Self-employed Persons Program is a tailor-made option for those persons who intend to immigrate permanently to Canada and had the ability to work as self-employed. In order to be eligible to the program, applicants must meet the definition of a self-employed person, that is they have a relevant experience in cultural activities or athletics, and intend to make a significant contribution to the cultural or athletic life of Canada.
The Self-employed Persons Program allows successful applicants to immigrate to Canada with permanent residency. There are three main requirements for this program, which are set out below respectively.
Self-employed persons who intend to work as a self-employed individual in Canada must have at least 2 years of experience in the last 5 years preceding the application date in one of the following areas:
The followings are the qualifying occupations for self-employed persons:
Professional Occupations | Technical and Skilled Occupations | ||
NOC 5111 | Librarian | NOC 5211 | Library and Archive Technicians and Assistants |
NOC 5112 | Conservator and Curator | NOC 5212 | Technical Occupations Related to Museums and Art Galleries |
NOC 5113 | Archivist | NOC 5221 | Photographer |
NOC 5121 | Author | NOC 5222 | Film and Video Camera Operator |
NOC 5122 | Editor | NOC 5223 | Graphic Arts Technician |
NOC 5123 | Journalist | NOC 5224 | Broadcast Technician |
NOC 5124 | Professional Occupations in Public Relations and Communications | NOC 5225 | Audio and Video Recording Technician |
NOC 5125 | Translator, Terminologist and Interpreter | NOC 5226 | Other Technical and Co-ordinating Occupations in Motion Pictures, Broadcasting and the Performing Arts |
NOC 5131 | Producer, Director, Choreographer and Related Occupations | NOC 5227 | Support Occupations in Motion Pictures, Broadcasting and the Performing Arts |
NOC 5132 | Conductor, Composer and Arranger | NOC 5231 | Announcer and Other Broadcasters |
NOC 5133 | Musician and Singer | NOC 5232 | Other Performers |
NOC 5134 | Dancer | NOC 5241 | Graphic Designer and Illustrator |
NOC 5135 | Actor and Comedian | NOC 5242 | Interior Designer |
NOC 5136 | Painter, Sculptor and Other Visual Artists | NOC 5243 | Theatre, Fashion, Exhibit and Other Creative Designers |
|
| NOC 5244 | Artisan and Craftsperson |
|
| NOC 5245 | Patternmakers – Textile, Leather and Fur Products |
|
| NOC 5251 | Athletes |
|
| NOC 5252 | Coaches |
|
| NOC 5253 | Sports Officials and Referees |
|
| NOC 5254 | Program Leaders and Instructors in Recreation, Sport and Fitness |
Self-employed applicants who meet the relevant experience requirement will be assessed according to the selection criteria listed below. Applicants must get a minimum of 35 points out of 100 points to be able to apply. However, achieving the minimum score of 35 points does not per se guarantee a positive result. The minimum score is only the eligibility requirement.
Selection Criteria | Maximum Points |
Education | 25 |
Experience | 35 |
Age | 10 |
Ability in French and/or English | 24 |
Adaptability | 6 |
Total | 100 |
Medical examination and police checks are the standard procedure for all permanent residence candidates to Canada. this requirement is pertaining to criminal and medical admissibility. Applicants and their family members must undergo medical exams. They must also provide police certificates for the security risk assessment from countries where they have lived for more than six months in the last five years or since they turn 18 years old, whichever is more recent.
Applicants must demonstrate that they can get economically established in Canada and work as a self-employed person. At the time of the application, applicants must submit financial documents showing that they have sufficient settlement funds to support themselves and their immediate family members after they arrived in Canada.
Having significant financial assets will increase the chances of achieving permanent residency under this program. A robust business plan will also show the applicant’s interest in performing as a self-employed person in Canada
While processing times for the Self-Employed Persons Program may vary according to the specific circumstances of each application, it may take up to 24 months to complete the processing of a Self-Employed Persons Program. Applicants can avoid delays in processing times by completely submitting all required documents and information on time.
Applications will be assessed based on the following grounds: (i) whether applicants qualify as self-employed persons: (ii) whether they achieve the minimum score on the scale of the selection criteria; (iii) whether they have sufficient settlement funds; (v) any other supporting documentation they submitted. The results of their medical exam and the content of their police certificates would play a role in applicants’ admissibility to Canada as permanent resident.
Successful applicants and their immediate family members become a permanent resident of Canada. Permanent residents can apply for Canadian citizenship provided that they proved that they have resided as permanent resident in Canada for 1095 days in the relevant five-year period.
