{"id":3034,"date":"2021-07-19T17:20:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T17:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.refugepoint.org\/?p=3034"},"modified":"2023-10-27T20:50:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T20:50:37","slug":"refugee-centered-labor-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.refugepoint.org\/refugee-centered-labor-mobility\/","title":{"rendered":"Refugee-Centered Labor Mobility"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QRnEBb61tDY\" width=\"812\" height=\"456.75\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RefugePoint Founder, Sasha Chanoff, recently presented at <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expanding Global Refugee Labour Mobility: Implementing the Three-Year Strategy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, hosted by <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and UNHCR.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The title of Sasha\u2019s talk was Refugee-Centered Labor Mobility<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sasha <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spoke about the importance of ensuring that this pathway to a new life is rooted first and foremost in the experiences and needs of refugees themselves. He also highlighted the concept of additionality &#8212; ensuring that any labor mobility slots are additional to, and do not erode or compromise, needs-based resettlement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below are Sasha&#8217;s edited remarks from this memorable discussion:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has taken a village to get to this point when the first labor mobility candidates who were refugees living in Kenya have now arrived in Canada. I\u2019m so pleased that Micheline, one of the first arrivals, will speak to us shortly. It was such a thrill to be on a Zoom call with her last week when she arrived at the airport in Halifax.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>About RefugePoint<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to share something about RefugePoint to start. We began 15 years ago to advance lasting solutions for at-risk refugees and to support the humanitarian community to do the same. We focus on resettlement and complementary pathways as one pillar of our work, and on self-reliance opportunities for refugees living in host countries as the second pillar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We see ourselves as an innovator in the refugee response space. We use private funding to create new and dynamic programs, and once we see that they work, we aim to train and support other organizations to expand these opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Canadian government and RefugePoint<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RefugePoint has a longstanding relationship with the Canadian government, helping refugees to resettle to Canada. We\u2019re thrilled to build on and deepen that relationship with this labor mobility project.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Labor mobility and self-reliance: Conversations rooted in dignity<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Labor mobility brings together our focus on self-reliance with our expertise in needs-based resettlement and protection. We\u2019ve been working for many years to identify refugees for resettlement based on their vulnerabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With labor mobility, we\u2019ve had an important and refreshing insight. That is that when we start conversations with people based on their skills and experiences, we see them light up. After one of our interviews in Kenya, the person told us that this was the best day he\u2019d had since he fled his home so many years earlier. It was the first time someone asked him about his strengths and skills.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are conversations that are rooted in dignity, in recognizing the whole person, their strengths, and their experiences. It shifts the narrative from victimhood to human beings with agency and ability. And along with that shift, there is a sense of hope and enthusiasm that emerges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RefugePoint decided to engage in labor mobility because we wanted to look at the connection between protection and durable solutions. We do more than linking a refugee with a job. We feel that this effort has to be underpinned by recognizing their diverse experiences and situations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a number of points I want to share in this regard:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>1: The importance of flexibility around requiring documentation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Many refugees forced to flee home don\u2019t have time to grab a passport, or diploma, or job credentials. They shouldn\u2019t be stopped or penalized for not having documentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2:\u00a0 Recognizing different kinds of family composition<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Labor mobility currently has strict criteria about family composition. This limits the applicant pool. There are many families, for example, who have taken in an unaccompanied or separated child. When we are screening and assessing candidates, we take into account what\u2019s best for the entire family unit. Resettlement has built-in accommodations to allow for different kinds of family composition. Labor mobility should include the same sorts of considerations. Otherwise, employers are missing out on great candidates.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>3:\u00a0 Funds to support the process of integration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Refugees don\u2019t have funds saved up. This is a challenge and a barrier. They need to be able to eat and pay for necessities in Canada before that first paycheck comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>4: Support services to help with integration upon arrival<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This is critical for long-term success. And it pays off, because refugees, studies show, stay longer in jobs, and employers are regularly impressed with them. (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tent.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/TENT_FPI-Refugees-as-Employees-Report.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Tent Foundation study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of employer experiences with refugees is particularly relevant.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Leveling the playing field for refugees<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we\u2019re serious about leveling the playing field to make labor mobility accessible for more refugees, and about getting more good candidates in front of employers, then we need to take the points I\u2019ve made here into account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship made an announcement saying there would be some policy changes to address some of these concerns. We want to thank IRCC and the Minister for considering such changes and look forward to hearing more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Labor mobility must be additional to resettlement<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The last point I want to make about labor mobility is that it should be additional to resettlement. There is tremendous excitement for labor mobility, and for good reason, but we can\u2019t let this compromise in any way the importance of resettlement for people who are in peril. We\u2019re very pleased that the EMPP, in particular, is clearly in addition to Canada\u2019s needs-based resettlement program, and we hope that future complementary pathways programs in Canada adhere to the same principle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Imagining a future where communities compete to bring in refugees<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A number of years ago, The UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner at the time, Alexander Aleinikoff, said something that captured my imagination: \u201cCan we envision a world where cities compete to bring refugees in because they are so needed?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Labor mobility is a pathway that can help to make that imagined future a reality. We can already see that future. It\u2019s starting to happen. It\u2019s one where refugees are included. And needed. Where their strengths and skills enable them to support themselves and contribute to their communities. It\u2019s a win-win situation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as we move forward, let\u2019s keep in mind that it must be done in a refugee-centered way. With their needs and interests and diverse experiences at heart, as primary considerations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thank you to the government of Canada and IRCC, UNHCR, Ed Shapiro and the Shapiro Family Foundation, Barrie Landry, Talent Beyond Boundaries, The Pictou County Regional Enterprise Network, Glen Haven, and everyone who has had a hand in getting us to this moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s taken a great deal of imagination and hard work to get here. RefugePoint is honored and excited to celebrate this moment with you and to collectively imagine a better future that together we can make a reality.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RefugePoint Founder, Sasha Chanoff, recently presented at Expanding Global Refugee Labour Mobility: Implementing the Three-Year Strategy, hosted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and UNHCR. The title of Sasha\u2019s talk was Refugee-Centered Labor Mobility Sasha spoke about the importance of ensuring that this pathway to a new life is rooted first and foremost in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":{"extra_image":false,"disable_featured_image":true,"article_style":"default","hide_post_date":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Refugee-Centered Labor Mobility | RefugePoint<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore refugee-centered labor mobility. 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