Building Dreams: The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)

What is an Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP)?

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) facilitates the immigration of talented refugees and other displaced individuals to Canada. The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) integrates economic migration and refugee resettlement. It’s an approach that ensures the following:

Enables talented migrants to enter Canada through current economic programs.
Allows organizations to access a fresh pool of skilled people to fill job opportunities.

How to apply for EMPP?

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) application can be submitted independently or with assistance from a non-government partner.

You can get assistance from partners outside the government to help you with the following:

Connect with Canadian employers
Help you get ready for a job offer, then apply for EMPP.

The partners are listed as follows:

The process to apply for EMPP is as follows:

Proof: You must provide one of the following proof documents as confirmation of your current refugee status:
- A state should offer an acceptance certificate for refugees or a positive Refugee Status Determination (RSD) from the UN Agency for Refugees.
- If you are unable to obtain a positive RSD from the nation you’re in, you must provide evidence that you have been registered or listed as a person of concern by the UN Refugee Agency.
- If a refugee certificate is yet to be received, UNRWA requires confirmation that the person has been registered or listed as a person of concern.
- You need proof of your temporary protection status and a police officer’s determination that you lack a permanent solution.

If none of these papers are available to you, you can connect with a partner like TalentLift and Jumpstart Refugee Talent who can provide you with a “trusted partner referral letter.”

Filling out the application: You can choose to submit your applications either individually or jointly. Make sure you are aware of how to select an immigration representative if you decide to contact one. You can apply to the following streams:
- Based on your education, employment history, and language abilities, you can apply for Federal EMPP streams (with a job offer and without a job offer)
- You can apply for a regional EMPP program (also known as the economic immigration program). The 3 programs are:

Who can apply?

You must be a displaced person or a refugee. To prove this, you must possess one of the following documents:
- Evidence that you have been listed by the UN Refugee Agency as a person of concern.
- A refugee certificate that the UNRWA issues, an organization that provides relief for Palestinians in the Near East.
- Evidence of your temporary protection status and a determination by an IRCC officer that you lack a long-term solution.
You must satisfy the requirements based on your application method. The following are two ways of application methods:
- Federal EMPP: You can apply either through a job offer stream (having a full-time job offer from a Canadian employer) or no job offer stream (qualified refugees with no job offer).
- Regional EMPP: To be eligible for this, you must have job training, work experience, and a full-time employment offer from a Canadian firm
Admissability: You need to be eligible to enter Canada.

What to remember when immigrating to Canada?

Before traveling to Canada

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) will grant you access to the Canadian Orientation Abroad program before you arrive in Canada. This brief orientation to daily living in Canada will assist you in getting ready to relocate.

When you arrive in Canada, the EMPP connects you with complimentary settlement services like language instruction.

After you arrive in Canada

You have to confirm your permanent resident status and get your permanent resident card. You can apply for government benefits and services and demonstrate your status as a permanent resident in Canada using your signed e-COPR while you wait for your PR card.