How NOC Changes Affect Express Entry Candidates
Friday, December 2, 2022
On November 16, 2022, the Canadian immigration service updated to the NOC 2021 system. Some of Canada's immigration programs, such as Express Entry, will need applicants to meet new requirements due to the new NOC.
Current Express Entry requirements for employment experience are to fall within NOC skill types 0, A, or B, which are in line with the NOC 2016. After the transition, the new Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) system will be used by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to evaluate previous employment experience.
Compare the various skill kinds used in the 2016 NOC to those used in the TEER in the table below.
The following tables demonstrate how the new NOC skill levels equate to the new TEER system and the criteria for each of the six new categories.
| NOC 2016 | NOC 2021 |
|---|---|
| Skill Type 0 | TEER 0 |
| Skill Level A | TEER 1 |
| Skill Level B | TEER 2 |
| TEER 3 | |
| Skill Level C | TEER 4 |
| Skill Level D | TEER 5 |
Changes to Express Entry Criteria for NOC 2021
This table illustrates how the TEER categories alter the eligibility requirements for each Express Entry-managed program.
| Criteria for Eligibility | Canadian Experience Class | Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language skills | English or French skills
|
English or French skills CLB 7 |
English or French skills
|
| Type/Level of work experience | Work experience in an occupation listed in 1 or more of these NOC TEER Categories:
|
Work experience in an occupation listed in 1 or more of these NOC TEER Categories:
|
Work experience in a skilled trade under key groups of TEER 2/ TEER 3:
|
| Number of work experience | 1 year in Canada in the last 3 years (either combo of full-time or part-time work) | 1 year continuous within the last 10 years (a combo of part-time, full-time, or more than 1 job in your primary occupation) | Two years within the last 5 years (either combo of full-time or part-time work) |
| Job offer | Not required. | Not required. But you can get selection criterion (FSW) points for having a genuine employment offer. |
Required:
|
| Education | Not required. | Secondary education is required. For your postsecondary education, you can earn more selection criteria (FSW) points. |
Essential Information on FSWP Selection Criteria Points
As part of the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the candidate's points for selection factors will now be based on the new Skill Type/Level chart that was announced with the NOC 2021 system.
For example, if a candidate gets 10 points for arranged employment in Skill type/level 0, A, or B, they will still get 10 points for arranged employment in TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3.
Changing Occupational Eligibility for Express Entry with the Move to NOC 2021
With the switch to the NOC 2021 system, 16 occupations will be eligible for Express Entry for the first time, while three jobs will no longer be eligible. Even though these three newly ineligible jobs will still be eligible for the program, they will have to meet a wider set of requirements to be eligible, like some PNP streams (Provincial Nominee Program).
16 occupations newly considered eligible:
- Payroll administrators
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
- Patient service representatives, orderlies, and nursing assistants
- 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
- Subway operators, bus drivers, and other operators of public transit
- Heavy equipment operators
- Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
The following three occupations are no longer eligible for Express Entry:
- Other performers
- Program leaders in recreation, sport & fitness
- Tailors, dressmakers, furriers, and milliners
Transition to NOC 2021 Will Have Consequences for CRS
Changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program are described above, and the NOC 2021 system has declared that CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) scores will now be based on the revised Skill Type/Level chart.
A applicant whose NOC is in TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 will still receive the same number of points for an arranged job in skill type/level 0 or level 1 or level 2, respectively.
Actions to Do Based On Your Specific Circumstances
The transition to NOC 2021 will necessitate a variety of steps from IRCC, dependent on where an individual candidate is in the Express Entry process.
Candidates who have yet to submit their Express Entry profile but now plan to do so after today's change will first need to find and submit their occupation's code according to the NOC 2021 system.
Meanwhile, the IRCC will provide additional guidance to those applicants who have completed an Express Entry profile but have not yet received an Invitation to Apply. As with tomorrow's update, applicants will need to revise their already submitted Express Entry profiles. Find the NOC 2021 list on the ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada) website, and then update your Express Entry profile with your TEER category and five-digit occupation code.
Finally, the individual who has been invited to apply through Express Entry must do so before November 16th (with the NOC code given at the time of receipt).
If you are uncertain how to update your NOC code or if you require advice selecting a 2021 NOC code or TEER category, please contact our Immigration Consultant at 8595338595 or [email protected].
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