Thank you.
In December of last year, we put forward some regulatory amendments that are effective now, April 1 of this year, to strengthen the protections for live-in caregivers.
There are a number of important things there. Employers must now provide health insurance at no cost to the caregiver until the caregiver is eligible for provincial health coverage; employers must register caregivers with provincial workplace safety authorities, so workers' compensation; employers must cover all of the recruitment costs, including costs of a third-party recruiter, and those cannot be recouped from a caregiver; employers also must cover one-way transportation costs for their caregivers to their place of work here in Canada; and employers and caregivers must sign and submit an employment contract to HRSDC and CIC. So that will help clarify the responsibilities of the employer and the caregiver.
As well, we have some other changes that will allow caregivers to complete the work experience requirement for them to apply for permanent residence, extending the period from three to four years, allowing overtime to apply to the calculation of residence, and removing the standard requirement for a second medical examination when they're applying for permanent residence. I'm also setting up a system with HRSDC that will be in place next month for emergency processing within three weeks of new work permits for caregivers who find themselves in an untenable situation. Lastly, we're expanding and updating our information products for caregivers and for employers.
So we think actually quite a range of regulatory measures have just now come into force.