---
title: 'Exceptional Talent at Passage'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/exceptional-talent-passage-passage-hq-4by35gqg80gz'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Exceptional Talent at Passage

- **Company:** Passage
- **Location:** Passage HQ
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2025-05-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/passage/9e04c88b-ccc0-4778-a270-edd3b1c6b8ec

## Job description

## Who we are

Imagine a world where your birthplace doesn’t limit your dreams. 🌍 That’s what Passage is here to create. We aren’t just a bridge of financial support; we connect families all around the world to life-changing opportunities. We believe in a future where deserving students can pursue their dreams & ambitions—even if their parents don’t have money. Our mission is bold but simple: by 2030, we aim to dismantle the barriers preventing brilliant minds from accessing the opportunities they deserve. Starting with financial barriers, we’re offering loans to international students and refugees, helping them pursue better education in Canada and unlock a world of possibilities—not just for themselves, but for their families and future generations, too. It’s important to note that we maintain an in-office working policy, and we require candidates to either reside in Toronto or be open to commuting into the office a few days a week.

## Who you are

You’re a mission-driven, ambitious individual who wants to win by doing good. You’re passionately curious about the world, empathetic toward others, and driven to create meaningful impact. You’re not afraid of a problem and see it as an opportunity. You’re a builder.

Passage Exceptional Talent Pool If you're interested in Passage but don't see a role that fits your experience, apply here to be apart of our talent pool! Applying to this does not guarantee our team will reach out, but we will always search for interested candidates prior to reaching out to broader networks!

## About Passage

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Passage is a Talent Success Platform that matches international students with PGWP-eligible Canadian programs aligned with labour-market shortages, finances tuition and living costs, and supports students through graduation and employment.
- **Entity Type**: Private (funding stage not disclosed)
- **Headquarters**: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- **Founded**: 2023
- **Founders**: Martin Basiri (CEO), Saif Iqbal (CTO) [ca.linkedin.com](https://ca.linkedin.com/company/passagehq)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Education technology and student finance
- **Target customers**: International students from 100+ countries seeking Canadian education and post-graduation work pathways; Canadian public colleges and universities (DLIs)
- **Mission**: "A public commitment to change one million lives by the start of 2030" [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/)

## Products & Services
- **Match**: AI-guided intake platform that routes international talent into Canadian programs aligned with verified Government of Canada labour shortages, screened for PGWP eligibility [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/)
- **Finance**: Loans up to C$65,000 at 11.95% fixed APR for tuition and first-year living costs, underwritten using program, profile, and outcome signals rather than traditional credit history [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/)
- **Stay**: End-to-end support from pre-arrival study-permit guidance through on-the-ground academic and settlement help, job search, and PGWP-eligible placement [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/)
- **Afghan Program**: A dedicated initiative launched in 2024 to fund and admit up to 100 Afghan women through Canadian university and college programs [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric**: Total funding not disclosed; team size of ~16 employees (as of early 2026) [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/passage-passagecom)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not listed in available sources
- **Growth Signals**: Launched in 2023 with first cohorts arriving in 2024; active hiring across operations, finance, and engineering globally; expansion into onshore and offshore pathways for students from Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Integrated model**: Combines matching, financing, and post-graduation support in one platform – unlike loan-only or recruitment-only alternatives.
- **Alternative underwriting**: Uses education and outcome signals instead of cross-border credit history, enabling financing for students traditionally priced out.
- **Labour-market alignment**: Programs selected based on verified Canadian shortages, increasing employability and PGWP success.
- **AI-driven consistency**: Policy enforcement, document validation, and audit trails ensure every applicant receives the same care [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/).

## Strategic Focus
- Scale the platform to serve more international talent and expand the network of Canadian partner institutions.
- Grow the lending book while maintaining low default rates via outcome-linked financial model.
- Build technology infrastructure (data platform, engineering) to support automated intake and policy application.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven**: Direct, measurable impact on access to education and career opportunities for underserved international talent.
- **Small, ambitious team**: 16 employees in Toronto with a flat structure; roles in product, operations, finance, and law [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/passage-passagecom).
- **Work policy**: Hybrid/on-site at Toronto HQ for most roles; some remote positions available for global acquisition coordinators and growth leads in specific regions [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/).
- **Open roles**: Currently hiring for Business Operations Associate, Credit Strategy Analyst, Director of Data, Principal/Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Staff Analytics Engineer, and global growth/acquisition roles [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/passage-passagecom/jobs).
- **Engineering culture**: Emphasis on using AI to automate repetitive tasks so the team focuses on human-centric support; modern stack with data-driven decision-making.

## Sources
1. [passage.com](https://www.passage.com/)
2. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/passage-passagecom)
3. [ca.linkedin.com](https://ca.linkedin.com/company/passagehq)

## Other roles at Passage

- [Senior Marketing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-marketing-engineer-passage-toronto-c1xjtwedtdpx) — Toronto, Canada
- [Senior Analytics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-analytics-engineer-passage-toronto-30tb82f8adh7) — Toronto, Canada
- [Global Growth Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/global-growth-lead-passage-india-pkf2abavmkw2) — India
- [Senior Accountant / Finance Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-accountant-finance-manager-passage-passage-hq-7as3n1v5dc33) — Passage HQ
- [Director of Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-finance-passage-passage-hq-n7mg1fdt7196) — Passage HQ
- [Principal Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-software-engineer-passage-passage-hq-h7ywwarrefd0) — Passage HQ
- [Staff Analytics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-analytics-engineer-passage-passage-hq-8gdmbfyccxvb) — Passage HQ
- [Director of Data](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-data-passage-passage-hq-apdmc8ym2w47) — Passage HQ
- [Senior Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-passage-passage-hq-wj2v9pmg2cp4) — Passage HQ
- [Global Acquisition Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/global-acquisition-coordinator-passage-india-3tm3gt5fe30b) — India