Self Employed visa

The Self-employed Persons Program allows people to immigrate to Canada permanently as a self-employed person.
To immigrate as a self-employed person, you must:
• have relevant experience
• be willing and able to be self-employed in Canada
• meet the program’s selection criteria and
• meet medical, security and other conditions

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
Selection criteria:
• experience
• education
• age
• language abilities
• adaptability

On April 29, 2024, Minister Miller announced a full pause on application intake for the Self¬-Employed Persons Program to focus on processing applications from the inventory, starting April 30, 2024. The Self-Employed Persons Program provides a pathway to permanent residence for people with notable experience in art, culture, recreation or sports and who will contribute to Canada’s cultural vitality. Due to the high number of applications submitted for this program, processing times have increased to beyond four years. While the pause is in place, IRCC will continue finalizing applications from the backlog while assessing options for reforming the program and ensuring its integrity.