Knowing What Self Employed Immigration is

Obtaining Permanent Residency as a Self Employed Individual

There are many ways that allow you to immigrate to Canada. Almost all paths to permanent residency require the applicant to have a valid job offer before they will be able to apply successfully. However, the case is a bit tricky for self-employed individuals. That being said, self-employed individuals have a different route in terms of their immigration. They cannot present an employment letter, stating the contract length, salary, working hours, and job duties, when they are preparing for their permanent resident application. Even though self-employed immigration is different than other types of immigration, you do not be overwhelmed, though. In this blog, you will learn information about immigrating to Canada as a self-employed individual.

Knowing the Self Employed Immigration

Self Employed Immigration, as the name suggests, is the way by which a self-employed individual immigrates to Canada. These individuals do not have a valid job offer to support their permanent residency. Rather, they have promised the immigration officer that, they are capable of establishing a business upon their arrival in Canada. Since these individuals do not have a valid job offer to support their application, the requirements for this type of application are strict. Specifically, an individual who wishes to apply through the Self-employed immigration program must have relevant experience in cultural activities or athletics. These are the areas of the Canadian economy the Canadian government has determined are in need of assistance self-employed immigration can offer. In other words, applicants are establishing a mutually-beneficial relationship with the Canadian Government.

Self Employed Immigration Stream Eligibility

First and foremost, the applicant is capable of being self-employed within Canada. Then, you must have relevant experience, depending on the type of business you intend to establish upon immigrating to Canada. You must also pass medical exams and security background checks. It is important to note that, different countries have different biometric requirements. Therefore, you will need to be fully aware of the requirements of your country of origin. Last but not least, you must meet the selection criteria for self-employed people, and actually be selected to immigrate to Canada.

What are the Selection Criteria

The selection criteria have turned the application process into a competition. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will assess your application on the following criteria. The more competent you are in these categories, the more likely you will be invited to apply for permanent residence through the self-employed immigration stream. The categories are as follows:

• experience
• education
• age
• language abilities
• adaptability

Apart from your competence of the aforementioned factors, you will need to demonstrate your ability to produce a successful business plan that will satisfy an officer of your intentions in Canada. In order to increase your chance of being invited, you may also provide proof of previous work or completed projects to show that you will be benefit the Canadian economy in the long-term.

Knowing your Relevant Experience

As previously mentioned, self-employed immigration can be seen as a competition. You competence comes from your expertise within the field you intend to establish a business. The most important thing is that, you must have two years of relevant experience within the period of 5 years before the day you apply for the self-employed immigration stream. To be considered relevant, the experience must be within the field you intend to open a business. For example, if you would like to open a business which qualifies as promoting athletics, you must have two years total experience being self-employed in athletics, or, participating at a world class level in athletics, or a combination of the two. Another example would be promoting cultural activities. If you would like to open a business which qualifies as promoting cultural activities, you must have two years total experience being self-employed in cultural activities, or, participating at a world-class level in cultural activities, or a combination of the two, within the 5 year period before you apply.

Government Fee

It is always important to know how much government fee you will be paying for your application. For self-employed immigration application, there is a $1050CAD non-refundable processing fee which accompanies your application. This must be paid before the application is submitted, and applies whether the application is approved or refused. In addition to this, there is a $490CAD non-refundable right of permanent resident fee you must pay if your application is approved and you are permitted to enter Canada as a permanent resident. Finally, if there are any additional children or partners accompanying, there will be additional fees for this as well.

Contact Akrami & Associates

Self-employed Immigration have many different requirements which may make this type of application confusing, or sometimes, overwhelming. Moreover, the application for Self-employed Immigration can be difficult when you are doing it on your own. As a result, it is highly recommended that you seek out professional and experienced help before attempting to apply for Self-employed Immigration. Akrami & Associates work and have experience with many different immigration issues. We have helped many of our clients to obtain permanent residency through Self-employed Immigration in Canada. Please feel free to contact Akrami & Associates at 416-477-2545 for more information, or if you would like to book a consultation with an immigration professional for more advise.

With Akrami and Associates, there is Always a Way!