Top 10 WAYS to WELCOME Your NANNY

Welcoming a new nanny into your home can be an exciting and anxious time for everyone involved. Want to start your relationship off on the right foot??...Here are 10 simple how-to's:

1.     Make a sign. Whether it’s at the airport (if coming from overseas), on the front porch, or in the living room, what better way to offer a warm welcome than hanging a crafty welcome sign. If you want to get creative, you could even make a custom clothing welcome sign on your child's onesie or t-shirt with a Sharpie...and don't forget to offer a warm hug along with the sign!   

2.     Make a welcome basket. This is my favorite because you can really get creative. Here are some suggestions for what might be included in a welcome basket, you can pick and choose items that are a good fit for your family, your taste, and your budget:

o   Home made baked goods (muffins are my favorite)

o   A gift card for a local coffee shop or restaurant

o   Long distance phone card

o   A toiletries kit (with nice lotions, shampoo, conditioner etc)

o   A bathrobe and slippers

o   Winter hat and mittens (even better if they’re arriving in winter)

o   An item of clothing (if you’re in Canada, then maybe a Roots Canada sweatshirt)

o   A local community newspaper or magazine

o   A map of the area with all of the best eats and activities marked

3.     Put up some photos and place a fresh vase of flowers on their dresser. Moving into a new home is a big transition so having a familiar sight is comforting. Ask your nanny to send a few photos of their family and friends to print and put up in their bedroom. You could put a nice frame on their nightstand, or even print a nice photo on canvas. 

4.     Enjoy a nice meal together. When your nanny first arrives, take him/her out for dinner or cook a nice meal for them at home. Spend some time getting to know them and have fun.

5.     Go for a drive (or walk) around the neighborhood. Show your nanny around their new area. Point out favorite coffee shops, boutiques, and restaurants.

6.     Foster a sense of community. If you live in an area with other nannies, then check in with neighbours and friends ahead of time to arrange for the nannies to meet. Also do some research (if they are religious) about local church communities etc.

7.     Make an orientation binder. One of the most stressful aspects for a nanny moving into a new home is the uncertainty around tasks and expectations. Create a binder of information on household tasks, family members, and expectations.

8.     Offer some down time. Moving to a new place with new people is very overwhelming, give your new nanny some time to acclimate to their new environment by offering down time before they start their childcare role (based on my own live-in caregiver experience, I recommend 2-4 days)

9.     Go shopping. Take your nanny to the grocery store and let them pick out their favourite foods. If there is a grocery store that is culturally relevant, take them there so that they can pick out some familiar comfort foods. 

10. Provide a shadowing opportunity. If possible, have the nanny spend time with you and your child(ren) before you go back to work, just ‘being’ and observing how you parent and operate as a family. Nanny&Me readers have recommended anywhere from 5 days to three weeks of overlap.

And remember welcoming a nanny into your home is an adjustment for everyone, so be patient and be kind. Put yourself in their shoes…for many nannies it’s not just a new job, it’s a new home, potentially a new country, and new people. Communicate openly and often, and always remember to have fun and enjoy the journey!

* While some of these ideas may be helpful for welcoming a live-out nanny into your home, they have been specifically written for families welcoming a live-in nanny.

INTERIM PLANNING: The Gap Months

Every decision you make in life has its upside and downside. One of the downsides (and there aren't many in my opinion) to sponsorship seems to be the volatility of the waiting period. The visa processing times in Hong Kong vary greatly depending on which case manager you have processing your application. This means that for some families the wait time for their nanny's visa to be processed might be 2 months, and for others, it might be 8 months. For us, the upsides to hiring a nanny and sponsoring from overseas far outweighed this downside, but alas we are now in the thick of interim planning. Interim planning is needed to fill "the gap months"...those that exist in the time between when you go back to work and when your nanny arrives.

We are anticipating that the nanny could arrive as late as June. I go back to work in March. Our dream would be to have her arrive in February, but realistically we are thinking that May is the most likely, with April being optimistic and June being realistic. Of course interim planning doesn't come easy because finding flexible short-term care is not an easy feat. My husband's schedule is so variable (one of the reasons for wanting a nanny in the first place) that it makes other forms of childcare difficult. Originally we had thought that my mother and mother-in-law could manage childcare until the nanny's arrival, but that was when we thought it might be a month or so. Now that we know it could be up to three months, we felt we needed something that wouldn't have our mothers wanting to chop our heads off by the end of it. I originally explored part-time nannies. Of course this would be difficult; if we hire someone for set days then we may be paying for days that we don't actually need and short childcare days where we do need it, but in order to find someone as flexible as we'd like, we'd need to pay an arm and a leg.

If you've been following along with my blog, then you've probably figured out by now that I believe in the law of attraction. Generally speaking I think the possibilities in life are quite limitless if you believe them to be. If you assume something is possible, it probably is. If you put good thoughts and kindness out to the world, it will probably be returned. On the flip side, if you assume bad things will happen, they probably will, and the worst one...if you strive for mediocrity (in your personal and professional life) then that is exactly what you will get. So all that said, my husband and I were quite confident that something would just naturally work out. Well wouldn't you know that the universe must have smiled at me because I have a wonderful lead for a perfect situation.


The other day I was selling an item on my local buy and sell. The woman who came to pick up the lovely lamps I was selling was so warm and friendly. So much so that my husband even chimed in after she left saying how nice she seemed. Well wouldn't you know it that she had mentioned amidst our pick-up planning that she runs a home daycare. I know what you're thinking, "yeah so she runs a home daycare, but she probably only offers full-time spaces and has a full house"...well if you can believe it, as we got to chatting, she is nearing retirement and winding down her home daycare, as a result she's not actively seeking kids, but would be happy to offer some part-time completely flexible care for our son! She's been running her home daycare for 30 years and has five children of her own. Logan could be dropped off or not dropped off any day of the week, she lives literally half a city block from us, she offers lots of outdoor and play time for the kids, and it would practically be 1:1 care since she's winding down and only has one other toddler there right now. I couldn't be happier. We haven't smoothed out the details yet so it's not a sure thing, but I'm hoping that if I put good thoughts out there, it'll work out in our favour. ;-) This way, we can still rely on our mothers for some care (not only because it's a great cost saver, but also because it's wonderful watching their bonds grow with Logan), and we can use the home daycare option 2-3 days each week.

This looks like it could be a win-win and it will certainly put our mind at ease as we await our nanny's arrival.

If you're currently in the nanny recruitment or planning stages, don't forget to think about interim planning. Keep in mind that if you start the whole process earlier (to avoid having an interim gap) then you may end up with a nanny who has her work permit approved and is ready to hop on a plane while you're still on maternity leave. If you can afford this, then it certainly is a great option to give them time to adapt to your family and household before going back to work. Other interim planning options might include: family support, part-time live-out nanny, a temporary nanny share, or short-term home-care.

Have a question about interim planning?...Leave a comment below and I'd be happy to help. :-)

Live-In Caregiver REFORM Overview with Guest EXPERT & IMMIGRATION LAWYER Caroline SCHULZ

By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the changes that have been made to the Live-in Caregiver Program impacting families across Canada who are hiring nannies from abroad. There is so much content out there; tidbits of information across vaguely written government sources, and snippets of the reform cited in newspaper articles. Attempting to decipher the changes and what it all means can be overwhelming at best. I thought it would be helpful to bring in an expert to summarize the reform and tell us a bit about what this all means for families in Canada.

Enter, stage left, Caroline Schulz (applause), Immigration Lawyer at Schulz Legal. Caroline has graciously donated her time to put together this information for Nanny&Me readers, so thank you Caroline!

For families across Canada who are in the market for a live-in nanny, sponsoring abroad has become an increasingly popular choice in recent years. Hiring a live-in nanny from overseas has provided Canadians with the opportunity to obtain quality in-home childcare in a cost-effective way, but has this all changed? Amidst an ever-growing childcare crisis, the Canadian government implemented major changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), now called the Caregiver Program. Most notably (and instilling the highest degree of panic in Canadian families) caregivers are no longer obliged to live with their Canadian employers, but what does this really mean for those of us seeking live-in caregivers?...

Let’s Break it Down…Talking Changes

End of live-in requirement

The new program puts an end to the live-in requirement. Caregivers may live with their employers if they so choose and in such cases, room and board can no longer be deducted from their wages.

Employers with live-in arrangements, as before, must continue to assure Service Canada that the accommodations they are offering meet minimum standards (re: size, finishings, furnishings etc.) before a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) can be approved.

Eliminating the live-in requirement could provide more incentive for Canadians to consider caregiver job opportunities.  Employers may accordingly need to offer caregivers higher wages and benefits to satisfy Service Canada that they have made appropriate efforts to recruit Canadians.

Permanent Residence Application Caps

Caregivers are no longer guaranteed a path to permanent residence. In the past, caregivers were guaranteed permanent residency after two years of full-time employment, but now there are two streams for which caregivers can apply, and each one will be capped at 2,750 permanent resident applications each year. Caregivers can now apply for permanent residence under either the Caring for Children stream or the Caring for People with High Medical Needs stream. As such, eligible applicants may be rejected without consideration if the cap has been met.

The Caring for Children stream pertains to babysitters, nannies, and parent-helpers for children under eighteen. The Caring for People with High Medical Needs stream applies to foreign workers who provide support for the elderly or those with disabilities and may include registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurses aides, or home support workers.

To be eligible for either stream, caregivers must have:

•          a written signed contract with their employer;

•          a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA);

•          a work permit before entering Canada;

•          two-years of full-time work experience in Canada within the past four years in a relevant occupation (e.g. nanny for Children Class or nurse for High Medical Needs Class)

•          intermediate level knowledge of English or French as proven by language test results;

•          successful completion of the equivalent of at least one year Canadian post-secondary school education that is confirmed by an Educational Credential Assessment;

•          a license to practice in Canada, if applicable (i.e.nurses)

Employers ought to ensure that a future caregiver meets the minimum language and education requirements.

Does the old program still apply?

Caregivers or prospective caregivers who have work permits based on Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications that were submitted to Service Canada on or before November 30, 2014 can apply for permanent residence under the LCP. In fact, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has pledged to admit 30,000 permanent residence applications under the old program in 2015 to reduce processing backlogs. Such applications will be assessed based on the old live-in caregiver criteria. The caregiver must be able to demonstrate that their work permit was based on a LMIA that was submitted on or before November 30, 2014.

Caregivers with prospective employers who have applied for an LMIA after November 30, 2014, will not be eligible for permanent residence under the old program.

Take-away for Canadian families

The reforms have ended the live-in requirements for caregivers and are may increase the prevailing wage for caregivers.  As always, employers must be careful to ensure that they are meeting their requirements pursuant to immigration and employment legislation.

FAQ

1.   What are the broader implications of the reform on childcare?

The cost of hiring a caregiver is likely to increase as room and board can no longer be deducted. The program could become cost prohibitive for middle-income Canadians and the Canadian government may face increasing pressure to introduce some form of universal childcare. 

2.     Will the new rules have implications on the interest level of caregivers in coming to Canada due to the cap residency numbers, or are higher wages (over other countries) enough of an incentive?

Difficult to say as so many factors contribute to a caregiver's decision to come to Canada. Caregivers no longer have a guaranteed path to permanent residence as a result of the caps. On the other hand, wages for caregivers may increase and the government has pledged to process their applications for permanent residence within 6 months. This means less time apart for caregivers and their loved ones. Permanent residence applications under the old program often took several years to process during which time caregivers were separated from their families.

3.     Is the reform, as a result of the permanent residence caps going to create higher demand in the local childcare market, driving up costs for families?

This is difficult to predict at this time. I don't believe there will be a significant decrease in the number of caregivers wanting to come to Canada. However, it may be more challenging to bring caregivers to Canada as the end of the live-in requirement may attract more Canadians to caregiver positions. Families will need to demonstrate that they have made efforts to recruit Canadians for caregiver positions, this may include offering increased wages.

4.     The old live in caregiver website specified that employers could deduct room and board, the new rules state that this is not permitted, however the Ontario labour rules state that employers can, but the labor rules were written prior to the new live in caregiver rules. What is the status of room and board deductions?

Under the new rules, employers cannot deduct room and board from wages.

5.     Are families allowed to charge rent?

Families cannot charge rent. This would effectively be the same as deducting room and board from wages. 

6.     Do you foresee the changes having any impact on work permit processing times from Hong Kong for those applications currently in the pipe? (ie. those submitted in the old program).

The changes do not directly impact upon work permit processing times. The government has only pledged to more quickly process permanent residence applications. 

7.     Are families required to pay for a return flight for nannies? (vs. a one-way ticket as in the past).

Families ARE required to pay for a nanny's return flight if he/she wants to return home at the end of his/her employment. If a nanny switches employers, the new employer would be responsible for this cost.

8.     For families grandfathered in under the old program, are all aspects of the program grandfathered in? For example, in the old program, one could extend an LMIA quite easily. If a family applied for two years, they could extend it for another two with a written request. Will they still be able to do this?

No. If a caregiver's work permit expires, the family will have to apply for a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and demonstrate that no Canadians or permanent residents are available for the position. LMIA applications are increasingly time consuming and complicated. Employers must now advertise the position on the national Job Bank and two other mediums for at least four weeks before applying for the LMIA. If the LMIA is approved, the nanny can then apply for a new work permit. 

For more information please visit here and here or contact the Caroline Schulz.

Related news articles on this topic:

Filipino Canadians fear end of immigrant dreams for nannies - The Toronto Star

Foreign caregiver reforms impose cap, make live-in requirement optional - CBC

Major Reforms to Caregiver Program Announced by Canadian Government - Canada Immigration Newsletter