Canada’s program for displaced talent
The Government of Canada’s model for refugee labour mobility is called Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP). It is a ground-breaking initiative that welcomes displaced people with the skills that Canadian employers need through Canada’s existing economic immigration streams. The EMPP is not a pathway but rather a suite of administrative facilitative measures that reduce or eliminate common barriers that refugees face when accessing labour mobility pathways.
Key facilitation measures:
- Waiving application and biometric fees;
- Average processing time of 6 months (in most cases);
- Covering the cost of medical exams through the Interim Federal Health Program;
- Providing access to the Immigration Loans Program (ILP) or Miles4Migrants to help with travel costs;
- Access to ILP for payment of Right of Permanent Residence Fee;
- Windmill micro-loan available, if needed, to help with settlement costs and/or upgrading/education after arrival in Canada;
- Pre-arrival travel services offered through the International Organization for Migration (if candidates are using an ILP loan); and
- Providing access to the EMPP-specific Canadian Orientation Abroad Programme.
| Canada Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot – Job Offer | Canada EMPP No Job Offer Stream | |
|---|---|---|
| Visa/permit instrument | Single stage permanent residence application through the Federal EMPP Stream A-Job Offer; or 2-stage through regional programs: – Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) – Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) | Single stage permanent residence application through the Federal EMPP Stream B-No Job Offer required (requires high human capital and settlement funds). |
| Length of stay | Permanent residence. | |
| No. visas available under program | 2,000 across all EMPP total with no current deadline. | 150 places yearly (renews each January) out of the 2,000 places. |
| Most common recruiting industries | Healthcare/long-term care, skilled trades/ construction, manufacturing, and engineering. | NA (no job offer required). |
| Visa processing times | Federal EMPP: 6 months. Regional EMPP: Two stages: – Provincial stage can take a few days up to several months – Federal stage average of 6 months. | |
| About the applicant | ||
| Who can apply? | Refugee or displaced person in need of durable solution. Proven by: – Positive RSDUNHCR or UNRWA registration – Proof of temporary protected status without durable solution – Trusted partner referral letter from TBB, Jumpstart or TalentLift. | |
| Location of applicant | Candidate must be outside their home country and living outside Canada when they apply. | |
| What family members can be included | Spouse and dependent children. Dependent child: – Unmarried and under the age of 22 years old at the time an application is submitted – The unmarried children of dependent children Note: children with mental/physical disabilities financially dependent on the parents prior to turning 22 years of age and ongoing can be included | |
| Language requirement | Job offer in TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3: CLB/NCLC 5, TEER Category 4 or 5: CLB/NCLC 4 in each of the four language abilities (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). Regional EMPP: Varies by province. | CLB/NCLC 7 in each of the four language abilities (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). |
| How language can be tested | Applicants must complete an approved language test and meet a minimum score in the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French. | |
| Proof of education / qualification | Varies based on TEER category, ranging from no education requirement (TEER 0 or 5) to university degree with at least one year of work experience (TEER 1). Regional EMPP: Varies by province. | Foreign degree, diploma or certificate equivalent to Canadian secondary school credential or higher as proven by the results from a formal and approved-educational credential assessment. |
| Skills/credential assessment with a professional body | Federal EMPP: N/A. Regional EMPP: Varies by province. | Must supply Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) issued no more than 5 years from the date the application is received. |
| Proof of minimum work experience | Federal EMPP: Must have at least 1 year of full-time, paid work experience (1,560 hours), or an equal amount of part-time work; over any period of time be within TEER category 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 can include periods of self-employment. Varies by province. | Must have >1 year of full-time, paid work experience (1,560 hours), or an equal amount in part-time work gained over last 3 years before the date the application is received andis in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National occupational Classification. Does not include periods of self-employment. |
| Licensing requirements (eg. for healthcare roles) | If the job offer requires a license to practice, the applicant must have that license in order to be eligible. Can work in unlicensed profession until a license is obtained. | N/A as there is no job offer. |
| Age requirement | 18+ for primary applicants. Regional EMPP: Some provinces have additional age range restrictions (19-55 or 21-59). | |
| Health | Medical exams with cost covered through the Interim Federal Health Program. | |
| Character and security | Admissibility review done at federal stage which includes criminal and security clearance. Police certificates are not required upfront but can be requested by the officer, at their discretion after an application is submitted. | |
| Travel document requirement | Can be issued a Single Journey Travel Document (“SJTD”) if valid passport not available. | |
| Biometrics | Required, fees waived for EMPP. | |
| About the employer | ||
| How can employers access the scheme? | Any eligible employer may apply. | N/A |
| What businesses are able to sponsor? | Must be a registered business and have genuine intention and ability to meet the terms of the job offer. Regional EMPP: Varies by province (requirements on business size, income, number of years in operation, number of employees, etc.) | N/A |
| About the job | ||
| Eligible occupations | Job must be listed in TEER Categories 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the National Occupation Classification. While any occupation is eligible, we face restrictions on offering jobs in regulated professions (e.g. cannot offer a job as a nurse to a candidate who is not licensed to work as a nurse in Canada). | N/A |
| Labour Market Testing | Federal EMPP: No. Regional EMPP: Varies by province but usually, yes and can range from 2 weeks to 1 month. | N/A |
| Work hours | Full time (at least 30 hours of work over a period of one week), non-seasonal from a Canadian employer | N/A |
| Contract length | Federal EMPP: Permanent/indeterminate or at minimum 1 year from date of PR Regional EMPP: Varies by province but usually permanent/ indeterminate, some allow for minimum 1 year from date of PR | N/A |
| Salary minimum | Federal EMPP: N/A Regional EMPP: Varies by province but usually at minimum the prevailing wage for the region of work | N/A |
| Obligations on the business | Intention to offer a job per the terms submitted to the government until the applicant arrives in Canada as a Canadian PR. If the terms of the job offer change prior to arrival/PR, must notify IRCC. If the terms of the job offer change after arrival/PR, no obligation to notify IRCC. | |
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