Self Employment Benefits Program

The SEB program is designed to support entrepeneurs through a transistion from unemployement to self-employment. The SEB program provides income support and consultation to qualified Employment Insurance recipients who have a viable business concept. Income support is provided for up to 40 weeks and participants are required to report monthly on the status of their business to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MCTU), as well as the HCDC office throughout the period of the contract.

Eligibility Criteria
You may be eligible for the SEB program if you are unemployed and:

• you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident legally entitled to work in Canada
• meet the definition of an insured individual **
• are receiving Employment Insurance (EI) benefits or have had an EI claim during the past three years

In addition to being unemployed you must comply with some additional requirements:

• your proposed business must be a new business, a full time position working 40 hours per week
• you must NOT have registered your business prior to applying for the program
• you must NOT have completed a business plan prior to approval for OSEB by MTCU
• you must NOT have started working on the business prior to approval for OSEB by MTCU
• you must NOT have previously completed or be currently enrolled in a self-employment program within the last 24 months

The following are ineligible business activities under OSEB:

• any activity that involves, in the opinion of MTCU:
  • sexual exploitation
  • illegal activity
  • the production of materials that promote hate, discrimination or illegal activity
  • otherwise promoting hate, discrimination or illegal activity
  • proselytizing for a particular religious or political opinion
• a business that is partially or entirely based on commission and dependent on a parent company
• a franchise
• a home-based daycare business owned previously by the applicant's spouse, parent or child where the individual has had significant involvement in the management/decision-making process or
• a Not-For-Profit organization

The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities reviews applications and makes the final approval for the program from applications recommended by HCDC.

If you think you would be eligible for the program contact HCDC to discuss your application process.

**An 'insured individual' means an insured person who at the time of requesting assistance is an unemployed person,

• for whom an EI benefit period has been established, or
• whose EI benefit period ended within the last 36 months, or
• who is re-entering the labour force after having left it to care for newborn or newly adopted children. This individual must have a benefit period that began within the last 60 months during which s/he was paid maternity or parental benefits.

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