Who is Federal Self-Employed?
Relevant experience for a self-employed person means at least two years of experience.
It must be during the period starting 5 years before the day you apply and ending on the day we make a decision on your application.
You can get more points if you have 3, 4, or 5 years of experience.
At a minimum, your experience must be:
- for cultural activities:
- 2 one-year periods being self-employed in cultural activities, or
- 2 one-year periods participating at a world-class level in cultural activities, or
- a combination of a one-year period described in (a), and a one-year period described in (b)
for athletics:
- 2 one-year periods being self-employed in athletics, or
- 2 one-year periods participating at a world class level in athletics, or
- a combination of a one-year period described in (a) above, and a one-year period described in (b) above
How can I qualify to immigrate to Canada as a self-employed person?
- To qualify as a self-employed person, you must have two years of relevant experience and show that you intend to become self-employed in Canada.
- You must also score at least 35 points on a selection grid designed to determine whether you will be able to make an economic contribution to Canada.
Self-employed person: Selection criteria
To qualify as a self-employed immigrant, you must:
- meet the definition of a self-employed person
- get a minimum of 35 points after we grade you based on our five selection criteria and point system
Your score
Your maximum possible score is 100. The pass mark is currently 35 points, but it may change. Make sure you visit this site regularly if you’re thinking about immigrating to Canada as a self-employed immigrant.
We select candidates based on:
- the documents that you give us
- your score under each of the selection criteria
- you meeting the definition of a self-employed person
- As part of the immigration process, we may ask to interview you. During the interview, a visa officer will ask you to explain:
- information that is unclear or inconsistent
- shortcomings or gaps in the documents that you provide
- If there’s a difference between your statement of your qualifications and the visa officer’s assessment, we’ll award points based on the officer’s decision.
How can you immigrate to Canada as a self-employed worker
Immigrating to Canada is a dream for lots of workers all over the world. But many of these workers don’t know that if they have a previous relevant experience in the cultural/artisanal, athletic (at an international level), they might be eligible to immigrate to Canada in the Federal Self-Employed Program. And since they want to come as self-employed workers, no job offer is required. But among other requirements, candidates must have at least two years of professional experience in these areas. Check the full list below according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
NOC Professional Occupations in Art and Culture
5111 Librarians
5112 Conservators and Curators
5113 Archivists
5121 Authors and Writers
5122 Editors
5123 Journalists
5124 Professional Occupations in Public Relations and Communications
5125 Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters
5131 Producers, Directors, Choreographers and Related Occupations
5132 Conductors, Composers, and Arrangers
5133 Musicians and Singers
5134 Dancers
5135 Actors and Comedians
5136 Painters, Sculptors, and Other Visual Artists
NOC Technical and Skilled Occupations in Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport
5211 Library and Archive Technicians and Assistants
5212 Technical Occupations Related to Museums and Art Galleries
5221 Photographers
5222 Film and Video Camera Operators
5223 Graphic Arts Technicians
5224 Broadcast Technicians
5225 Audio and Video Recording Technicians
5226 Other Technical and Co-ordinating Occupations in Motion Pictures, Broadcasting and the Performing Arts
5227 Support Occupations in Motion Pictures, Broadcasting and the Performing Arts
5231 Announcers and Other Broadcasters
5232 Other Performers
5241 Graphic Designers and Illustrators
5242 Interior Designers
5243 Theatre, Fashion, Exhibit and Other Creative Designers
5244 Artisans and Craftspersons
5245 Patternmakers – Textile, Leather and Fur Products
5251 Athletes
5252 Coaches
5253 Sports Officials and Referees
5254 Program Leaders and Instructors in Recreation, Sport, and Fitness IRCC website