New Canada Economic Immigration Pathway for Skilled Refugees

A Second Economic Canada Immigration Pathway for the Skilled refugees and other displaced persons by the Pilot Economic Mobility Projects (EMPP) was unveiled Monday by Immigration Secretary Sean Fraser in a much-anticipated move.

Through the new EMPP Federal Skills Job Offer Stream, Canadian employers are hiring refugees and other displaced persons who qualify under one of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 category with a Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) level of 0 through 5.

“Helping employers access a new global talent pool is another way we are using our immigration system to address the ongoing labor shortage,” said Fraser.

“Finding this skilled workforce among people who happen to be displaced abroad and have no lasting solution is a Canadian-made solution that we are promoting globally.

“Canada will continue to develop and scale innovative measures like this that will enable us to welcome more vulnerable people while helping companies find the skilled workforce they need to grow.”

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The EMPP Federal Skills Job Offer stream is touted as a way for employers to fill a wide variety of in-demand positions jobs in Canadaincluding nursing assistants, personal support staff, long-term care assistants, software engineers, web designers, mechanical and electrical engineers and technicians, logistics and warehouse personnel, tourism and hospitality personnel, and truck and delivery drivers.

“Talent Beyond Boundaries houses a talent catalog of more than 65,000 skilled refugees who want to relocate for work and a growing network of partners around the world who are expanding that number every day,” said Lara Dyer, the organization’s Canadian director.

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“The new federal pathway for EMPP will have a transformative impact on labor shortages across Canada in key sectors such as healthcare, tourism and hospitality, and construction, as well as the lives of displaced people.”

Foreign nationals wishing to apply for the EMPP through the job stream still need to meet the minimum requirements for language, previous work experience and education, but they are not required to provide proof of an assessment of the educational qualification or proof of settlement funds.

The job offer essentially enables those EMPP applicants to qualify without having to meet all of the higher requirements of the EMPP Federal Skills Without a Job Offer Stream.

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Those candidates must meet higher requirements in terms of language, previous work experience and education, as the government believes that they must seek employment upon arrival in Canada. They must also provide proof of a training diploma and have a certain amount available to prove they can settle in Canada.

Hiring agencies praised Ottawa’s new path for skilled refugees on Monday.

“Including people who are refugees as part of the global talent pool is a simple idea, but for many years it was not possible due to built-in, unintentional barriers in the visa process,” said Veronica Wilson, co-founder and legal director at TalentLift.

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“The new federal EMPP immigration pathway is a critical change. It will provide many more opportunities for people to use their skills to leave refugee situations and enrich the businesses and communities where they end up. This is a major win for globally displaced talent and the Canadian recruiting teams eager to get involved.”

Bassel Ramli, co-founder and director of economic mobility at Jumpstart Refugee Talent, agreed.

“Jumpstart Refugee Talent is excited about the introduction of Canada’s new EMPP federal streams, which simplify and accelerate the process for employers to hire and relocate talented individuals from displaced populations,” said Ramli.

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“This initiative addresses chronic talent shortages across industries, including healthcare, manufacturing and construction. It is an exciting opportunity for companies to find the skilled workforce they need, while providing a fresh start for those seeking refuge.”

In addition to these two federal pathways under the EMPP, foreign nationals can also apply for the EMPP under regional and provincial programmes, including the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), Provincial nominated programs (PNP), and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).

Last year, Canada resettled more than 46,500 refugees from more than 80 countries.