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Self-Employed Persons Program
Immigrate to become self-employed in Canada (athlete, author, writer etc.)
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Due to COVID-19, no application in progress will be closed or refused due to a lack of documentation. IRCC will automatically give you 90 days to complete the steps needed to complete your application (such as providing biometrics, submitting passport or supporting documents, completing medical exam, etc.). Once you’re able to, complete the steps as soon as possible to avoid delays. Use the web form to upload any missing document. |
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The Self-Employed Persons Program targets people who want to become self-employed in Canada.
They must have a relevant experience in cultural activities or athletics, and intend to make a significant contribution to Canada. |
Cultural activities, Athletics, and Significant Contribution
A “significant contribution” is not explicitly defined by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC has included it in the eligibility requirements to stop pointless applications that are not made in good faith. It is up to the immigration officer to interpret if the applicant truly intends to make a significant contribution. Also, significant contribution is not valid only at the national or international level: a dance teacher who will be teaching in a Canadian small town could be interpreted as a significant contribution at the local level and be valid.
With regards to occupations, only those in the Unit Group 5 (Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport) under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) qualify for this program. You can look up the eligible occupations in this complete NOC list, and use the search bar to find all NOC occupations starting with the 51 or 52.
Examples of eligible occupations would be :
With regards to occupations, only those in the Unit Group 5 (Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport) under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) qualify for this program. You can look up the eligible occupations in this complete NOC list, and use the search bar to find all NOC occupations starting with the 51 or 52.
Examples of eligible occupations would be :
- Librarians,
- Editors and journalists,
- Singers,
- Dancers,
- Comedians ans actors,
- Photographers,
- Athletes and coaches,
- Designers, etc.
Eligibility to the Program
To be eligible to the self-employed person program, you need to satisfy to the four following main requirements:
- You intend on and be capable of self-employment in Canada.
- You (and your family members) have to undergo medical tests, and provide police certificates for countries where you lived for more than 6 consecutive months after the age of 18.
- You have relevant experience between (i) five years before your application date and (i) when a decision is made on your application, either in cultural or athletic activities:
- At least two years of self-employment (can be made up of 2 separate periods of 1 consecutive year), or
- At least two years of participation in international activities (can be made up of 2 separate periods of 1 consecutive year), or
- At least a combo of one year of self-employment (see 1.), and one year of participation in international activities (see 2.).
- You have to meet the selection criteria for self-employed people, which means getting a minimum of 35 points out of a 100. See how much points you should get below.
Education (Max 25 points)
| Education | Points |
|---|---|
| Min 17 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Master's or PhD | 25 |
| Min 15 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Min 2 Bachelor's degrees (or same university level) | 22 |
| Min 15 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Min 3-year diploma or certificate (outside university) | 22 |
| Min 14 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Min 2-year Bachelor's degree (or same university level) | 20 |
| Min 14 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Min 2-year diploma or certificate (outside university) | 20 |
| Min 13 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Min 1-year Bachelor's degree (or same university level) | 15 |
| Min 13 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Min 1-year diploma or certificate (outside university) | 15 |
| Min 12 years of full-time (or equivalent) education AND Min 1-year diploma or certificate (outside university) | 12 |
| Secondary (high) school diploma | 5 |