The Federal Self-Employed Class is geared towards applicants who have relevant self-employment experience as well as the intention and the ability to create their own employment and make a significant contribution to the cultural, artistic or athletic life of Canada, or to create their own employment by purchasing and managing a farm in Canada.

Examples of professional occupations in art and culture

• librarians and archivists
• conservators and curators
• authors and writers
• editors and journalists
• translators, terminologists and interpreters
• producers, directors, choreographers 
• musicians and singers
• actors and comedians
• painters, sculptors and visual artists
• photographers
• film and video camera operators
• graphic art technicians, designers and illustrators
• interior designers and decorators
• artisans and craftspeople
• athletes and coaches
• sports officials and referees, etc.

Requirement

A successful applicant is one who has at least two years of relevant experience in:

1. Self-employment in cultural activities or in athletics; 
2. Participation at a world-class level in cultural activities or athletics; or 
3. Farm management experience.

As of March 10, 2018, the federal government is no longer accepting new applications under the farm management stream.

The experience must be acquired in the period beginning five years before the date of the application and ending on the day a determination is made on the application.

In addition, the federal self-employed program operates under a points-based system. In order to qualify, a candidate must obtain minimum of 35 points out of 100 points possible on factors such as: education, experience, age, language ability and adaptability.

To qualify, the applicant must demonstrate a sufficient financial net worth which, although somewhat less than an entrepreneur and not specified in the regulations, should enable the applicant to be self-employed in Canada and make a significant contribution to specified economic activities in Canada and to meet the initial settlement requirements for the applicant and accompanying dependents.

An interview may be required as part of the process, in case the information provided is unclear or there are gaps in the documentation.

Once approved, the application proceeds to Federal security and medical verifications followed by visa issuance with mandatory terms and conditions, within an overall processing delay of approximately 24 months.

 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.