I Care for You, Who Cares for Me?Transitional Services of Filipino Live-in Caregivers in Canada

Filipino women dominate the Live-in Caregiver Program in Canada since the 1990s. Although their entry is facilitated by a temporary work visa with stringent conditions under this program, there is an evident desire to move through the next immigration route as landed immigrants. The transition from temporary workers to permanent residents appears crucial especially in the lives of Filipino women who pave the way for the sponsorship, settlement, and integration of their families into Canadian society.Based on fieldwork in southern Alberta, this paper examines the settlement services provided to newcomers in Canada and their significance in the lives of migrant Filipino women caregivers during their transition from temporary to permanent residents. It outlines the sources of support and services utilized by these women in Canada as well as those provided by the Philippine government during this period. As caregivers, Filipino women exercise a fundamental social function to children, the elderly, and the physically challenged constituent members of Canadian society yet the corresponding programs and services responsive to their needs are not fully addressed by the host society. Female Filipino migrant workers mainly sustain the economic fate of its cash-trapped country as the acclaimed “new heroes” with no effective system of securing their rights and welfare overseas. Filipino women dominate the Live-in Caregiver Program in Canada since the 1990s. Although their entry is facilitated by a temporary work visa with stringent conditions under this program, there is an evident desire to move through the next immigration route as landed immigrants. The transition from temporary workers to permanent residents appears crucial especially in the lives of Filipino women who pave the way for the sponsorship, settlement, and integration of their families into Canadian society.Based on fieldwork in southern Alberta, this paper examines the settlement services provided to newcomers in Canada and their significance in the lives of migrant Filipino women caregivers during their transition from temporary to permanent residents. It outlines the sources of support and services utilized by these women in Canada as well as those provided by the Philippine government during this period. As caregivers, Filipino women exercise a fundamental social function to children, the elderly, and the physically challenged constituent members of Canadian society yet the corresponding programs a