Canada Extends Groundbreaking Economic Mobility Program for Forcibly Displaced Workers
Pictured: TBB candidate Rabaa along with Fragomen Canada representatives
OTTAWA, Canada – [June 12, 2025] – Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) welcomes the extension of Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), with appreciation to the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and her team. This innovative economic immigration pilot is restoring the dignity of refugees and other displaced people by enabling them to move internationally for work, on the basis of their skills.
TBB helped to create the EMPP in 2018, to allow skilled refugees and other displaced workers to move to Canada based on job offers, rather than humanitarian criteria. Through the EMPP, TBB has placed hundreds of skilled workers in such sectors as healthcare, construction, engineering, and information technology. The communities benefitting from the EMPP range from large centres like Toronto, to smaller communities such as Hearst in Northern Ontario and Whitehorse in the Yukon. Candidates who have moved through the EMPP report that it has been life-changing and note that having a job in hand helps set them up for success as they join their new communities.
Due to its positive impact in meeting employers’ labour needs across Canada, the pilot program is now extended to the end of December 2025, to allow for further consultation with partners on the design of a permanent program. TBB welcomes the opportunity to discuss improved processing times that are workable for employers as part of these consultations.
"We are thrilled to see the EMPP extended so we can continue serving employers and displaced talent alike," said Lara Dyer, TBB’s Chief Program Officer (Americas). "The positive feedback and tangible results we have seen prove that this program is making a real difference and complements other immigration programs. In particular, we’re pleased that the EMPP is an economic immigration program, which underlines that refugees and other displaced people have skills that employers need. TBB remains committed to supporting employers, skilled workers, and communities in need of talent through this initiative."
“The EMPP was the first labour mobility program for displaced people globally, and has helped set the tone for a movement that continues to scale,” commented Sorcha O’Callaghan, CEO of TBB. “We express our gratitude to Minister Diab for honouring the Government of Canada’s commitment, at the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023, to make the EMPP permanent. We look forward to continuing to work with the Minister, her office, and the department to ensure the long-term success of this ground-breaking program.”
TBB would like to thank our dedicated team, including our immigration partner, Fragomen, our project partners, and the growing community of EMPP implementation partners for their continued support. We would also like to acknowledge the many IRCC officials, in Canada and abroad, who have supported the EMPP, worked collaboratively with multiple partners, and made important policy adjustments during the life of the pilot.
For more information about the EMPP and TBB’s support services, please visit: www.talentbeyondboundaries.org or contact our team at: info@talentbeyondboundaries.org
For media enquiries: media@talentbeyondboundaries.org