Hi Mani,
With my limited knowledge, I am providing you my views. Experts in the group can add more or correct me.
Q1 - I am in a position where I need both a Home Child Care Provider and a Home Support Worker for my kids and my elderly parents. Need to decide which path to take. OR can I sponsor my sister for both? Or 2 different relatives one for child care and the other for a home support worker?
Syed: Home Childcare pathway is a bit tough as the quota gets filled within mins on the first day of the year. Whereas, Home support worker stays open for a longer period. You can sponsor 2 relatives for 2 different streams only you meet the eligibility in terms of your tax filed this year and if you have the ability to accommodate both the person with all the amenities that is required to be provided to each person you want to bring – even if they are your relative.
Q2 - I assume I can only sponsor 1 person for 1 occupation, if I sponsor my sister for Home Support Worker Pilot to take care of my elderly parents, would my parents be the employer or can I be the employer? Considering my parent don’t work, they are PR but the my father has a disability status and my mother is on some mental health medications and they would not meet the employer requirements if they have to be an employer.
Syed: Yes, you can be the sponsor for your sister in this criteria.
Q3 – Or if I sponsor my sister as Home Child Care Provider, would having parents at home would be an issue? Even though they can’t take care of the child due to their disabilities.
Syed: No, It will not be an issue. As I mentioned earlier - you just have to make sure, you are able to show that you have the financial ability to employ her and give her all the amenities / facilities in your home for her be able to live comfortably.
Q4 - Once the support worker is in Canada and I have to pay the salary, assuming I have put $17 an hour as salary, can I reduce the salary amount to $14 or $12 an hour if I am providing food and accommodation and other services to the sponsored support worker? Or what’s the other way to deduct the accommodation? I was thinking reduction in salary to minimize the tax impact. Also, salary has to be electronically transferred to the worker’s account or can it be cash?
Syed: As far as I know, you cannot reduce the salary. Minimum wage has to be met. But you can charge her an amount for her accommodation which needs to be mentioned in the form you’ll need to fill when you submit the application. The payment cannot be cash as you have to have a payroll created with CRA even before you submit your application.
Q5 - To register the payroll account do I just register one using the Domestic Worker Employer category? And that gives me a Business Number and use that Business Number to open a Payroll Deduction account? Is that correct?
Syed: Yes, correct.
Q6 – The requirement for employers in this pilot is that it must be a Family not a Business, but we are getting a Business Number, would that make us a Business? would that be ok with IRCC?
Syed: The main requirement is to have a payroll account…and you have to have a business number for that. So, this is completely ok with IRCC.
Q7 - Do I need to open a separate special bank account for Payroll purposes? If yes, what kind?
Syed: No, you do not have to open any bank account. When your sister gets the visa and arrives to Canada, she needs to open the account on her own and you then have to start paying her on a monthly basis and report that to your payrole business number you created.
Hope it helps…!!