Self-Employed Persons Program

1. Permanent residencypossible
2. Citizenshipafter 3 years

• Permanent residency
• Citizenship 3 years
• Dual citizenship allowed
• Language required for citizenship CLB 4

Country

Canada

Program

Self-Employed Persons Program

Local name

Catégorie des travailleurs autonomes

Type

Freelancer

Status

Suspended

Federal permanent residence for people with at least two years of relevant experience in cultural activities or athletics who will be self-employed in Canada and make a significant contribution to cultural or athletic life. Intake has been paused since 30 April 2024. IRCC extended that pause until further notice on 19 December 2025 and is still not accepting new applications. People who intend to live in Quebec use Quebec's own self-employed worker program instead.

Tax regime

Worldwide

Regime name

Worldwide income tax for Canadian residents

Foreign income taxed

Yes

Capital gains taxed

Yes

Method

online

Processing time

3650+ days

Apply from abroad

Yes

Paused, not discontinued. The apply page still says IRCC stopped accepting applications on 30 April 2024. The 19 December 2025 entrepreneur notice extended the pause until further notice. Applications already filed are still processed. The farm-management stream of this program stopped taking applications on 10 March 2018. Relevant experience is two one-year periods, in the window from five years before the application until the decision, of self-employment in cultural activities or athletics, or participation at a world-class level, or one year of each. The pass mark is 35 of 100: experience up to 35 (20 points at two years), age up to 10, education up to 25, official-language ability up to 24, and adaptability up to 6. There is no regulated minimum net worth and no published settlement-fund table. The applicant must show enough money to finance the intended work and to support the family. A designated language test result under two years old must be filed or the application is returned, but the grid has no minimum benchmark. Citizenship later requires CLB 4 or NCLC 4 in speaking and listening for ages 18 to 54; that is not a program pass mark. Age points run from 0 at 16 or under to 10 at ages 21 to 49, with no separate minimum age. The outcome is permanent residence, so there is no temporary permit term. Federal business-class fees from 30 April 2026 are CAD 1,895 processing plus CAD 600 right of permanent residence (CAD 2,495) for the principal applicant, CAD 1,590 for an accompanying spouse including that fee, and CAD 270 per dependent child. Biometrics are CAD 85, or CAD 170 for a family. USD amounts use the Bank of Canada rate of 8 October 2026, 1 USD = 1.4240 CAD: CAD 2,495 ≈ USD 1,752 and CAD 1,590 ≈ USD 1,117. IRCC's processing-time file of 3 September 2026 says "More than 10 years", with about 8,000 people waiting, a floor of at least 3,650 days. Citizenship requires 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before applying, including at least 730 days as a permanent resident. A dependent child is under 22 and unmarried, with the usual exception for an older child who cannot be financially self-supporting because of a condition.

1. Oct 10, 2026

   Added

   added the paused federal Self-Employed Persons Program, pass mark 35, no set investment, fees from the 30 April 2026 business-class schedule, processing more than 10 years (canada.ca).