Canadian Self Employed Persons Program

When applying for the Self-Employed visa Canada, you should prove that you have relevant experience, can meet the program’s selection criteria, and meet the medical, security and other conditions.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has requirements for applicants looking to immigrate to Canada through this route. One of them is the relevant experience criteria.

For your experience to be relevant, you must have at least two years of experience where you must have:

• Taken part in cultural or athletic activities at a world-class level or
• Been self-employed in cultural or athletic areas

The two years of experience must fall within five years from the day you apply. The minimum experience for cultural activities or athletics must be:

• Two one-year periods of being self-employed, or
• Two one-year periods of taking part in cultural activities or athletics on the global scene, or
• A combination of two one-year periods from the first and the second points

The five-point selection system includes an assessment of your experience, age, language ability, education, and adaptability to determine if you will be able to contribute to Canada’s economy.

For each area, you are awarded points based on your submitted documents, the score you give yourself, your fitting the description of a self-employed person, and, if interviewed, the visa officer’s decision. Each area has maximum points that you can obtain, of which the total is 100. They are:

You must prove that you have a clean criminal record by obtaining police certificates in the US.

Another requirement for this business immigration route is the financial requirement. The Canadian government expects self-employed individuals to have enough money to support themselves and any dependents they come with for at least one year from their arrival date in Canada.

There’s no exact amount that is sufficient settlement funds, but you must have enough to live in the region of Canada that you intend to live in and cover any initial business cost. Usually, you will declare your net worth to prove you have enough funds.

For more information or assistance with applying for this federal entrepreneur immigration route, call +1 844 290 6312 or send an email to info@total.law.

To be admissible into Canada as a permanent resident, you must meet the medical requirements. Since the Canada Self-Employed visa confers permanent residence on approved applicants, you must see a panel physician to do a medical exam.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to take this exam before or after submitting your application.

You and all your dependents are to take the medical exam. That includes dependents who are not immigrating with you. Note that if any of your dependents are inadmissible, you will be inadmissible as well.

Intended self-employed individuals can apply online or mail their application to the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

For this business immigration application, you should fill out the required forms. One of them is the Generic Application Form for Canada. If you plan on mailing your application, ensure you use the “validate” button in the form to get a barcode page. You are to print out the filled form and barcode pages.

For the online application process, sign into the Permanent residence online application portal and fill out the digital versions of the application forms.

The next step is to pay your fees. That includes your application processing and biometrics fees. Ensure you print out the payment receipts and attach them to your application. After paying for biometrics, you will receive a letter confirming where you can go to give your fingerprints and photograph.

The processing times for most applications fall within 36 months. However, if you leave out critical information from your application, your processing time may be longer.

The required and supporting documents include:

• Completed forms as it applies to you:
  • Generic Application Form for Canada
  • Document Checklist
  • Additional Dependants/Declaration
  • Schedule A – Background/Declaration
  • Schedule 5: Economic Classes—Declaration of Intent to Reside in Quebec
  • Schedule 6A Business Immigrants – Self-employed persons
  • Additional Family Information
  • Supplementary Information – Your travels
• Proof of your educational qualifications
• Language test results
• Proof of relevant experience
• Valid passport or other travel documents
• Police clearance certificates
• Identity document
• Two recent photographs

When applying, you are to pay fees that may include:

• Application processing fee – $1,575
• Right of permanent residence – $500
• Fees for accompanying family members
  • Child – $225
  • Processing for spouse or partner – $825
  • Right of permanent residence for spouse or partner – $500
• Biometrics fee
• Third-party fees (medical exams, police certificates, language testing)

The above figures are in Canadian dollars.