Self-Employment: Program description

Program Objectives

To provide unemployed Employment Insurance eligible individuals with income and entrepreneurial support while they develop and implement their business plan.
To assist unemployed Employment Insurance eligible individuals to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment resulting in savings to the Employment Insurance Account.

Duration

The unemployed Employment Insurance eligible individual is provided with financial and entrepreneurial support for a maximum of 52 weeks (up to 78 weeks for an individual with a disability) to help them start their own business and become self-employed. This is done with the assistance of eligible coordinators (sponsors) who provide business support.

Eligible Participants

Eligible participants are those who, pursuant to the Employment Insurance Act, are unemployed individuals who at the time of applying for the Self-Employment Program:
1. for whom an unemployment benefit period has been established or has ended within the 36 months prior to the date of requesting assistance; or
2. for whom a benefit period that included a maternity or parental claim has been established within the 60 months prior to the date of requesting assistance, after which the individual remained out of the labour market in order to care for a newborn or newly adopted child and is now seeking to re-enter the labour force.
Other criteria may apply.

Unemployed Employment Insurance eligible individuals may complete the Self-Employment application form and/or apply at the nearest Service Canada Centre.
To become a sponsor, an application must be submitted to their Service Canada Centre.

Labour Market Development Agreements

Human Resource and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has entered into agreements with most provinces and territories to define how the Benefits and Measures would be delivered in each region.
As a result, in New Brunswick , Québec , Manitoba , Saskatchewan , Alberta , the Northwest Territories and Nunavut , programs similar to the Employment Benefits and Support Measures are delivered by the provincial or territorial government pursuant to agreements under Section 63 of the Employment Insurance Act.
Service Canada (SC) delivers the Employment Benefits and Support Measures in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, British Columbia, and the Yukon. Contact the Service Canada Centre nearest you.

To obtain further information about Service Canada and its programs, please contact your Service Canada Centre.

You may read the detailed Terms and Conditions for this program.