Across Canada, hiring teams are gaining incredible colleagues from within refugee populations. They are electricians, nurses, engineers and other professionals who have journeyed from displacement to join a new team in a safe new home.

Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) is the simple visa pathway underlying this impactful recruitment approach. The EMPP is designed for employers and the candidates they hire who are living in refugee situations globally.

Canada has recently extended this visa pathway at an important moment: There are nearly 43 million people living as refugees worldwide, and they have few options to achieve livelihoods and security. Even fewer now, as other countries cut humanitarian funding and programs. But Canada is moving in a different direction, keeping humanitarian programs open while adjusting economic ones to include talented people in displacement. These new skills-based opportunities are powered by Canadian hiring teams that recognize the immense talent and potential within refugee populations.

We’d love you to meet some of that talent.

We asked a few folks who recently landed in new teams and communities, to share what they’re enjoying or looking forward to at work. We also asked what they would say to employers considering hiring candidates living in refugee circumstances: Why should Canadian employers start hiring? 

Khader is a construction trades professional who relocated to Canada earlier this month with his family. He’s originally from Syria and was living displaced, for years, in Jordan. “I look forward to gaining more skills in a new work environment,” he said. “What excites me most is proving that I deserve the job I am working for and telling employers that there are many people who need work and deserve the positions offered. These opportunities can change the course of an entire family’s life.”

César is an engineer from Venezuela. He arrived a few months ago and is working as a Plant Machine Operator. “What I enjoy most about my job is the work environment created by my colleagues,” he said. “They are good people and have been very kind to me.” On why Canadian teams should get started, César captured the value for both sides. Displaced talent “greatly helps Canadian businesses” and these welcoming workplaces “improve the quality of life for people in need.”

Fatuma and Kedija are both nurses and relocated to Newfoundland and Labrador to work as Personal Care Assistants in long-term care with the provincial healthcare service, while working towards their Canadian nursing license. Both were living displaced in Ethiopia without work rights or the ability to plan their future.

Fatuma said, “I enjoy assisting residents and providing them with accurate and helpful information to meet their needs.” Kedija enjoys “providing care and when the residents become happy.”

Fatuma thinks other teams should get started because “hiring candidates from refugee backgrounds can bring diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences to your organization, and it’s an opportunity to make a positive impact on their lives and your community.”

Aliu is a fire alarm technician originally from Cameroon who had to leave home for his safety. Now working in Kamloops, he reflects: “It’s a very good and peaceful environment. I’m loving it. The people here are super nice and always ready to help.”

And Sisi, also a nurse and working in St. John’s, said, “my job is my passion.” She explained, “I myself was once [seeking] and needed help.” She was displaced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and living in Nigeria, when she got a job offer in Canadian healthcare. “Going to work every day helping the needy, putting a smile on them, makes me happy.”

Think of the talent you can gain, and the impact you can have when a new colleague leaves displacement to join your team.

As Kedija said: “Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity.”

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