*** Disclaimer: I am not legally qualified to offer advice, this is the opinion of an applicant and someone who has spent years looking at this stuff ***
I've seen a lot of posts recently from people saying "I do x freelance, do I qualify?". Well, in a superficial way, maybe you do.
It's more complicated than that however.
While the MINIMUM requirements are that you have a minimum of 2 years Freelance experience in the last 5 in the field of work you do (that falls in the list of acceptable roles as laid out in the regulations) that is almost certainly not enough to get the visa.
This is a visa category seeking to attract WORLD CLASS actors, musicians, writers, artists, photographers, sculptors, Make Up & Hair Artists, Flim and TV Technicians etc.
What it's not is a category for Self Employed salon nail technicians or people who paint a bit and sell to friends, family and coffee shops.
Let's look at the wording:
Relevant experience for a self-employed person means at least two years of experience.
It must be during the period starting 5 years before the day you apply and ending on the day we make a decision on your application.
You can get more points if you have 3, 4, or 5 years of experience.
At a minimum, your experience must be:
While you may make a comfortable living at your job as say a gigging pub/bar musician or an actor on some regional TV or theatre or perhaps you do AV at your church or teach art to college students, everything has to be put into perspective: am I among the best, not just locally or even nationally, but potentially internationally, at what I do?
As an athlete could you have lined up with Bolt in the 100m finals? Could you prove that you've spent the last decade training some of the biggest, strongest, fastest athletes on earth? If you've been teaching yoga and pilates at your local gym for expectant mums and the elderly then I think Canada already has enough people of it's own that can do that!
We have to weigh up our chances against the likelihood that there will be some epically qualified people in the pile that will get in way before your or my envelope is even opened.
Why would Canada let you or me in to do jobs that can very likely be done by people already there? We have to show that we have the skills, the experience and most importantly the desire to continue freelancing once in Canada.
This isn't a visa to apply for if you intend to get off the plane and apply for social security or just get a job at a 7/11.
They want to see that you have been serious thus far about advancing your career as a freelancer in your field and that it's a way of life to you, that it's the way you want to continue living and working once in Canada.
"It is intended that the Self-Employed Persons Class enrich Canadian culture and sports.
In other words, when applicants meet the test of experience and there is a reasonable expectation they will be self-employed, the test of significant contribution becomes relative. For example, a music teacher destined to a small town can be considered significant at the local level. Likewise, a freelance journalist who contributes to a Canadian publication will meet the test."
They want to see that you have enough experience and skills that you can literally step off the plane and companies, organisations and individuals will be beating the door down to pay you.
Being a paid hobbyist isn't the same as being a working freelancer.
You need the money saved and available to support yourself, the language and interpersonal skills to work people from all over the world and from different cultures and classes, you need the skills and talents that Canada values and most importantly wants.
Our aim is to impress a bored visa officer in an office somewhere who really wants to go home and stop staring at paperwork under buzzing strip lights. We have to show this person that we are able to support ourselves, to easily integrate socially and professionally, that we are skilled and, vitally, able and likely to enrich the cultural and sporting fabric of Canada.
If that's you (and I think it's me
) crack on, but if you just sell a few paintings or noodle away at music production or train pensioners to keep them from seizing up ask yourself this question: Does Canada ALREADY have enough people of my talent and skill level just scraping by? If you think they do, then try a different approach to Immigration or double down in your own country and become as good as you can at what you do and try again.
As a side note, become as proficient as possible in either English or French. Posts that read, "Tell me I am beings Freelances now 6 year, am I qualify." demonstrate a 8 year old's grasp of English and that is not good enough (by at least 10+ years) for the work environment. Posts that read, "How I get Canada self employed?" show not only chronic laziness on the part of the poster but also that barely childlike grasp of English again...
Just the thoughts of an applicant who wades through forums on the regular and sees the same type of posts over and over. Oh yes, feel free to use the search features for what you're seeking before you hijack someone else's post
I've seen a lot of posts recently from people saying "I do x freelance, do I qualify?". Well, in a superficial way, maybe you do.
It's more complicated than that however.
While the MINIMUM requirements are that you have a minimum of 2 years Freelance experience in the last 5 in the field of work you do (that falls in the list of acceptable roles as laid out in the regulations) that is almost certainly not enough to get the visa.
This is a visa category seeking to attract WORLD CLASS actors, musicians, writers, artists, photographers, sculptors, Make Up & Hair Artists, Flim and TV Technicians etc.
What it's not is a category for Self Employed salon nail technicians or people who paint a bit and sell to friends, family and coffee shops.
Let's look at the wording:
Relevant experience for a self-employed person means at least two years of experience.
It must be during the period starting 5 years before the day you apply and ending on the day we make a decision on your application.
You can get more points if you have 3, 4, or 5 years of experience.
At a minimum, your experience must be:
- for cultural activities:
- 2 one-year periods being self-employed in cultural activities, or
- 2 one-year periods participating at a world-class level in cultural activities, or
- a combination of a one-year period described in (a), and a one-year period described in (b)
- for athletics:
- 2 one-year periods being self-employed in athletics, or
- 2 one-year periods participating at a world class level in athletics, or
- a combination of a one-year period described in (a) above, and a one-year period described in (b) above
While you may make a comfortable living at your job as say a gigging pub/bar musician or an actor on some regional TV or theatre or perhaps you do AV at your church or teach art to college students, everything has to be put into perspective: am I among the best, not just locally or even nationally, but potentially internationally, at what I do?
As an athlete could you have lined up with Bolt in the 100m finals? Could you prove that you've spent the last decade training some of the biggest, strongest, fastest athletes on earth? If you've been teaching yoga and pilates at your local gym for expectant mums and the elderly then I think Canada already has enough people of it's own that can do that!
We have to weigh up our chances against the likelihood that there will be some epically qualified people in the pile that will get in way before your or my envelope is even opened.
Why would Canada let you or me in to do jobs that can very likely be done by people already there? We have to show that we have the skills, the experience and most importantly the desire to continue freelancing once in Canada.
This isn't a visa to apply for if you intend to get off the plane and apply for social security or just get a job at a 7/11.
They want to see that you have been serious thus far about advancing your career as a freelancer in your field and that it's a way of life to you, that it's the way you want to continue living and working once in Canada.
"It is intended that the Self-Employed Persons Class enrich Canadian culture and sports.
In other words, when applicants meet the test of experience and there is a reasonable expectation they will be self-employed, the test of significant contribution becomes relative. For example, a music teacher destined to a small town can be considered significant at the local level. Likewise, a freelance journalist who contributes to a Canadian publication will meet the test."
They want to see that you have enough experience and skills that you can literally step off the plane and companies, organisations and individuals will be beating the door down to pay you.
Being a paid hobbyist isn't the same as being a working freelancer.
You need the money saved and available to support yourself, the language and interpersonal skills to work people from all over the world and from different cultures and classes, you need the skills and talents that Canada values and most importantly wants.
Our aim is to impress a bored visa officer in an office somewhere who really wants to go home and stop staring at paperwork under buzzing strip lights. We have to show this person that we are able to support ourselves, to easily integrate socially and professionally, that we are skilled and, vitally, able and likely to enrich the cultural and sporting fabric of Canada.
If that's you (and I think it's me
) crack on, but if you just sell a few paintings or noodle away at music production or train pensioners to keep them from seizing up ask yourself this question: Does Canada ALREADY have enough people of my talent and skill level just scraping by? If you think they do, then try a different approach to Immigration or double down in your own country and become as good as you can at what you do and try again. As a side note, become as proficient as possible in either English or French. Posts that read, "Tell me I am beings Freelances now 6 year, am I qualify." demonstrate a 8 year old's grasp of English and that is not good enough (by at least 10+ years) for the work environment. Posts that read, "How I get Canada self employed?" show not only chronic laziness on the part of the poster but also that barely childlike grasp of English again...
Just the thoughts of an applicant who wades through forums on the regular and sees the same type of posts over and over. Oh yes, feel free to use the search features for what you're seeking before you hijack someone else's post
