Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed on January 11, 2026, that the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) stopped accepting new applications as of December 31, 2025.(linkedin.com) Complete files submitted before the cut-off will continue to be processed, but no fresh candidate profiles are being taken under what had been Ottawa’s flagship labour-mobility pathway for skilled refugees.
Launched in 2018 and expanded in 2023, the EMPP enabled Canadian employers to tap refugee talent for hard-to-fill roles in healthcare, hospitality and skilled trades. Closing intakes came as a surprise to many stakeholders: IRCC had pledged in late-2024 briefings to make the programme permanent. The department said resources are being reallocated to mainstream economic streams and to design “a more scalable refugee-labour initiative,” details of which are expected in the 2027 Immigration Levels Plan.
If you’re now weighing alternative immigration or work-permit routes, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork and keep you updated on changing requirements. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) lets employers, employees and advisers compare visa options, generate document checklists and submit applications for Canadian and many other destinations—all in one dashboard.
![IRCC Closes Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, Freezing New Refugee-Talent Applications]()
For employers that relied on the EMPP—particularly hospitals recruiting internationally-displaced nurses—the shutdown creates an immediate sourcing gap. Talent-acquisition teams must pivot to provincial nominee programmes or the recently introduced Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, both of which have more limited refugee-access mechanisms. Refugee-support NGOs worry that vulnerable applicants who invested months gathering documents will now lose momentum.
Immigration lawyers advise affected candidates to request status updates quickly; those whose files are incomplete risk abandonment if supplementary documents arrive late. Companies holding active job offers should explore using the conventional Temporary Foreign Worker Program with employer compliance fees, though processing times average three to five months longer than EMPP cases.
The closure also raises questions about Canada’s ability to meet its 2026 commitment under the Global Refugee Forum to improve complementary labour pathways. Policy analysts expect parliamentary committees to summon IRCC officials in the coming weeks.
Launched in 2018 and expanded in 2023, the EMPP enabled Canadian employers to tap refugee talent for hard-to-fill roles in healthcare, hospitality and skilled trades. Closing intakes came as a surprise to many stakeholders: IRCC had pledged in late-2024 briefings to make the programme permanent. The department said resources are being reallocated to mainstream economic streams and to design “a more scalable refugee-labour initiative,” details of which are expected in the 2027 Immigration Levels Plan.
If you’re now weighing alternative immigration or work-permit routes, VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork and keep you updated on changing requirements. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) lets employers, employees and advisers compare visa options, generate document checklists and submit applications for Canadian and many other destinations—all in one dashboard.
For employers that relied on the EMPP—particularly hospitals recruiting internationally-displaced nurses—the shutdown creates an immediate sourcing gap. Talent-acquisition teams must pivot to provincial nominee programmes or the recently introduced Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, both of which have more limited refugee-access mechanisms. Refugee-support NGOs worry that vulnerable applicants who invested months gathering documents will now lose momentum.
Immigration lawyers advise affected candidates to request status updates quickly; those whose files are incomplete risk abandonment if supplementary documents arrive late. Companies holding active job offers should explore using the conventional Temporary Foreign Worker Program with employer compliance fees, though processing times average three to five months longer than EMPP cases.
The closure also raises questions about Canada’s ability to meet its 2026 commitment under the Global Refugee Forum to improve complementary labour pathways. Policy analysts expect parliamentary committees to summon IRCC officials in the coming weeks.
