Self-Employed  Immigration

An applicant in this category must meet the definition of a self-employed person described in section 88(1) of the IRPR as someone who "has relevant experience and has the intention and ability to be self-employed in Canada and to make a significant contribution to specified economic activities in Canada."

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The key phrase is "specified economic activities", which is defined as "cultural activities, athletics, or the purchase and management of a farm" under the regulations.

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Eligibility
To immigrate as a self-employed person, you must:

have relevant experience
be willing and able to be self-employed in Canada
meet the program’s selection criteria 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 or
been a self-employed person in cultural activities or athletics
Definitions
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
Selection criteria
We assess you on selection criteria that include your:

experience
education
age
language abilities
adaptability