If you are interested to immigrate to Canada, and starting to learn about this subject, you may have heard about the Canadian NOC system.
Canada’s government uses a system that is called the “National Occupational Classification (NOC) system” to classify jobs (occupations).
Jobs are grouped based on the type of duties required within them.
For immigration purposes, the main job groups are divided into 5: Skill Type 0 (zero): management jobs, such as restaurant managers, mine managers, shore captains (fishing); Skill Level A: professional jobs that usually call for a degree from a university, such as doctors, dentists, architects; Skill Level B: technical jobs and skilled trades that usually call for a college diploma or training as an apprentice, such as chefs, plumbers, electricians; Skill Level C: intermediate jobs that usually call for high school and/or job-specific training, such as industrial butchers, long-haul truck drivers, food and beverage servers; Skill Level D: labor jobs that usually give on-the-job training, such as fruit pickers, cleaning staff, oil field workers.
In each immigration program, the NOC is used in order to decide if a job or type of work experience meets their eligibility. “Skilled” jobs are those with NOC Skill Type 0, A, or B.
By 2022 Canada intends to change the NOC codes into a new classification. The new NOC codes will include a new classification’s TEER category, which refers to the degree of training, education, experience, and responsibilities (TEER).
In the new system, instead of “skill level” there will be the “TEER category”, which will similarly be divided into categories 0-5.
Here is a table explaining the new categories:
| TEER category 0 | Management occupations |
| TEER category 1 | A university degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate); or several years of TEER category two experience in a given occupation (when applicable |
| TEER category 2 | Completion of a two- to the three-year postsecondary education program at a community college, the institution of technology, or CEGEP; or completion of a two to a five-year apprenticeship training program; or occupations having supervisory or major safety duties (police officers and firefighters); or several years of TEER category three experience in a given occupation (when applicable). |
| TEER category 3 | Completion of a two-year postsecondary education program at a community college, institute of technology, or CÉGEP; or apprenticeship training that lasts shorter than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training, training courses, or particular professional experience with a high school diploma; or several years of TEER category four experience in a given occupation (when applicable). |
| TEER category 4 | Secondary school graduation; or several weeks of on-the-job training combined with a high school diploma; or Several years of TEER category five experience in a given occupation (when applicable). |
| TEER category 5 | There are no formal schooling prerequisites and only a brief job demonstration. |
In the new classification method, the code numbers will contain 5 digits instead of 4 digits. Every code will change to a completely new number, and some will also have a new job title.
You can visit the governmental site in order to find your NOC code at this link.
