Choosing the right National Occupation Classification (NOC) code for one's work experience can have a huge impact on an immigration application—especially given that different NOC codes qualify for different immigration streams.

Selecting an incorrect NOC code increases the risk of misrepresentation (a legal standard applicable to immigration applications that can constitute a type of fraud). This means immigration candidates can have their applications revoked or even rejected for a mistaken NOC declaration.

What is the NOC?

The National Occupation Classification (NOC) Code system is Canada’s national system for categorizing and describing occupations in Canada. The NOC system was updated in 2021 to include a training, education, experience, and responsibilities (TEER) component as well, denoting the extent to which these four components are needed to adequately perform the role.

Based on this, jobs are assigned a NOC based on the training, education, experience, and responsibilities that they require. TEER 0 indicates the positions that require the most education or training/experience, while TEER 5 denotes occupations with the least.

The following table breaks down each TEER level, and the corresponding training, education and experience needed:

How can I choose the right NOC?

Due to the sheer scale of the NOC system, finding the right NOC code for a profession can be a daunting task. There are, however, resources from the government of Canada which can make this task much simpler.

The primary resource is the government of Canada’s NOC page which can be found here.

To find your NOC Code using this page, IRCC advises you to follow these steps:

• Navigate to the table at the bottom of the page and enter your job title in the “Filter items” field at the top of the table;
  • Note that the exact job title may not be available, and so candidates may have to enter a close approximation (i.e.: as opposed to entering the job title “forensic accountant” a candidate may have to instead simply enter “accountant” at first to be delivered a result);
• Copy both the TEER number, and the NOC code number for the search result that most closely resembles the required profession;
• To ensure this is the right code, visit Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC’s) webpage and click on the tab entitled “Search by NOC Code”. Enter the NOC code copied earlier into the search bar, and review the information provided for the profession searched.
  • Note the “main duties” section of this page. Ensure that the duties in the “main duties” section of the page match closely to the duties of the occupation that you are searching for.

If the duties do not closely match, restart the process from step 1.

What if I cannot find my NOC in the given table?

If an immigration candidate is unable to find their NOC through the above method, they can follow these steps:

• Navigate to the “search page” of ESDC’s NOC website;
• Select NOC 2021 Version 1.0 and search for the desired job title or NOC code;
  • Identify the closest match from the list, ensuring the main duties listed align with the preformed job responsibilities. If they don't, you'll need to find a different job title that accurately reflects your duties; and
• Record the numeric code and job title. Enter the code in the "Filter items" field of the table on the original table, and take note of the TEER level shown in the first column.

What to do after you have found the right NOC Code

After finding and confirming the correct NOC with the roles and responsibilities of the desired job, immigration candidates can now add this information to their applications.

Ensuring that the NOC code stated closely matches a your actual role and responsibilities can be hugely beneficial; not only in ensuring and understanding eligibility for a particular stream or pathway, but also to avoid potential problems of misrepresentation in an immigration application.