The migrant women who care for Canada deserve a future here

In an opinion piece for Canadian Dimension, Nathania Ebegbare explains that the precarity, exploitation and abuse that migrant care providers in Canada experience are systemic. Nathania points to policy directions that can make life better for migrant care providers — and, by extension, the entire care economy — including open work permits, stronger enforcement mechanisms to protect workers from abusive employers, and the recognition of care labour as crucial social and economic infrastructure.

Nathania Ebegbare is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Toronto, specializing in health, social, and urban policy. She is a Registered Social Service Worker (RSSW) with experience in mental health research and frontline service delivery, including work with the Canadian Mental Health Association and St. Michael’s Hospital.

Citation

Ebegbare, N. (2026). The migrant women who care for Canada deserve a future here. Canadian Dimension. https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-migrant-women-who-care-for-canada-deserve-a-future-here

Excerpt

On December 19, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) quietly announced that it would indefinitely pause two care-related pilot programs that offer home care and childcare providers pathways to permanent residence. The potential fallout from this pause is catastrophic. Without permanent residence, migrant care providers in these programs can be deported if they lose their jobs—and they are unable to bring their families to Canada. The disruption could also exacerbate existing shortages in elder care, home care, and disability support, further endangering the stability of long-term care. Ultimately, the pause reflects a broader trend in immigration policy that treats migrant care providers as disposable.