The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) combines refugee resettlement and economic immigration. It’s a pathway that
- helps skilled refugees immigrate to Canada through existing economic programs
- gives employers access to a new pool of qualified candidates to fill job openings
Immigrate to Canada through the EMPP
Immigrate through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot: How the pilot works
The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) helps skilled refugees and other displaced people immigrate to Canada.
IRCC made some updates to make it easier to apply to immigrate to Canada through the EMPP.
There are now 2 ways you can apply for the EMPP:
- through one of 3 selected economic programs
- Atlantic Immigration Program
- Provincial Nominee Program
- Rural and Northern Immigration Program (RNIP)
- This is referred to as the regional EMPP. You need to be eligible for one of the above programs and apply first to a province, territory, or RNIP community (depending on which program you choose.)
- directly to us for just the EMPP
This is referred to as the federal EMPP. It includes a Job Offer and No Job Offer stream. You need to meet the work experience, education, and language requirements.
Through the EMPP, Ircc will
- waive application and biometric fees for you and your dependents
- review and process your application in 6 months or less (in most cases)
- cover the cost of medical exams through the Interim Federal Health Program
- let you access the Immigration Loans Program (ILP), if Ircc approve your application, to help with
- travel costs
- some pre-arrival travel services from the International Organization for Migration
- the right of permanent residence fee
- let you access the EMPP-specific Canadian Orientation Abroad Programme to help you settle in Canada
If you choose to apply through an economic immigration program, Ircc will also
- make it easier for you to be eligible and apply for the program
- let you use a loan to meet financial requirements to support yourself and your family in Canada (your settlement funds)
Who can apply?
There are 3 sets of eligibility requirements you must meet to apply for the EMPP.
1. You must be a refugee or displaced person
To prove this, you must have one of these documents
- a positive Refugee Status Determination (RSD) from the UN Refugee Agency or a refugee-hosting state
- proof you’re registered or recorded as a person of concern by the UN Refugee Agency
- a refugee certificate from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine in the Near East (UNRWA)
- proof of being registered or recorded as a person of concern with UNRWA
- proof you have temporary protected status and an assessment by an IRCC officer that you don’t have a durable solution
If you don’t have any of the above documents, one of our trusted partners can
- assess your eligibility as a refugee or displaced person and
- issue you a referral letter, if they find you meet the criteria
You must be living outside Canada when you apply to the EMPP.
2. You must meet the criteria depending on how you’ll apply
Apply based on your work experience, education, and language skills (Federal EMPP)
You’ll apply under 1 of these streams
- job offer stream
- no job offer stream (capped at 150 applications a year)
Job offer stream
There are a few things you need to qualify for the job offer stream.
Job offer
You must have a job offer that is
- full-time (at least 30 hours of work over a period of one week)
- non-seasonal
- from a Canadian employer
- for a job listed in TEER Categories 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 of the National Occupation Classification
Work experience
Your work experience must
- be at least 1 year of full-time, paid work experience (1,560 hours), or an equal amount of part-time work
- be over any period of time
- be within TEER category 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5
- can include periods when you were self-employed
Education
Your training, education, experience, and responsibilities must align with the TEER category of the job offer.
Job offer category | Requirements |
---|---|
TEER 0 or TEER 5 | You must have completed university (a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate) orat least one year of previous experience in a related TEER 2 job |
TEER 1 | You don’t need to meet specific education requirements but must show your ability to perform the job duties. |
TEER 2 | You must have completed university (a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate) or at least one year of previous experience in a related TEER 2 job |
TEER 3 | You must have either completed a post-secondary education program of at least 2 years at a community college institute of technology orCÉGEPcompleted an apprenticeship training program of at least 2 years for jobs with supervisory or significant safety responsibilities (for example, police officers and firefighters) or have at least 1 year of previous experience in a related job from TEER 3 or above (when this applies) |
TEER 4 | You must have either completed a post-secondary education program at a community college institute of technology orCÉGEPcompleted an apprenticeship training program, or more than 6 months of on-the-job training, training courses, or specific work experience with some secondary school education, or at least one year of previous experience in a related occupation from TEER 4 or higher |
Language skills
You must
- prove your official language skills using an approved language test in English or French
- have the minimum score for your job’s TEER category
- job offers in TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3: Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB)/Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadines (NCLC) 5
- job offers in TEER Category 4 or 5: CLB/NCLC 4
Your test results must be less than 2 years old when you apply.
No job offer stream
There are a few things you need to qualify for the no-job offer stream.
Work experience
You must have work experience that
- equals at least 1 year of full-time, paid work experience (1,560 hours), or an equal amount in part-time work
- you gained over the last 3 years before the date Ircc will get your application
- is in TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification
- does not include any period where you were self-employed
Education
You must have either a
- Canadian secondary school credential, or
- foreign degree, diploma or certificate with an Educational Credential Assessment issued no more than 5 years from the date Ircc will get your application
Language skills
You must
- prove your official language skills using an approved language test in English or French
- get a minimum score of at least CLB/NCLC 7 in each of the 4 language abilities
Settlement funds
You must prove you have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada.
This amount depends on your family size. It can include
- grants, gifts, and community donations
- household income that you, your spouse or partner, and any dependants earn
Apply through an economic immigration program (regional EMPP)
You must be eligible for 1 of these economic immigration programs:
- Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP)
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
- Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP)
To qualify for 1 of these, you must have:
- English or French skills
- education or job training, and work experience
- a job offer from a Canadian employer for full-time work
If you want to apply for AIP or RNIP
As part of the EMPP, you don’t need to meet some eligibility requirements for these programs:
- You don’t need to prove you worked the number of hours asked for in the timeframes listed. Instead, you only need to show you worked the same number of hours in general before you apply.
- You can apply for a loan to meet the requirement of having enough money to support yourself and your family when you come to Canada (your settlement funds).
- You don’t need to get an educational credential assessment.
These exemptions do not apply to PNP. The province or territory decides the requirements for this program.
If you need a loan for your settlement funds
If you’re applying for an economic immigration program, you may be able to get a loan to cover your settlement funds.
Ircc partnered with Windmill Microlending to offer low-interest microloans to eligible EMPP candidates who
- have a job offer and
- don’t have the minimum funds needed to meet their immigration program financial eligibility requirements
Find out how to apply for this loan.
You can’t use the Immigration Loans Program to cover your proof of settlement funds.
3. Admissibility
You must be admissible to Canada.
How to apply?
You can apply for the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)
- on your own, or
- with help from a non-government partner
There are partner organizations outside the government that can help you
- connect to employers in Canada
- prepare for a job offer, then apply for the EMPP
These partners include
- TalentLift
- Talent Beyond Boundaries
- Jumpstart Refugee Talent
- RefugePoint
- Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
- FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance
- International Rescue Committee
- World University Service of Canada
1. Get ready to apply
You have to submit proof of your current refugee situation with 1 of these
- a positive Refugee Status Determination (RSD) from the UN Refugee Agency or a refugee-hosting state
- proof you’re registered or recorded as a person of concern by the UN Refugee Agency if you don’t have a positive RSD yet or you can’t get one in the country you’re in
- a refugee certificate with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
- proof of being registered or recorded as a person of concern by the UNRWA, if a refugee certificate has not been obtained yet
- proof you have temporary protected status and an assessment by an officer that you have no durable solution
If you don’t have any of these documents, you can work with a partner who can issue you a “trusted partner referral letter.”
Get a referral letter from a partner
The partners that can issue a “trusted partner referral letter” make sure you
- meet the definition of a convention refugee or country of asylum refugee
- they don’t need to do this if you have a temporary protected status (TPS) document
- have no durable solution
They will then issue you a trusted partner referral letter. You include this letter with your application.
Partners that can provide this letter are
- TalentLift
- Talent Beyond Boundaries
- Jumpstart Refugee Talent
Other partner organizations can help you apply, but they can’t issue a trusted partner referral letter.
2. Complete the application
You can complete your applications yourself (or with a partner). If you decide to use an immigration representative, make sure you know how to choose one.
If you apply based on your work experience, education, and language skills (federal EMPP)
You only need to complete 1 application, whether or not you have a job offer.
If you apply through an economic immigration program (regional EMPP)
There are 2 applications you must complete using this process:
- An application for one of the economic immigration programs
- Atlantic Immigration Program
- Provincial Nominee Program
- Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
- An application for the regional EMPP
- If you’re eligible, you’ll
- apply online using the permanent residence portal
- complete and submit both online applications together
- If you can’t apply using the portal, Ircc will accept applications by email.
- If you’re eligible, you’ll
Immigration Targets for 2023-2025
Looking ahead, Canada has set ambitious immigration targets for the years 2023-2025. Recognizing critical labor market shortages, the plan embraces immigration as a strategy to help businesses find workers and address social and economic challenges. The targets include welcoming 465,000 new immigrants in 2023, increasing to 485,000 in 2024, and reaching 500,000 in 2025. These targets aim to alleviate labor shortages across the country and are complemented by regional programs such as the Provincial Nominee Program, Atlantic Immigration Program, and Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, which cater to localized labor market needs.
By implementing these initiatives and targets, Canada aims to attract and retain skilled individuals who can contribute to the country’s economic growth while providing support and opportunities for refugees and displaced individuals.
Remember that immigration policies and programs can change over time, so it is advisable to stay updated with the IRCC Times website.