Self-employed people

The Self-Employed Persons Program seeks to bring people who will become self-employed in Canada. They must have either:

• relevant experience in cultural activities or athletics, and
  • intend and be able to make a significant contribution to the cultural or athletic life of Canada, or
• experience in farm management, and
  • intend and be able to buy and manage a farm in Canada.

To be eligible as a self-employed person, you must:

• have relevant experience, and intend and be able to be self-employed in Canada,
• meet the selection criteria for self-employed people, and
• meet medical, security and other conditions.

Relevant experience

Your experience is relevant if you have:

• taken part in cultural activities or athletics at a world-class level,
• been self-employed in cultural activities or athletics, or
• experience in managing a farm.

Consult the list of qualifying activities for self-employed persons and definitions of terms used for self-employed applicants for more information.

Selection criteria

• experience,
• education,
• age,
• language abilities, and
• adaptability.

Medical, security and other requirements

You and your family members must have a medical exam and get police certificates.

You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you get to Canada.

Definitions

Self-employed person means a foreign national who:

• has relevant experience,
• intends and is able to be self-employed in Canada, and
• can contribute to Canada’s economy in one of the required areas.

Relevant experience for a self-employed person means at least two years of experience.

It must be during the period starting five years before the day you apply and ending on the day CIC make a decision on your application. The experience must be:

• for cultural activities:
  1. two one-year periods of experience in self-employment in cultural activities, or
  2. two one-year periods of experience in participation at a world class level in cultural activities, or
  3. a combination of a one-year period of experience described in A above, and a one-year period of experience described in B above.
• for athletics:
  1. two one-year periods of experience in self-employment in athletics, or
  2. two one-year periods of experience in participation at a world class level in athletics, or
  3. a combination of a one-year period of experience described in 1 above, and a one-year period of experience described in 2 above, and
• for buying and managing a farm, two one-year periods of experience managing a farm.

Specified economic activities for a self-employed person, means:

• cultural activities,
• athletics, or
• buying and managing a farm.

Activities for a self-employed person selected by a province are decided by the laws of the province.