The applicants applying for permanent residency through the Home Child Provider or Home Support Worker Pilot program do not have to be employed at the time they are applying for their permanent residency. Work experience in Canada need not be continuous to be considered, but the required 24 months of employment cannot include
· Any extended absence from Canada (including any time worked for an employer outside Canada)
· Periods of unemployment
· Prolonged sickness
· Parental leave
It is to be noted that a reasonable period of vacation time will be counted towards meeting the work experience requirement. So, for example, 2 weeks of paid vacation leave or ten days of paid leave within a given 52-week period in which the applicant was engaged in qualifying work would qualify. Whether the applicant was in Canada or outside Canada during that vacation period doesn't matter. But periods of self-employment or full-time study will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience.