Immigrate as a self-employed person

To apply for this program you must:

• have relevant experience in cultural activities or athletics and
• be willing and able to make a significant contribution to the cultural or athletic life of Canada

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

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:
  1. 2 one-year periods being self-employed in cultural activities, or
  2. 2 one-year periods participating at a world-class level in cultural activities, or
  3. a combination of a one-year period described in (a), and a one-year period described in (b)
• for athletics:
  1. 2 one-year periods being self-employed in athletics, or
  2. 2 one-year periods participating at a world class level in athletics, or
  3. a combination of a one-year period described in (a) above, and a one-year period described in (b) above

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, A visa Officer 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