Federal Self-Employed
Self-employed international, professional athletes, or individuals in the arts and culture industry who can prove that they have the potential to be gainfully self-employed in Canada are eligible for a business immigration visa, provided they meet the selection criteria for the Federal Self-Employed Persons Program.
In comparison to other streams of business immigration, where applicants are required to invest a sum of their own funds into a company or government, or acquire funding from a private organization, eligible applicants are instead only asked to provide proof of their experience within their industry as well as evidence supporting their claims to being successfully self-employed.
Federal Self-Employed Program Requirements
At least two years of relevant work experience in the applicant’s professional industry are required within the five years that precede their business immigration application. Professional athletes and individuals in the arts and culture industry must either provide proof of:
- Two years of being self-employed within their industry, or
- Two years of participating at a world-class level within their domain, or
- A combination of one year of each of the above.
All those applying to the Federal Self-Employed Program must intend to settle in any Canadian province or territory with the exception of Quebec, who has its own self-employed immigration program.
Selection Criteria for Federal Self-Employed Program
In addition to meeting the experience requirements, applicants will also be graded on a point system to better assess their eligibility for a Self-Employed Visa.
Overview of Factors
| Selection Criteria | Maximum Points |
|---|---|
| Education | 25 |
| Experience | 35 |
| Age | 10 |
| Ability in English and/or French | 24 |
| Adaptability | 6 |
| Total | 100 |
Education
| Education | Points |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree or Ph.D. and at least 17 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 25 points |
| Two or more university degrees at the bachelor’s level and at least 15 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 22 points |
| Three-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 15 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 22 points |
| University degree of two years or more at the bachelor’s level and at least 14 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 20 points |
| Two-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 14 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 20 points |
| One-year university degree at the bachelor’s level and at least 13 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 15 points |
| One-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 13 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 15 points |
| One-year diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship and at least 12 years of full-time or full-time equivalent study. | 12 points |
| Completed high school. | 5 points |
| Maximum | 25 |
Experience
| Experience | Points |
|---|---|
| Two years of relevant experience | 20 |
| Three years of relevant experience | 25 |
| Four years of relevant experience | 30 |
| Five years of relevant experience | 35 |
| Maximum | 35 |
Age
| Age | Points |
|---|---|
| 16 or under | 0 |
| 17 | 2 |
| 18 | 4 |
| 19 | 6 |
| 20 | 8 |
| 21–49 | 10 |
| 50 | 8 |
| 51 | 6 |
| 52 | 4 |
| 53 | 2 |
| 54+ | 0 |
| Maximum | 10 |
Language
| Language Proficiency | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Official Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
| High proficiency | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Moderate proficiency | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Basic proficiency | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| No proficiency | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Please Note: You can score a maximum of only two points in total for basic-level proficiency. | ||||
| Second Official Language | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
| High proficiency | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Moderate proficiency | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Basic proficiency | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| No proficiency | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maximum | 24 | |||
Adaptability
| Adaptability | Points |
|---|---|
| Spouse’s or common-law partner’s level of education | |
| Secondary school (high school) diploma or less | 0 |
| A one-year diploma, trade certificate, apprenticeship, or university degree and at least 12 years of full-time or full-time equivalent studies | 3 |
| A two or three-year diploma, trade certificate, apprenticeship, or university degree and at least 14 years of full-time or full-time equivalent studies | 4 |
| A master’s degree or PhD and at least 17 years of full-time or full-time equivalent studies | 5 |
| Previous work in Canada | |
| You, or your accompanying spouse or common-law partner have completed a minimum of one year of full-time work in Canada on a valid work permit. | 5 |
| Previous study in Canada | |
| You, or your accompanying spouse or common-law partner have completed a program of full-time study of at least two years’ duration at a post-secondary institution in Canada. You must have done this after you were 17 years old and with a valid study permit. There is no need to have obtained a degree or diploma for these two years of study to earn these points. | 5 |
| Relatives in Canada | |
| You, or your accompanying spouse or common-law partner, have a relative (parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, child of a parent, sibling, child of a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or grandchild of a parent, niece or nephew) who is residing in Canada and is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. | 5 |
| Maximum | 6 |
Applicants are awarded points for their education (25), experience (35), age (10), language proficiencies (24), and adaptability (6), for a total score of 100 points. Successful candidates will have a minimum passing score of 35, that is subject to change. Candidates will be selected based on their scores for each category, the documents they provide with their application, and whether or not they meet the standards of a self-employed person in Canada.
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