November 06, 2025 – Toronto, Canada

There are hundreds of people with the skills needed to fill vacancies in Canada who are living in terrible conditions as refugees while their visas drag on.

All have a job offer and a Canadian workplace waiting for them, and a visa processing under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP). 

And yet, 61% can’t send their kids to school, and 73% can’t afford enough to eat. At least fifty-two people with employers waiting for them in Canada have been arrested in countries trying to force its resident refugee population back where they came from. 

Our new report, “Canada’s at-risk talent pipeline: The impact of immigration delays on people in refugee circumstances and the workplaces waiting for them,” details these and other findings. 

People are still living in this situation because Canada is failing to process their skilled visas on time, within six months as promised. This failure has resulted in delays stretching to 12 months or longer, with no clear end in sight. These absurd timelines for a job-backed immigration program tell us that Canada isn’t treating this applicant group like the skilled workers they are – engineers, healthcare professionals, production operators, and more. 

Lengthy delays and uncertainty impact Canadian businesses that have already invested in an impactful international recruitment strategy to fill skill shortages. 

• Sixteen companies (76%) reported they had to postpone or cancel projects because of immigration delays.
• Twelve companies (57%) reported a monetary impact, through lost revenue or increased costs. Two of these reported losses of $500,000 to $1 million, and another ten companies reported significant if lesser lost amounts. 
• Seventeen companies (81%) said the wait for an international hire, still stuck in a refugee situation, has negatively impacted expansion decisions.

Delays also cause enormous and underreported harm on the individuals hired by Canadian teams – who are, unlike other talent, waiting for their visas while living with an insecure status as refugees, many in extremely difficult conditions.

• One in ten people crossed another international border while waiting for a Canadian visa, the majority for safety reasons and some using unofficial routes. These journeys can be extremely dangerous and costly. Last year was the most deadly year on record for people migrating, strongly linked to crossings driven by crisis, according to the International Organization for Migration. 
• One in three people were evicted from their home. 
• A full 73% (142 people), many with kids to provide for and with jobs waiting for them in Canada, aren’t eating enough because they can’t afford it.

“In a hiring program for displaced talent, Canada’s immigration delays are not neutral. Delays cost companies and they harm people,” said Dana Wagner, Managing Director with TalentLift. “The Canadian Government is asking people who already live without safety to cope with even greater uncertainty.”

People reported losing out on opportunities, and feeling “frozen” in their decisions, while they wait. One family didn’t renew health insurance. Another didn’t buy supplies needed for heat in the winter. Another didn’t buy their children’s school uniform, unsure if they’d be attending.

One EMPP candidate explained, “my family and I cannot plan our future, and the stress affects us every single day.” Another said, “the waiting has become more than just a delay, it has turned into a constant source of emotional and psychological struggle for us all.”

Our report outlines essential actions needed by Canada to address the toll on businesses and applicants, including swiftly processing of all overdue EMPP visas.

We also recommend setting a thoughtful level for the EMPP within the economic stream in the coming year that reflects the depth of talent within refugee populations. The immigration levels plan for 2026, released November 5, does not yet reflect this potential. 

For more information, please contact:

Dana Wagner

Co-Founder & Managing Director

TalentLift

[email protected]

Further resources: 

• Canada’s 2026-2028 immigration levels plan 
• Snapshot of skills in the TalentLift talent platform (October 2025)
• Journey map for TalentLift candidates, explaining how our services work for candidates.

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.