Do digital art commissions count as "work"?

[bunhearts]

Hello!
I'm from the USA and planning to move to Quebec and pursue inland spousal sponsorship with my Canadian spouse. We are both artists, and at the moment the only income I receive is from digital art commissions, which get paid to me in USD. I want to continue taking digital art commissions to support us when we move, but I'm not sure if it requires a work permit or not. I looked at what is considered work, and came across this passage:
"self-employment where the work to be done would have no real impact on the labour market, nor really provide an opportunity for Canadians. Examples include a U.S. farmer crossing the border to work on fields that he owns, or a miner coming to work on his own claim"
I do not see how me doing commissions in Quebec would impact the labor market of Canada, and I do not see how I'd be taking an opportunity from Canadians. It seems like this wouldn't count as work and I'd be able to continue them until I'm able to get a work permit. I just wanted to know if this was sound or not, or if I'd have to halt taking commissions until I can get the work permit.
Any help is greatly appreciated, Thank you.

 

[scylla]

Hello!
I'm from the USA and planning to move to Quebec and pursue inland spousal sponsorship with my Canadian spouse. We are both artists, and at the moment the only income I receive is from digital art commissions, which get paid to me in USD. I want to continue taking digital art commissions to support us when we move, but I'm not sure if it requires a work permit or not. I looked at what is considered work, and came across this passage:
"self-employment where the work to be done would have no real impact on the labour market, nor really provide an opportunity for Canadians. Examples include a U.S. farmer crossing the border to work on fields that he owns, or a miner coming to work on his own claim"
I do not see how me doing commissions in Quebec would impact the labor market of Canada, and I do not see how I'd be taking an opportunity from Canadians. It seems like this wouldn't count as work and I'd be able to continue them until I'm able to get a work permit. I just wanted to know if this was sound or not, or if I'd have to halt taking commissions until I can get the work permit.
Any help is greatly appreciated, Thank you.

The short answer is that it is legal to do this without a work permit as long as your clients / customers are not located in Canada. So you can do and accept this work for customers located in other counties. If you want to do work for Canadian customers / clients, then you need a work permit or it is classified as working illegally.

 

[bunhearts]

The short answer is that it is legal to do this without a work permit as long as your clients / customers are not located in Canada. So you can do and accept this work for customers located in other counties. If you want to do work for Canadian customers / clients, then you need a work permit or it is classified as working illegally.

Thank you for the response! This clears a lot up for me. I'll still get a work permit, but until then I'll be able to continue getting commissions while declining Canadian clients.