Self-employed

Canada’s Immigration Regulations define a self employed person as
an "immigrant who intends and has the ability to establish or purchase
a business in Canada that will create an employment opportunity for
himself and will make a significant contribution to the economy or
the cultural or artistic life of Canada".

There is no formal definition of what constitutes a “significant contribution.”

- “significant contribution” =  Visa Officers judgment

“self-employed person” means a foreign national who has
relevant experience and has the intention and ability
to be self-employed in Canada and to make a significant contribution
to specified economic activities in Canada

There is no formal definition of what constitutes a “significant contribution.”
The intention of the requirement is to give visa officers the ability to use their judgment

“relevant experience” in respect of

  1. a self-employed person, means a minimum of two years of experience,
    during the period beginning five years before the date
    of application for a permanent resident visa and
    ending on the day a determination is made in respect of the application,
    consisting of
    1. in respect of cultural activities,
      1. two one-year periods of experience in self-employment in cultural activities,
      2. two one-year periods of experience in participation
        at a world class level in cultural activities, or
      3. a combination of a one-year period of experience described
        in clause (A) and a one-year period of experience described in clause (B),
    2. in respect of athletics,
      1. two one-year periods of experience in self-employment in athletics,
      2. two one-year periods of experience in participation
        at a world class level in athletics, or
      3. a combination of a one-year period of experience
        described in clause (A) and a one-year period of experience described in clause (B)

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