When applying for immigration through the Express Entry system, you must prove your work experience. How to do it if you have worked for yourself?
If you intend to immigrate to Canada under one of the Express Entry programs as a skilled worker, but in the past years you were a self-employed entrepreneur or a businessman without forming a legal entity, and your work experience is self-employment, you need to prove your entrepreneurial activity.
In this article, you will learn how to validate entrepreneurial activity for skilled immigration programs. The requirements are different for businessmen and investors applying for permanent residency under business immigration programs. There are also other criteria for those who intend to immigrate through the Self-Employed Persons Program.
Regarding the documents confirming entrepreneurial activity, the official Canadian site states the following:
“If the applicant is self-employed, articles of incorporation or other evidence of business ownership, evidence of self-employment income and documentation from third-party individuals indicating the service provided along with payment details (self-declared main duties or affidavits are not acceptable proof of self-employed work experience)”.
This means that if the applicant is a self-employed person, he must provide:
1. Articles of incorporation or other evidence of business ownership:
- Сertificate of registration of a company or self-employed entrepreneur
- License, if required for the type of your business activity
- Screenshot of a corporate website with a link
- Photos of the workplace (for example, if you have a store or a selling spot in the construction material market, take a picture of it and attach the photo to the application — it will be easier for an immigration officer to get an idea of your activity)
2. Evidence of self-employment income:
- Agreements and contracts with customers or suppliers
- Work completion certificates
- Pension fund certificates containing the amounts of contributions
- Tax reports
- Bank statements
3. Reference letters from third parties (e. g. customers or suppliers) that list the services provided and contain information on payment for these services. The client or supplier must indicate their contact details in the letter so that the immigration officer can contact them and verify the authenticity of the document.
4. Notarized translations all documents in English or French made by a certified translator, as well as:
- Translator’s affidavit
- Copies of original documents
The more documents, the better. However, letters describing the work duties that the self-employed person has written himself will not be accepted.
When attaching documents, you must make sure that the immigration officer gets a complete picture of your activity, so that he has no doubt that you are an entrepreneur and this is your main occupation.