A group of 18 refugees living in Kenya’s Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps have been left stranded after a Canadian company withdrew job offers that had raised hopes of relocating abroad for work.
The refugees had been preparing to move to Canada under the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), a programme designed to help skilled refugees access employment opportunities while addressing labour shortages in foreign countries.
According to the affected individuals, many had already completed medical examinations, language assessments, and visa processing before learning that the opportunities had been cancelled.
“We finished the medical, then after that, the visa was approved. Then suddenly you’re not interested. So how can you feel? You know I’m a human being,” said Juma Shauri, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has lived in Kenya since 2010.
The job offers had reportedly been issued by a Canadian long-term care company nearly three years ago. However, the company later withdrew the positions, saying the roles had been filled following prolonged processing delays.
The cancellations come at a time when refugee resettlement programmes are facing growing pressure globally due to rising displacement and lengthy immigration procedures. Current estimates place the number of displaced people worldwide at about 43 million.
Most of the affected refugees have spent more than a decade in Kenya’s refugee camps and had viewed the opportunity as a chance to rebuild their lives and support their families through stable employment.
Idris Adam, a refugee from Sudan who has lived in Kakuma for 14 years, said the situation has been especially difficult for families who had already prepared mentally and emotionally for relocation.
The refugees say the cancelled opportunities have caused emotional distress, frustration, and uncertainty after years of waiting for a chance to start over.
Those aid organizations that were helping the refugees apply for resettlement criticized the hasty cancellation of the applications noting that the refugees had come too far into the process to be denied the opportunities suddenly.
According to reports, while some of those who have missed out may find another opportunity in the future, other applicants’ dreams of relocating have now been completely dashed.
Once again, this incident has revealed yet another issue that many refugees in Kenya face when trying to move on from camp life and seek better opportunities.
