When they leave their home country, refugees and other displaced people are forced to start over, but they shouldn’t have to, especially when it comes to learning new skills, getting training, experience, and education. By increasing the number of opportunities for skilled refugees and other displaced individuals to immigrate and use their education, training, and experience to continue their careers in Canada through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), Canada is utilizing talent that is far too often overlooked.
Today, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, the Honourable Sean Fraser, made the announcement that Canada has started two new EMPP streams, fulfilling a promise made on March 27, 2023. Candidates can also continue to apply through regional economic pathways that are already in place.
Employers in Canada now have access to a talent pool of skilled refugees and other displaced people from around the world thanks to these new immigration routes. Canada can use this access to expand its economic immigration, fill jobs that are in high demand, and expand its humanitarian commitments.
Newcomers using the EMPP will now be able to move to Canada and begin working here more quickly by putting into action the efficiencies and improvements learned through collaboration with partners during the rollout of the first EMPP streams. Since applicants do not need to have worked in Canada before applying, these new streams also make it easier for people to get in.
The first of the two new streams that were announced today is for highly skilled refugees without job offers, while the second is for candidates who already have a job offer from a Canadian employer.
Employers in Canada can hire qualified candidates for a wide range of in-demand positions through the EMPP Federal Skills Job Offer Stream. These positions include nurse aides, personal support workers, long-term care aides, software engineers, web designers, mechanical and electrical engineers, logistics and warehouse workers, tourism and hospitality workers, and truck and delivery service drivers.
The EMPP Federal Skills Stream recognizes that some candidates possess skills that are in sufficient demand to ensure that they will find employment upon arrival in Canada.
EMPP provides refugees and other displaced individuals with the opportunity to utilize their skills to enhance not only their own and their families’ lives but also the lives of the communities and workplaces that welcome them.
Canada’s ongoing efforts to embrace its position as Chair of the Global Taskforce on Labour Mobility by modeling labor mobility programs for like-minded nations and to make Canada’s immigration system more responsive to our economic and humanitarian commitments include scaling up and expanding the EMPP.
