation, and cause hardship to offshore workers.
The most common problems we hear about are the collection of job placement fees from workers, and false or opportunistic offers of employment. Most of these activities take place outside of Canada or by individuals (not licensed agencies) operating in Canada, so your input is important in stopping this.
Collecting placement fees from workers coming to Canada is now known by all agencies to be illegal, even by agencies offshore. However it does still occur, usually by unlicensed individuals. If you see this happening, you should report this immediately – even if the wrongdoer is a former countryman.
A worse problem today is the recruiting of caregivers under false pretences. New program requirements and government procedures have reduced the chances of a caregiver arriving in Canada only to find that there is no real job for them.
Harder to stop is the practice of certain employers (often a “friend” or relative of the caregiver) hiring caregivers with the intention of terminating their employment shortly after arrival, and then charging the caregiver a fee to find them a new employer and place to live. Because there is often some type of personal connection with the employer, the caregiver is reluctant to report this behaviour.
We encourage caregivers to deal only through licensed and reputable recruitment agencies when applying for jobs in Canada. We often deal with caregivers who have been taken advantage of by relatives, or family “friends” living in Canada. Some of these make a living by repeatedly hiring and terminating caregivers.
The Live-in Caregiver Program
Canada’s Live-in Caregiver program is an excellent program, and benefits both Canadian families and foreign caregivers when properly followed. As Canada’s population ages, this program is becoming more and more important to Canadian seniors as well as to young families facing childcare constraints.
We appreciate the ongoing efforts of such agencies as Service Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Philippines Overseas Labour Offices which help ensure that this program continues to be a success.
Know your rights
It is important for you to understand your rights and obligations under the laws of Canada. A few basic points to remember:
- Your employer cannot have you deported. Only the Federal Government can do this, and they will not do so simply because you leave or report your employer or agent.
- Nobody has the right to take or keep your passport from you for any reason.
- If you think the terms of your employment agreement (hours, working conditions, duties etc.) are not being followed, you should discuss this with your employer. Don’t be shy to do so. Canadians appreciate directness in these things, and misunderstandings can be resolved by discussion. If not, report the situation as mentioned above.
- It is illegal for a recruiter or employer to collect a placement fee from you in order to find you a job. (Note: A placement fee is not the same thing as immigration assistance services paid to a lawyer or immigration consultant in Canada or abroad. These fees are legal.)
- Employers are responsible for your transportation cost from overseas, and are not reimbursable to them.
- For more information, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/tfw-rights.asp