The Promise That Canada Broke
It’s been a month since Prime Minister Mark Carney cancelled the caregiver permanent residency program, at least for 2026. He did it on December 19th – the Friday before Christmas, one day after International Migrants Day.
For decades, the caregiver program came with a clear promise: provide essential care for our families, and you will be granted permanent residency. That guarantee convinced thousands of women to uproot their lives to come here.
Now Canada has broken its promise.
Thousands of migrant workers, mostly racialized women, sold homes, depleted savings, and left their own children behind based on Canada’s commitment. They came because Canada gave its word.
These are the women who care for us. They feed our aging parents, change their clothes, hold their hands. They raise our children, and wake up for night feedings. They are our friends, our neighbours, our family members and our co-workers.
Right now, there are nearly 5,000 care workers on valid work permits – others have already lost status.
Their permits need annual renewal. Many employers won’t do it – the process is difficult and expensive. So, workers get trapped with bad employers. Some face exploitation. Sexual abuse. They stay because they have no choice. Without a PR program, thousands will become undocumented in 2026 through no fault of their own.
Children age out of eligibility at 22. For some, waiting even one more year means families who’ve already sacrificed years apart will be permanently separated.
How We Got Here
Canada’s permanent pathway for care workers dated back to the 1970s. In 2014, that program was ended and replaced with a "pilot" that arbitrarily capped approvals at 5,500 a year – even though there were 60,000 care workers in Canada.
The pilot was renewed in 2019 and 2024 because care workers organized and spoke up. But each time it came with new exclusionary requirements for language and education, leaving tens of thousands in limbo.
Even though permanent residence on arrival was promised two years ago – it was not implemented. In the 2025 program, more than 40,000 people tried to apply for 5,500 spots. The website crashed. The program closed within four and a half hours.
Now the government says it won’t even reopen in 2026.
Take Action
- Send a message to PM Carney and your MP asking the government to reopen the program or immediately protect workers whose permits are expiring.
- Organizations, academics, feminists, unions, care providers: sign the open letter. Join organizations across the country demanding immediate action.
- Care workers struggling with the program closure: share your story and get ready for action.
What’s Happening to Care Workers Is a Pattern
Migrant workers, international students, and refugees who arrived under one set of rules have watched those rules change mid-stream. Already, 1.2 million migrants have been denied permit renewals in 2025, with another 1.1 million facing the same in 2026 – roughly the population of Metro Vancouver. Ontario just tossed out 2,600 permanent residency applications – some of which had already been approved. The entire immigration system is now a giant bait-and-switch.
Imagine completing twelve years of school and being told there is no diploma. Imagine working a 40-hour week and then being told the government has halved your wages. Society functions when we keep our commitments, especially governments. Once a state normalizes breaking promises to one group, it will break others.
The question is simple: do we accept a country that discards people after extracting their labour, or do we fight back?
Care workers kept their end of the bargain. Make Canada keep its word.
Send an email now.
In solidarity,
Migrant Rights Network •
