Self-employed program
For self-employed people, settling in another country may sound like a tough call. But there is good news. Certain countries like Canada have special programs for self-employed persons. If you have always wanted to migrate to Canada as a self-employed person, this program can be your ticket to fulfill that dream. The self-employed program gives direct and indefinite permanent residency in Canada if you qualify.
Who is a self-employed person?
A self-employed person, as the name suggests, is anyone who is self-dependent and does not work for someone else. This could include business persons, artists, sportspersons, freelancers, writers, actors, or anyone who works independently.
What is the Self Employed Persons Program of Canada?
The Government of Canada offers a special visa for self-employed persons under its immigration and citizenship programs. The Self Employed Persons Program is a part of the business immigration pathways of Canada that offers special immigration privileges to self-employed individuals and their immediate families. However, it is different from other business immigration programs as other programs require an applicant to have a minimum net worth or make an investment in the country. The self-employed program does not require any investment or minimum net worth although it has a few other eligibility criteria that one must fulfill.
The Self Employed Persons Program of Canada covers all other locations within the country except Quebec. If you are willing to settle in Quebec as a self-employed person, you have to apply through the Quebec Self Employed Program.
Who is eligible for the Canada Self Employed Program?
Anyone who is working as a self-employed person can apply for immigration to Canada under the Self Employed Program. There are a few qualification criteria though. To qualify for immigration under the program, the applicant has to have relevant experience in their field of work, that has allowed them to sustain as a self-employed individual in their present country.
Applicants need to have at least two years of experience in their field to prove that they can establish themselves as self-employed citizens in any Canadian province.
Apart from this, the candidate also has to be able to demonstrate that they can significantly contribute to Canada’s artistic, social, or cultural scene through their work. There are basically four important criteria that an applicant must meet –
Relevant experience, in this case, means any experience within the last 5 years in either participating in a world-level event in their field or as a self-employed professional in their field.
The Federal Self Employed Program runs a point-based system of selection. This system assigns points to different factors such as age, experience, educational qualifications, language proficiency, and adaptability. For instance, applicants between 21 and 49 years of age get the highest points in this category, applicants with a Master’s Degree or a Ph.D. in their field get the highest points in the Education category, and so on. A minimum of 35 points is required to be eligible for selection.
Though minimum net worth is not a factor for eligibility here, the applicant must have sufficient funds to be able to support their stay in Canada initially.