Eighteen refugees in Kenya who had been promised jobs in Canada now find themselves stranded after the offers were withdrawn, leaving them in the country’s largest refugee camps.
The refugees were nearing completion of preparations for relocation when the job offers were rescinded. They had already passed medical examinations, language assessments, and obtained visas, describing the sudden cancellation as heartbreaking.
‘We completed our medical checks, then our visas were approved. Suddenly they’re not interested anymore. How would you feel? I’m a human being,’ stated Juma Shauri, a refugee who escaped the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2010.
The refugees had been approved to work in Canada through the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) programme, which seeks to assist skilled displaced individuals while addressing labor shortages.
Under this program, a long-term care organization had provided job offers to the refugees that remained valid for nearly three years before being withdrawn.
The company stated in a declaration that the job offers had been made with good intentions years earlier, but positions were ultimately filled due to extended processing delays.
Job offer cancellations are becoming more frequent amidst persistent delays in processing refugee applications and a global refugee crisis that has now reached 43 million people.
These affected refugees have endured more than a decade in harsh conditions at Kakuma and Dadaab camps in northern Kenya. After years of anticipation and planning to relocate abroad and rebuild their lives with their families, they now confront an uncertain future.
Idris Adam from Sudan, who has resided at Kakuma for 14 years, mentioned that explaining the situation to his young daughter, who was also ready to travel, has been particularly challenging.
The refugees indicated that losing the job offers has caused significant emotional and psychological distress, with many experiencing stress, depression, and frustration.
Humanitarian organizations that assisted the refugees in obtaining their approvals deemed the sudden cancellation unacceptable given how advanced their applications had become.
Some refugees might receive new opportunities from the company in the future, though others have had their applications terminated. Despite the setback, some refugees still aspire to relocate abroad should opportunities emerge.
This circumstance underscores the challenges encountered by refugees in Kenya as they wait for extended periods to depart from the camps and establish stable lives.