Veronica Wilson

From displacement to citizenship: First EMPP candidate is now a Canadian

October 2, 2023

Mohammed is a software developer and the first candidate who arrived under Canada’s EMPP. He became a Canadian citizen in July 2023.

As he waited for the Zoom meeting to start, Mohammed wasn’t sure how a virtual ceremony would feel. He had scheduled an online ceremony to more quickly complete this last step of his Canadian citizenship, eager to get a Canadian passport to travel again to see family. As he listened to the ceremony and saw the video panels of dozens of fellow newcomers, he felt deeply moved and part of a bigger whole, in his own living room. His wife, already a Canadian, stood just off camera capturing everything.

Mohammed is a talented software developer living and working in Ontario. He arrived in Canada just over four years ago.

After fleeing the war in Syria, he found himself living in displacement in Lebanon for several years. Despite the challenges he faced, Mohammed’s passion for technology and coding never wavered. His story took a remarkable turn when he became the first candidate to relocate under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), a groundbreaking initiative that began as a proof of concept collaboration between the Canadian government and select NGOs to test the possibility for people living as refugees to immigrate as skilled workers. Mohammed is the program’s first success story.

After receiving a job offer with a tech firm in Kitchener, Ontario, Mohammed arrived in Canada in 2019, bringing his skills and determination to a new home. He moved from junior to senior roles, to become a key member of his team. He met his wife and began a family. Through the EMPP, remarkable people like Mohammed can arrive in Canada to continue their lives and careers with a clear pathway to citizenship.

Mohammed has been a champion for many others to follow under the EMPP. He has shared his story to inspire other hiring teams across Canada, and leant his guidance and friendship to excited but nervous families arriving behind him. His leadership continues – allowing us to celebrate this milestone as we outline the journey ahead for others!

The following is an overview of the different status options available to talented people who arrive on skilled visas to Canada and the steps towards citizenship.

Temporary vs permanent residence

A temporary resident is a foreign national who is legally authorized to enter and remain in Canada for purposes including work. Many skilled workers move to Canada first with temporary residence status using a work permit before submitting an application for permanent residence.

Employer-specific work permits allow a foreign national to only work for the employer, position, and location as indicated on the work permit. An employer who supports a work permit is under no obligation to continue to employ the foreign national throughout the duration of their work permit. An open work permit, on the other hand, is more flexible and allows the foreign worker to work for any Canadian employer without the need for a specific job offer.

Read more about temporary residence status in Canada here.

A permanent resident is someone who has been given permanent residence status by immigrating to Canada, but is not yet a Canadian citizen.

Permanent residents have the right to:

Get most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including health care coverage
Live, work or study anywhere in Canada
Apply for Canadian citizenship
Leave and re-enter Canada

To keep permanent residence status, individuals must have been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years. These 730 days do not need to be continuous.

Read more about permanent residence status in Canada here.

When is a temporary residence (work permit) pathway used instead of a permanent residence pathway?

Canada has temporary residence (work permit) and permanent residence skilled visa pathways. The EMPP flexibilities only apply to certain permanent residence pathways. However, TalentLift supports candidates to apply for work permits in situations where it is the preferred or only visa pathway available, where no EMPP flexibilities are required, and where candidates have a pathway to permanent residence available to them either in parallel to the work permit application or after arrival in Canada.

Work permits are used by the majority of skilled workers entering Canada because they can be faster, are more affordable, are more available, and can be a mandatory first step for permanent residence pathways that require in-Canada work experience. If TalentLift supports a candidate and their family to relocate with temporary residence, we first provide them with detailed information about temporary residence in Canada and a transition plan to permanent residence prepared by our legal counsel. This allows the candidate and their family to make an informed decision before deciding whether or not to proceed.

How do permanent residents become Canadian citizens?

To become a Canadian citizen, most applicants must:

Be a permanent resident
Have lived in Canada for at least 3 out of the last 5 years (1,095 days)
Have filed their taxes, if they need to
Pass a citizenship test
Prove their language skills in English or French

This means that those who continue to reside in Canada after arrival, and who meet all the criteria, can typically apply after three years. There is a fee to apply and the processing time varies and is generally between 12-18 months.

Canadian citizens have the right to:

Apply for a passport
Vote in an election

There are other neat perks too. All citizens get one year of free admission to Canada’s natural parks and cultural centres. Check out the Canoo app.

Read more about applying for Canadian citizenship here.

Canada keeps getting better

Mohammed was instrumental in confirming that people living in refugee circumstances can successfully apply to Canada’s skilled immigration pathways and respond to skills shortages if displacement-related barriers that have nothing to do with talent and potential are removed. His case is part of the foundation of a much more accessible, seamless skilled visa system for displaced talent and the teams that hire them.

Companies like the one that welcomed Mohammed are recognizing the immense talent within refugee populations and catalyzing transformative change in the lives of individuals and their families by providing a secure future and a route to citizenship.

Mohammed, this country is lucky to have you!

Mohammed is a Senior Software Engineer at Epoch and the first candidate to arrive under the EMPP. He spent 3+ years with the incredible Bonfire team before shifting to a new role. Prior to relocating to Canada, Mohammed was living in Lebanon as a refugee from Syria and working as a software developer. He is a member of Volunteers Without Borders, and a Media Management Volunteer with Beirut Marathon Association. Mohammed holds a Bachelor’s of Engineering, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications from Al-Baath University, and a Bachelor’s of Applied Science, Information Technology from Lebanese International University. He serves as TalentLift’s Talent Advisor.

Candidates living in refugee circumstances and seeking a job in Canada can join TalentLift. Employers seeking global talent while engaging their team in something transformative can start hiring.

Gamechanger: Canada’s new economic immigration streams for displaced talent now open

June 13, 2023

Najeeb (second from right) is a telecommunications professional originally from Afghanistan. He arrived in April alongside his wife and two daughters under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP).

Canada’s groundbreaking pilot supporting talented people living as refugees to apply for economic immigration has expanded and now includes a new federal pathway. The goal is a simpler and faster application that helps to scale the use of jobs and skilled visas to Canada as a solution to displacement, while simultaneously addressing critical labour shortages faced by businesses.

The new federal pathway is an expansion of Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) and does not replace the current EMPP accommodations to other existing visa pathways, but will operate as an additional route. When applicants come to Canada through the EMPP, they land as permanent residents with a pathway to citizenship.

The new federal EMPP pathway includes two streams, one that requires a job offer and one that does not. Both include a more flexible approach to eligibility by allowing other displaced people who lack a durable solution and are in need of international protection to apply.

EMPP Federal Skills Job Offer Stream overview:

A one-step permanent residence application with a processing time of six months
Job offers can be under any National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2021 category (TEER 0-5)
No Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) required
Applicants must meet work experience and education requirements and meet language minimums based on the occupation classification level
Work experience can be obtained any time in the past
Education credential assessments (ECA) are not required

The EMPP Federal Skills No Job Offer Stream requires applicants to have an advanced level of English, have recent high-skilled work experience, demonstrate settlement funds, and obtain an ECA for foreign education.

The EMPP provides accommodations to some of the displacement-related barriers that applicants may face throughout the visa process. Both streams under the new federal EMPP pathway will include existing EMPP accommodations, such as:

Use of a loan from a trusted microlender to satisfy a settlement funds requirement, if applicable
Use of an expired passport or other ID in place of a valid passport
Waiver of the permanent residence processing fee and biometrics fee
Applicants will not be required to have a refugee status determination (RSD) and can use a referral letter from trusted partners like TalentLift that have expertise in assessing eligibility.

TalentLift and our partners have long advocated for simpler and faster visa pathways for displaced applicants and we are very pleased to see a lot of our feedback and suggestions incorporated, especially around eligibility and work experience requirements.

Canada is building a more inclusive and equitable skilled immigration system designed to attract and retain talent, regardless of circumstance, to power teams and new home communities. This is a big win for displaced talent globally and the Canadian hiring teams.

How do hiring teams meet candidates?

Get in touch! Once we know more about your open roles and your team, we’ll shortlist candidates with the skills you need. Our goal is a seamless recruitment and relocation experience for you and the candidates you hire, through talent search, visa, and relocation services

Join a community of pioneering hiring teams across Canada. Start hiring with TalentLift.

Members of the media are welcome to get in touch.

Hiring with Impact: Employers now have a faster route to hire displaced talent to address skills shortages

March 27, 2023

Dilruba is a talented nurse from Afghanistan who relocated to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)

Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced today that a new federal immigration pathway is coming this summer to support Canadian employers to hire candidates living as refugees.

The new pathway will be an expansion of Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) and will not replace the current EMPP changes to other existing visa pathways, but will operate as an additional route.

The goal is a simpler and faster pathway that helps to scale the use of jobs and skilled visas to Canada as a solution to displacement and to help fill gaps in skills shortages across all sectors in Canada. Employers are experiencing severe shortages and collaborative solutions are needed.

What we know about the new EMPP federal pathway so far is that it will include job offers under any National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2021 category (TEER 0-5) and will be a one-step permanent residence application that IRCC aims to process within six months.

The new pathway is expected to include existing EMPP accommodations, such as:

Use of a loan from a trusted microlender to satisfy a settlement funds requirement, if applicable
Use of an expired passport or other ID in place of a valid passport
Waiver of the permanent residence processing fee and biometrics fee
Applicants will not be required to have a refugee status determination (RSD) and can use a referral letter from trusted partners like TalentLift that have expertise in assessing eligibility.

More information on the new federal EMPP pathway, including eligibility criteria, will be available in the coming weeks and shared on our website.

TalentLift and our partners have long advocated for simpler and faster visa pathways for displaced applicants. Canada’s existing skilled visa pathways disproportionately exclude displaced applicants for reasons that have nothing to do with skills or potential – they face ongoing barriers through requirements like demonstrating ‘temporary intent’ to be eligible for work permits (the fastest route to Canada), demonstrating Canadian work experience, and providing proof of education through original transcripts.

This pathway is a big win for displaced talent globally and the hiring teams eager to get involved. We’re grateful to see this advance towards greater equity, and therefore greater scale for this impactful hiring solution. We hope to see IRCC continue advancing changes to other skilled visa pathways that are needed for deeper equity.

How do hiring teams meet candidates?

Get in touch! Once we know more about your open roles and your team, we’ll shortlist candidates with the skills you need.

Our goal is a seamless recruitment and relocation experience for you and the candidates you hire, through talent search, visa, and relocation services.

Quotes:

“This is an innovative program that doesn’t seek to maximize the economic opportunity for refugees by chance but by choice.” – Minister Fraser

“If we develop a program that allows people to do the right thing that also meets an essential need there is no limit on what we can achieve.”- Minister Fraser

“I could put 25,000 people to work today, and that’s only in Ontario.” – Joseph Mancinelli, International VP and Regional Manager for Central and Eastern Canada, LiUNA! who introduced Minister Fraser at today’s announcement

Join a community of pioneering hiring teams across Canada. Start hiring with TalentLift.

Emergency visa to Canada for Ukrainians extended

March 22, 2023

Canada will continue to welcome Ukrainians displaced by war through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), which was set to expire March 31, 2023.

Canada’s Immigration Minister announced that the program will be extended as follows:

Ukrainians and their family members will have until July 15, 2023, to apply overseas for a CUAET visa free of charge;
Anyone holding a CUAET visa will have until March 31, 2024, to travel to Canada under the special measures; and
CUAET holders who are already here in Canada will have until March 31, 2024, to extend or adjust their temporary status through these measures, free of charge.

How it works

This visa pathway is open to any Ukrainian national. Applicants apply online for a visitor visa and have the option to apply for an open work permit which will allow them to work for any employer in Canada. CUAET applicants have the following fees waived: Visa application fee, biometric collection fee, and work permit application fee, among others. The visa allows you to travel in and out of Canada and will be processed on a priority basis. Canada will aim to process complete applications in 14 days.

How TalentLift can support you

TalentLift invites Ukrainians interested in pursuing work and relocation to Canada to register with us. If a job opportunity matches your skills, TalentLift will contact you to collect further information or to develop your CV and support your interview with an employer. If you receive a job offer, and are displaced by the war, our team will work with you and your family at no cost to apply for this visa and to pursue employment in parallel. We will prepare a transition plan to permanent residence to ensure you have a secure future in Canada.

We will support you and your family each step of the way to relocate and begin to rebuild.

Join a community of pioneering hiring teams across Canada. Start hiring with TalentLift.

With the support of the Scotiabank ScotiaRISE initiative, TalentLift has built a talent platform for displaced job seekers to self-register, develop job-readiness, and connect to transformative job and relocation opportunities to Canada. Learn more.

Canada’s EMPP is open to support skilled immigration by displaced talent

December 3, 2021

Kinaz is a nurse living in displacement supported by TalentLift who will fill a critical role in healthcare in British Columbia.

Canada’s groundbreaking pilot supporting talented people living as refugees to apply to economic immigration streams is now open. As of today, people living in refugee circumstances can submit job-backed permanent residence applications through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP).

The EMPP extends some flexibility to address administrative and financial requirements that have previously been a barrier to otherwise highly qualified applicants. Skilled immigration is an additional mobility option for those seeking a durable solution outside of traditional humanitarian resettlement.

Talented candidates in refugee circumstances can now apply through selected economic programs with the following flexibility:

1 year of work experience accrued anytime (no recency period) under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) or Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) programs;
Use of a loan from a trusted microlender to satisfy a settlement funds requirement;
Use of an expired passport or other ID in place of a valid passport; and
Waiver of the permanent residence processing fee and biometrics fee.

These changes apply only to applicants to the provincial nominee programs (PNPs), AIP, and RNIP.

A skills-based solution to displacement

One candidate whose application will be supported under the pilot is Mulham, hired as a CNC Machinist by a manufacturing firm in Ontario. Mulham and his family are living in refugee circumstances in Libya while they wait for their visas.

Mulham told us this is a chance “to start a new life, to ensure that my children receive a good education and the right to live in a country that values equality among all people, away from conflicts, insecurity and fear of the future.”

Essential improvements for deeper equity

TalentLift has made recommendations for deeper equity and the growth of this important and win-win mobility option to Canada. These recommendations build on our team’s operational knowledge of barriers facing qualified candidates and their prospective employers:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GcjQ6LDnCbsIq4J6LYPEs5VkJYjUk3MkmglzUmBWqOg/edit

TalentLift is excited to support Canadian employers and the talented candidates they hire under the EMPP. We and our partners across hiring teams, alongside IRCC, provinces and territories, and supporting NGOs, are modelling a scalable, skills-based solution to displacement as a complementary pathway to humanitarian resettlement.

What’s new for Canada’s displaced talent pilot

September 9, 2021

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 contributions to the national economy and the communities where they and their families arrive to put down roots.

Last week, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship released details for phase two of the EMPP in a public policy. Although applications will not be accepted under the EMPP until late fall 2021, we are excited to share what has been revealed so far about the next stage of the pilot and our recommendations for further development.

EMPP phase two overview:

Exclusive to applicants in provincial nominee programs, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP).
Includes various ways an IRCC officer may determine whether the applicant is in refugee circumstances.
Applicable to only those residing outside of Canada at the time of application for permanent residence.
Permanent residence and biometrics fees are waived for principal applicants and accompanying family members.
If the applicant has a job offer, the requirement to show funds “unencumbered by debts or other obligations” is exempted. This change allows for the use of alternative proof of settlement funds such as loans, donations or grants.
Extension of the recent work experience period requirement under AIP and RNIP. Instead of acquiring one year of full-time work experience in the last three years, the applicant can demonstrate work experience obtained any time in the past.
Valid passport not required. This means applicants with expired or no passports can use alternative proof of identity and alternative travel documents.
Accompanying family members are limited to spouses, common-law partners and dependent children. This is the same rule applied to all applicants to economic immigration programs.
Applicants are subject to all other admissibility and eligibility requirements.
There is a cap of 500 applications that will be implemented as follows:
- 150 applications accepted until June 30, 2022
- 350 applications accepted starting on July 1, 2022

The new rules provide important clarification and some new flexibility such as removing work experience recency – a requirement that many displaced applicants can’t meet if they’ve been unable to legally work in their field in a host country. However, there are limits to scope and scale that don’t necessarily align with the fundamental goal of equitable access for displaced talent to the full breadth of the economic program.

Here are our recommendations for deeper equity and the growth of this important mobility option:

Extend access to work permits which would ensure that temporary pathways and the many permanent residence pathways that require in-Canada work experience are accessible to displaced talent.
Extend application to all economic immigration pathways to preserve maximal opportunities and equity of access. This includes extending the exemption from work experience recency and the flexibility on settlement funds across any pathway.
Accept referrals from trusted partner organizations to determine eligibility of applicants as refugees and other displaced people in need of international protection. This method reduces bureaucracy and delays.
Waive the requirement for education credential assessments or accept alternatives such as the WES Gateway Program assessment. Displaced applicants may be unable to obtain the appropriate documentation from institutions in their home country without putting themselves or their families at risk.
Remove the 500 limitation and the expiry of the public policy to allow for further scale.
Extend eligibility to those who are both inside and outside Canada at the time of a permanent residence application to maintain speed and flexibility towards permanence for those who are able to arrive first on work permits.

We are excited to support Canadian employers and the talented candidates they hire under this next phase of the EMPP. We and our partners across hiring teams, alongside IRCC, provinces and territories, and supporting NGOs, are modelling a scalable, skills-based solution to displacement as a complementary pathway to humanitarian resettlement.

Ways to get involved:

Ontario breaks new ground with refugee-inclusive design in skilled immigration system

May 26, 2021

Ontario recently updated its intake system for prospective skilled immigrants with a design tweak that enables the province to conduct targeted draws for applicants who are both skilled and living in refugee circumstances. It may be the first example of refugee-inclusive design in the development of a Canadian skilled immigration system.

The new “expression of interest” (EOI) system in the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, used to nominate people who have skills needed by the Ontario economy, asks all applicants to register a profile to determine eligibility and a points score. Those who meet the human capital and other eligibility requirements of a provincial nominee program, and who earn a competitive points score, receive an invitation to apply. What differentiates Ontario’s EOI system from others across provincial and federal jurisdictions is that it enables applicants to self-identify as someone living in refugee circumstances, who is supported under Canada’s pilot Economic Mobility Pathways Project. The new feature will be released pending further discussion between Ontario and the federal government on overall nomination allocation, but it is ready to launch and signals a new and more inclusive era in talent attraction.

For decades, Canada’s skilled immigration systems were unavailable to the talent present within refugee populations. Requirements across skilled visa pathways have systematically excluded applicants in displacement despite their skills and experience. For example, the requirement to have a valid passport excludes people who have expired passports, with no safe or affordable way to renew them from their home country governments; and the requirement to hold liquid funds in a bank account excludes those with little to no savings, who might also be disenfranchised from banking in host countries where they live.

Canadian federal, provincial and territorial governments set out to better understand the barriers facing talented refugees to existing skilled immigration pathways under the Economic Mobility Pathways Project. Launched in 2018, the pilot was part of Canada’s effort alongside the international community to explore more safe and legal immigration pathways available to the now more than 26 million people living as refugees around the world.

Ontario, an inaugural member of the pilot and home to the first person who arrived under it, supported the nominations of five candidates and their families who have relocated from displacement for in-demand work across the province in tech, the skilled trades, and hospitality. Many more candidates are in a visa processing pipeline who hold Ontario nominations. These pilot efforts confirmed beyond a doubt that there are immensely talented people living as refugees whose skills are in-demand in Ontario, and who can qualify for skilled visas as long as unfair barriers – mostly administrative – are removed.

Ontario has deepened its leadership in this pioneering work through the new EOI system. In our view, this system has the potential to do several things as it is trialled and refined. It could:

Enable targeted draws to reflect Ontario’s priority to include and attract talent from within refugee populations.
Waive certain requirements that disproportionately impact the eligibility of these applicants.
Award alternative points for adaptability due to refugee circumstances – perseverance, creativity, reinvention – that offset points awarded for assets refugees cannot yet obtain like Canadian study and work experience.

Through any of these pursuits, Ontario advances the vision that talent lives within refugee populations, and that companies and communities across the province benefit from deliberately including and attracting it. Ontario has created a promising model for governments in Canada and worldwide to follow.

Ways to get involved:

TalentLift pioneers visa services for displaced talent as a Civil Society Organization with the Law Society of Ontario

May 20, 2021

TalentLift supports Canadian employers to find and relocate talent from within refugee populations, and is the first non-profit talent agency of its kind to offer clients in-house visa services. We achieved registration as a Civil Society Organization with the Law Society of Ontario this month.

The Law Society of Ontario introduced a new Civil Society Organization status in April 2019 to make lawyer and paralegal services more accessible to the public. It enables lawyers and paralegals to provide their direct professional services as employees of charities and non-profits like TalentLift. Previously, legal services provided through these organizations needed to be outsourced.

This milestone is wonderful news for TalentLift as we better serve employers and the candidates they hire from refugee circumstances. Our model encompasses recruitment, visa application (through our in-house legal department) and settlement coordination. It adapts what works in the private sector to achieve specialization and efficiency. It’s a major step towards advancing the competitiveness of refugees in the global job market where they can increasingly compete on a level field with all international talent.

The Law Society of Ontario has noted the many potential benefits to delivering lawyer and paralegal services through charities and non-profits, including:

For clients (i.e. our employers and candidates):

Quicker and more direct access to lawyer and paralegal services
Professional services delivered by trained, licensed, insured lawyers and paralegals
Earlier identification and potential resolution of legal issues
Reduced client stress and enhanced client outcomes and empowerment

For charities and non-profits (i.e. TalentLift):

Enhanced organizational capacity to identify and address client legal issues
Enhanced client service by having a lawyer or paralegal potentially on-site to address legal issues
Enhanced ability to provide holistic services to clients

This approval will benefit the companies we work with and the talented candidates they hire from displacement. With TalentLift, companies hire and relocate talent with ease and with significant impact. While candidates engage with a purpose-built and mission-driven legal team in their immigration journey to new companies and home communities across Canada.

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