A group of refugees living in Kenya’s Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps have been left devastated after a Canadian employer abruptly withdrew job offers that had given them hope of starting new lives abroad.
The affected refugees had been selected under Canada’s Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), a programme designed to connect skilled refugees with employment opportunities while helping address labour shortages in Canada. Many of the candidates had already completed medical examinations, visa approvals, and language assessments before learning that the opportunities had been cancelled.
According to reports, the job offers had been issued by Northwood, a long-term care provider based in Nova Scotia, Canada. However, after years of processing delays, the company rescinded the offers, saying many of the positions had already been filled locally.
Among those affected is Juma Asukulu Shauri, a 33-year-old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has lived in Kakuma refugee camp for 16 years.
“After hearing that information, I was very traumatized. Even up to now, I’m depressed,” Shauri said.
Shauri revealed that he and other applicants had spent nearly three years preparing for relocation to Canada. He said the sudden cancellation came after many had already received visa approvals and completed medical checks.
“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,” he added.
The programme had offered a rare opportunity for refugees with professional skills, especially in healthcare, to rebuild their lives through stable employment abroad. Aid organizations supporting the initiative said many candidates were already in the final stages of relocation.
Jennifer Wilson, Chief Operating Officer of RefugePoint, criticized the move, describing it as unfair to applicants who had invested years in the process.
“Literally, they needed housing to be secured, and they could get on a plane and they could go,” Wilson said.
Another refugee, Idris Abussin Adam from Sudan, said it had become difficult explaining the cancellation to his five-year-old daughter, who had eagerly awaited the family’s move to Canada.
“Every day she used to ask me, ‘Daddy, when are we travelling?’” Adam said.
Despite the disappointment, Adam said he still hopes for another opportunity in future.
The incident has once again highlighted the struggles refugees face in securing long-term resettlement opportunities, even after meeting immigration and employment requirements.
Kenya currently hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees, many of whom have spent years in camps while searching for safer and more stable futures abroad.
