Canada extends pilot to support skilled refugees and employers

Ottawa, June 12, 2025—Canada remains a global leader in refugee resettlement. By welcoming skilled refugees and other displaced people to Canada, the government is helping businesses address labour shortages as well as supporting newcomers as they build their lives and contribute to communities across Canada.

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) is Canada’s first complementary pathway for refugee labour mobility. These pathways are safe, legal immigration pathways for refugees and persons with similar protection needs outside of, and in addition to, traditional resettlement. The EMPP is an economic immigration pathway that recognizes the human and social capital of refugees and other displaced people with skills and qualifications that meet the needs of Canadian employers.

Since the EMPP’s inception, candidates have filled labour market needs across the country in in-demand sectors, including health care (more than 30% of total admissions), construction and food service. From 2019 to the end of March 2025, 970 people have been admitted to Canada.

To continue meeting labour market needs, the Government of Canada is extending the federal stream of the EMPP until December 31, 2025. The annual intake cap for the job offer stream in 2025 is 950 applications. This program helps skilled refugees and vulnerable people apply for permanent residence while supporting employers in critical sectors facing labour market shortages.

The extension will allow more workers in essential sectors such as health care to benefit from the pilot’s pathway to permanent residence and continue to contribute to our economy.

The EMPP is part of Canada’s broader immigration strategy to promote economic growth, address labour market needs and help newcomers settle in communities across the country.