A Canadian minister vowed to push for legislation, named after a cancer-stricken Filipina caregiver Juana Tejada, who died earlier this year, seeking to protect migrants' immigration status in Canada. Jason Kenney, Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, said Canadian officials are keen on improving the rights of migrants working under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) in Canada. “Our government fully supports the ‘Juana Tejada Law.' We propose to implement this change in her honor, to ensure that no one else has to endure this same painful experience,” said Kenney in an article posted on their Immigration website. The ‘Juana Tejada Law' aims to protect the rights of migrant caregivers who wish to obtain permanent residency in Canada after a prescribed period. The law eliminates the requirement for live-in caregivers to undergo a second medical examination when applying for permanent residency, which Tejada has fought for until her last days. Tejada was lured to work in Canada in 2003 under the Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP), which grants foreign workers permanent residency – and an opportunity to petition their entire family – after completing their three-year assignment as well as necessary medical and criminal clearances. But when doctors discovered her illness during a routine medical check-up in 2006, Juana learned the bad news: she only had a five percent chance of surviving cancer after five years. Determined to give her family a better life, Juana appealed to waive the good-health requirement for humanitarian reasons. Her petition was denied twice. Eventually, following a public campaign, Canada's immigration department yielded and granted Tejada her permanent residence on July 17, 2008. Another proposed change will allow live-in caregivers who work overtime to apply for permanent residence after 3,900 work hours – the equivalent of working a standard work week for two years. Currently, live-in caregivers must work for two years within the first three years of entry into the program before they can apply for permanent residence.
