How the New NOC System will Affect Express Entry Eligibility

Starting this November 2022, the Government of Canada will begin using the 2021 National Occupation Classification (NOC) system. The new NOC system is going to change the way immigration officials evaluate work experience. With the new system there will be an additional 16 occupations that will now be eligible for Express Entry while three that are currently eligible will become ineligible. 

This is significant because the Express Entry system is currently the fastest way for foreign nationals to gain permanent residency in Canada. 

How the NOC system works

The NOC system is used to determine whether an applicant for a Canadian immigration program is eligible. It does this by classifying occupations into codes which are then used to determine what an applicant’s job duties are. 

The applicant has to select the NOC code that most closely matches their job. To choose the correct code, the applicant should review the primary duties outlined in a particular code to see how closely the code corresponds with the job. 

Changes coming to the NOC system in November

The current requirements for a candidate to apply to the Express Entry system are work experience in occupational skill levels A, B, or 0. Under the new NOC system, instead of skill levels, occupations will be classified based on Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER). 

How will the change impact applicants? 

Under the new system, candidates that have occupations in TEERS 0,1,2 and 3 will be able to apply for Express Entry programs. 

Which occupations become eligible for Express Entry under the new NOC system? 

Many occupations that were previously eligible for Express Entry will still be eligible under the new system. Notably however, there will be 16 new occupations that will become eligible. 

The newly eligible occupations are: 

• 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 transit operators;
• Heavy equipment operators; and
• Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors.

Additionally, there will be 3 occupations that are currently eligible for Express Entry that will no longer be eligible under the new NOC system. These occupations are: 

• Other performers;
• Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness; and
• Tailors, dressmakers, furriers and
• Milliners

While the three occupations mentioned will no longer be eligible for Express Entry, applicants with these occupations may still apply for residency under other programs including the Provincial Nominee Programs. 

Finding your TEER level

In order to find your TEER level, you will need to know what your NOC code is under the new system. If you already know your NOC code from the old system, you can find your new code by looking up your old one in Statistic Canada’s Correspondence Table. 

Once you know your new code, your TEER level will be the second number in your 5-digit code. So if your code is 21233, that means that your occupation is in TEER 1 (as one is the second digit in this code). 

Contact Minhas Lawyers today

Are you interested in finding out if you are eligible for Express Entry? If so, contact us today to book a consultation with one of our immigration lawyers to discuss your eligibility