“When the Taliban regained control, everything changed,” said Arzoo, a healthcare professional from Afghanistan who now lives in Canada. “Safety became the biggest concern, not just for me, but for my family as well. The fear of being targeted and the loss of basic freedoms made it clear that staying was no longer an option.”

Arzoo worked in hairstyling and esthetics before training to be a Personal Support Worker, an important step to landing a role with an Ontario-based non-profit healthcare provider. She did all this in displacement because her home country was suddenly somewhere she didn’t have a future. 

Afghanistan changed nearly overnight in August 2021 when the Taliban took control. Within the span of days, it was no longer safe for people with values, careers or lifestyles that opposed the new regime’s worldview. Many freedoms disappeared, including the right for girls to get an education and for women to work in most jobs.

“I knew I had to find a safe and stable environment where I could live freely and continue to grow,” Arzoo said.

Some 5.2 million people are still displaced outside Afghanistan’s borders after leaving to find a safer place for themselves and their families. Almost five years later, the displaced population from Afghanistan remains one of the largest globally, with Iran and Pakistan hosting the largest Afghan communities.

Safety here has been fleeting. There is ongoing threat of arrest and deportation as policies change and make it harder for displaced people to stay. And, new wars have started, which deepen disparities for those in limbo. In Iran, the Afghan community faces extreme risk as airstrikes continue. The war has already forced many to return to Afghanistan or to live even more precariously in Iran, without the ability to move freely or get emergency help. 

There are still too few safe, lasting options for people displaced from Afghanistan to rebuild a secure future.

An important response alongside humanitarian measures is opening opportunities for people in these situations to use their skills, to continue their careers and provide for their families in safety. Canada has led a global shift towards opening skilled visas to people living as refugees, through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), which is now set to become a permanent program. The EMPP makes skilled visas more accessible to talented people living in a refugee situation. For example, someone can apply without a valid passport, because that can be impossible or unsafe to obtain from a home country. TalentLift is a partner of the Government of Canada in implementing this innovative pathway, alongside the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and NGO partners like FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance and the Hazara Hope and Empowerment Association. 

As skilled visas became more inclusive, TalentLift and our partners worked with employers across Canada facing skills shortages to welcome talented individuals displaced from Afghanistan to their teams. Since 2021, we and our partners have supported 1,194 individuals, including 460 women and 732 men, to obtain jobs and pursue skilled visas to Canada. That’s more than 2,360 people, with accompanying family, who can access a solution to their displacement. Driving these transformative opportunities are more than 240 Canadian workplaces, from healthcare to hospitality to trades teams, that opened their doors to displaced talent from Afghanistan. 

This talented newcomer community includes folks like Khairuddin, a maintenance professional in Victoria, British Columbia. And Asadullah, a Fibre Optics Technician in London, Ontario. And M. (her real name protected), who relocated to join a research team at McMaster University. And Arzoo, who relocated to Durham, Ontario, as a Home Support Worker, providing essential care to elderly and differently-abled people.

There are many more talented people in need of opportunity. More than 4,300 Afghans alone have registered their skills on our talent platform, including 814 women. Beyond Afghanistan, TalentLift and our partners are supporting displaced talent impacted by crises around the world, including in Sudan, Palestine, and Venezuela. There are more than 41,000 candidates in this talent pool who are keen to contribute their skills in safety.

We invite anyone with an open role on your team to get in touch. You can start meeting remarkable people from Afghanistan and beyond to fill skills shortages, while opening life-changing relocation opportunities for them and their families.

Arzoo arrived in Durham to begin her new role in community care in May 2024. She called her job opportunity in Canada “a second chance at life.” 

“I now have the ability to plan for a future that includes stability, education, and meaningful work,” she said. “I finally feel like I have a chance to thrive.”

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.