Strategies for recognizing the intersection of vulnerability and complementary pathways to admission : lessons from Canada

Abstract

This research aims to provide critical insights on the Canadian Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot’s (EMPP) approach to mitigating its co-creation of structural vulnerability. Migration scholars frequently point to Canadian policy mechanisms as models for international observers and government actors to learn from. Indeed, the newly implemented Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot takes promising steps toward developing the complementary pathways emphasised by the United Nations’ Global Compact on Refugees. Yet, without sufficient attention to structural vulnerability, the high level of discretion involved in complementary pathways risks creating ‘preferred’ categories of refugees. Based on interviews with Canadian government practitioners, refugee leaders, civil society representatives, academics, and legal experts, this article verifies the relevance of three key factors that shape institutional approaches to structural vulnerability in the design of complementary pathways. The findings illustrated herein yield insights pertinent to the design of all future economic-oriented complementary pathways for admission.