The Canadian government made changes to the NOC (National Occupational Classification) system that impact the way your work experience will be listed in your profile under Express Entry along with the PR applicant’s eligibility. In this post, we have discussed how NOC changes will impact Express Entry applicants waiting for Invitation to Apply (ITA) for PR and newcomers who are planning to apply to Canadian immigration programs.
How Does The NOC System Operate?
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is used to categorize the job type of an applicant to check if they are eligible for Canadian immigration. To make it less complicated, this system breaks down all NOC in-demand in Canada into codes. Then these codes are grouped based on the work type and individual duties.
So when you are applying for Canada PR, you must choose the correct NOC code. And to find your Canada NOC, you must look at the major duties of the code and how closely they relate to the duties you perform at your job.
NOC Changes That Will Impact Express Entry Applicants
The newcomers who will be impacted by the changes in the NOC system are in the Express Entry pool but still haven’t gotten the Invitation to Apply (ITA) as well as those you are planning to apply for. Those who received an ITA before 16 November 2022 will not be affected by these changes in NOC. They can continue with PR applications using NOC 2016 dates. The changes to the NOC mainly include structural changes and therefore, applicants in most occupations did not affect much. That being said, the applicants in Express Entry will be impacted in these two ways –
Utilizing NOC 2021 Codes in Express Entry Profile
Creating an Express Entry profile requires you to enter the NOC codes of your past occupations. With this new change to NOC, the categorization of jobs will change, and moving forward, you will be required to provide updated NOC 2021 codes. If there’s an active profile of you but you haven’t received the ITA, update the profile to reflect the new NOC codes of your previous jobs.
Modifications in Occupational Eligibility for Express Entry
Only a few skill levels can apply for immigration programs, which are now called TEER Levels. Earlier, the eligibility for Express Entry programs needed a minimum of NOC Skill Level B or higher. With NOC 2021 changes, the cut-off for Express Entry has now become TEER 3. As a result, this added 16 new occupations that are eligible and three ineligible.
Occupations Affected by These Changes
Here is a list of 16 eligible occupations for Express Entry –
- Payroll administrators
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
- Nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
- Sheriffs and bailiffs
- Correctional service officers
- By-law enforcement and other regulatory officers
- Estheticians, electrologists, and related occupations
- Residential and commercial installers and servicers
- Pest controllers and fumigators
- Other repairers and servicers
- Transport truck drivers
- Bus drivers, subway operators, and other transportation operators
- Heavy equipment operators
- Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
Here are three occupations that became ineligible –
- other performers
- program leaders and instructors in recreation, fitness, etc.
- tailors, dressmakers, furriers, and milliners
Note that these three will continue to remain eligible with more comprehensive occupational eligibility criteria such as Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Updated NOC 2021 For Express Entry To Become Eligible
| Eligibility criteria | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) |
| English or French language proficiency | CLB 7 for TEER 0 or TEER 1 occupations; CLB 5 for TEER 2 or TEER 3 occupations | CLB 7 | CLB 5 for speaking and listening; CLB 4 for reading and writing |
| Work Experience Type of Level | Work experience in Canada in a job cited in one or more of these NOC TEER Categories: TEER 0TEER 1TEER 2TEER 3 | Work experience in a job cited in one of these NOC TEER Categories:TEER 0TEER 1TEER 2TEER 3 | Work experience in a skilled trade under key levels of TEER 2 or TEER 3. |
| Duration of Work | One year in Canada in the previous three years (full-time or part-time). | One year constant within the previous 10 years (part-time, full-time, or more than one employment in your primary profession). | Two years in the previous five years (full-time or part-time) |
| Offer of Employment | Not Needed. | Not Needed. However, you can get selection criteria (FSW) points for holding a valid offer of employment. | A valid, full-time offer of employment for at least one year or a certificate of qualification in that skilled trade given by a Canadian provincial, territorial, or federal officer. |
| Educational Qualifications | Not Needed. | Secondary education is required. But you can get more selection criteria (FSW) points for your post-secondary education. | Not Needed. |
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