Self-employed category: experience?
Oct 11th 2011, 11:14 am
#1
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Joined: Oct 2011
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 3
Self-employed category: experience?
My first post here so please bear with me! I promise I have used search but don't seem able to find much on this.
I was made redundant from my public sector job a few months ago and am in the early stages of life as a self-employed person. I have close friends in Canada (my Canadian aunt unfortunately lives in the US now) and have other personal reasons for wanting to settle there, but until May family ties made it impossible. Now I am free to do so; and I note that my area of employment (I am a freelance editor and proof reader) fits into the cultural activities strand of the self-employed federal program. I cannot claim that my work experience in the field has been 'world class' and I cannot at this date claim two years' experience of self-employment.
However, I am scratching my head over the requirements because CIC seems to contradict itself. The website states: '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 decision is made on the application'. The manual OP8 also states: 'within five years preceding the date of application. Experience gained prior to the selection decision is also counted'. But the simplified application form says, in a little text box: 'you must meet all criteria at the time you submit your application (my italics).
I am confused now! The estimated processing time is at least 4 years depending on whether you believe CIC's website or the London HC's; I am 47 so don't want to leave this too long! (I have no dependants and currently no spouse/partner). If I go by the OP8 then I could go ahead and get the application in now, and have the experience in place by the time I get the 120 day letter; which I was all set to do with encouragement from my Canadian friends; but then I saw the form! Does anyone know which is the 'master'?!
I was made redundant from my public sector job a few months ago and am in the early stages of life as a self-employed person. I have close friends in Canada (my Canadian aunt unfortunately lives in the US now) and have other personal reasons for wanting to settle there, but until May family ties made it impossible. Now I am free to do so; and I note that my area of employment (I am a freelance editor and proof reader) fits into the cultural activities strand of the self-employed federal program. I cannot claim that my work experience in the field has been 'world class' and I cannot at this date claim two years' experience of self-employment.
However, I am scratching my head over the requirements because CIC seems to contradict itself. The website states: '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 decision is made on the application'. The manual OP8 also states: 'within five years preceding the date of application. Experience gained prior to the selection decision is also counted'. But the simplified application form says, in a little text box: 'you must meet all criteria at the time you submit your application (my italics).
I am confused now! The estimated processing time is at least 4 years depending on whether you believe CIC's website or the London HC's; I am 47 so don't want to leave this too long! (I have no dependants and currently no spouse/partner). If I go by the OP8 then I could go ahead and get the application in now, and have the experience in place by the time I get the 120 day letter; which I was all set to do with encouragement from my Canadian friends; but then I saw the form! Does anyone know which is the 'master'?!
Last edited by borbasuk; Oct 11th 2011 at 11:16 am.
Oct 11th 2011, 3:48 pm
#2
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 12,830
Re: Self-employed category: experience?
My first post here so please bear with me! I promise I have used search but don't seem able to find much on this.
I was made redundant from my public sector job a few months ago and am in the early stages of life as a self-employed person. I have close friends in Canada (my Canadian aunt unfortunately lives in the US now) and have other personal reasons for wanting to settle there, but until May family ties made it impossible. Now I am free to do so; and I note that my area of employment (I am a freelance editor and proof reader) fits into the cultural activities strand of the self-employed federal program. I cannot claim that my work experience in the field has been 'world class' and I cannot at this date claim two years' experience of self-employment.
However, I am scratching my head over the requirements because CIC seems to contradict itself. The website states: '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 decision is made on the application'. The manual OP8 also states: 'within five years preceding the date of application. Experience gained prior to the selection decision is also counted'. But the simplified application form says, in a little text box: 'you must meet all criteria at the time you submit your application (my italics).
I am confused now! The estimated processing time is at least 4 years depending on whether you believe CIC's website or the London HC's; I am 47 so don't want to leave this too long! (I have no dependants and currently no spouse/partner). If I go by the OP8 then I could go ahead and get the application in now, and have the experience in place by the time I get the 120 day letter; which I was all set to do with encouragement from my Canadian friends; but then I saw the form! Does anyone know which is the 'master'?!
I was made redundant from my public sector job a few months ago and am in the early stages of life as a self-employed person. I have close friends in Canada (my Canadian aunt unfortunately lives in the US now) and have other personal reasons for wanting to settle there, but until May family ties made it impossible. Now I am free to do so; and I note that my area of employment (I am a freelance editor and proof reader) fits into the cultural activities strand of the self-employed federal program. I cannot claim that my work experience in the field has been 'world class' and I cannot at this date claim two years' experience of self-employment.
However, I am scratching my head over the requirements because CIC seems to contradict itself. The website states: '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 decision is made on the application'. The manual OP8 also states: 'within five years preceding the date of application. Experience gained prior to the selection decision is also counted'. But the simplified application form says, in a little text box: 'you must meet all criteria at the time you submit your application (my italics).
I am confused now! The estimated processing time is at least 4 years depending on whether you believe CIC's website or the London HC's; I am 47 so don't want to leave this too long! (I have no dependants and currently no spouse/partner). If I go by the OP8 then I could go ahead and get the application in now, and have the experience in place by the time I get the 120 day letter; which I was all set to do with encouragement from my Canadian friends; but then I saw the form! Does anyone know which is the 'master'?!
'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 decision is made on the application.'
Last edited by Aviator; Oct 11th 2011 at 3:52 pm.
Oct 11th 2011, 5:00 pm
#3
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Joined: Oct 2011
Location: Hampshire, UK
Posts: 3
Re: Self-employed category: experience?
Thank you Aviator; I have read the website a number of times and I am aware of what it says; but on the face of it it disagrees with the statement on the application form which is that 'you must meet all criteria at the time you submit your application'.
Oct 11th 2011, 5:14 pm
#4
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,483
Re: Self-employed category: experience?
You do have to meet the criteria on the day you submit your application. While they will credit experience afterwards in computing your points, they will only do this if you had met the criteria anyway.
Oct 11th 2011, 5:30 pm
#5
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Joined: Oct 2011
Location: Hampshire, UK
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Re: Self-employed category: experience?
Thank you Jim; I wish they made this clearer on the website, as I was all set to pull the trigger until I studied the actual form.
Back to the drawing board then; I may just about be within the optimum age range by the time I've got two years of self-employed experience, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they hadn't moved the goalposts by then. Besides which with a 4 year wait I'd be mid-fifties before I get there.
Back to the drawing board then; I may just about be within the optimum age range by the time I've got two years of self-employed experience, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they hadn't moved the goalposts by then. Besides which with a 4 year wait I'd be mid-fifties before I get there.
