Ontario nanny agencies are no longer permitted to charge nannies recruitment fees

New legislation passed in the province of Ontario bans all Live-in Caregiver recruitment agencies operating there from charging fees for their services. The new law also indicates that persons working on behalf of the agencies are also prohibited from charging nannies fees for their recruitment services.

Further, the new law prohibits employers from asking live-in caregivers to repay any fees the employer has paid to an agency to find the caregiver. Employers are not permitted to take a nanny’s personal documents such as a passport or work permit, and are not allowed to punish nannies for exercising their rights under the law. Caregivers now have up to three and a half years to make a complaint against a former employer. This will ensure that a caregiver’s immigration status in Canada may be safely resolved before she makes a claim against her employer.