Talent is Everywhere

There are 26 million people living as refugees around the world who have fled conflict or persecution. Many of them have skills needed by companies and communities across Canada.

Employers can now access this talent pool. TalentLift and our partners are working to connect hiring managers with job seekers who are refugees, unlocking global job and skilled visa opportunities as a new solution to displacement. 

If just 1% of the international talent moving to Canada to fill skills shortages came from within refugee populations, thousands of people would be contributing their skills, rebuilding their lives alongside their families, and leaving displacement behind. 

We envision a world where talented people living as refugees can compete for global jobs and skilled visas, and where access depends on potential and not the privilege of living without fear.

Mohammed is a fullstack developer working and living in Kitchener, Ontario, with the procurement software firm Bonfire. Bonfire interviewed and hired Mohammed while he was living as a Syrian refugee in Lebanon. Mohammed had registered with the global non-profit Talent Beyond Boundaries, a TalentLift partner, eager to contribute his skills and grow his career. He had a bachelor’s degree in information technology but, like many refugees, Mohammed couldn’t legally work in Lebanon, get decent pay or treatment, or reach his full potential.

Today he’s a core part of an industry-leading team and has a secure future ahead.

What’s New at TalentLift

  • What’s new for Canada’s displaced talent pilot
    Canada’s groundbreaking pilot supporting talented people living as refugees to apply to economic immigration streams has an important set of new rules. Phase one of the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), launched in 2018, successfully demonstrated that displaced talent can more equitably apply if administrative or financial barriers are removed, enabling them to make significant […]
  • A displaced talent strategy in Canada’s federal party platforms
    Canada has an unprecedented opportunity to leverage its full range of immigration options to support displaced talent. We didn’t have the policy tools or supporting infrastructure in place during past humanitarian security crises, like the displacement unfolding from Afghanistan’s borders, that have moved Canadians to contribute. But we do now.  Canada has pioneered efforts to […]