Canada has introduced NOC 2021.
What will it mean for immigrants in 2022?
Canada’s immigration system will overhaul the way it classifies occupations in fall 2022.
The changes will affect some economic class and foreign worker applicants, although the federal government has yet to communicate which sorts of applicants will be affected.
Previously NOC Skill Levels 0, A, B, C and D – these were the categories as per NOC Version 2016. But now, Canada’s immigration system has overhauled the way it classifies occupations in fall 2022. Read on to know what are the implied changes and how will the changes affect the immigration process.
NOC rules as per NOC 2016 VS NOC 2021?
The NOC Skill Levels VS NOC TEER System
As per NOC Version 2016, the jobs were classified based on Job duties, and The work an individual does and will be expected to do.
Skill Type | Kind Of Job |
| Skill Type 0 (zero) | Management jobs |
| Skill Level A | Professional jobs |
| Skill Level B | Technical jobs and skilled trades |
| Skill Level C | Intermediate jobs |
| Skill Level D | Labor jobs |
NOC 2021 to be implemented in “fall 2022”
In an email to CIC News, IRCC stated the federal government expects that it will be in position to introduce the new way it categorizes occupations sometime in “fall 2022”.
It said this will provide IRCC with time to inform stakeholders about the changes and implement the new system across its programs. IRCC is also aligning the rollout with ESDC to ensure consistency across the work permit application process.
New TEER system replaces NOC skill levels
Rather than the current approach of categorizing jobs based on skill type, the Canadian government will now categorize jobs based on a new Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) system.
Currently, NOC skill levels fall under four categories: A, B, C, and D.
NOC 2021 moves away from this approach and introduces the TEER system which has six categories: TEER category 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
TEER 0 |
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TEER 1 |
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TEER 2 |
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TEER 3 |
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TEER 4 |
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TEER 5 |
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Why the Canadian government is replacing NOC skill levels with TEERs
Statistics Canada explains this change is necessary for several reasons.
First, defining occupations on “skill levels” is confusing, as the NOC focuses on occupation and not skills. Introducing the TEER system will focus on the education and experience required to work in a given occupation.
Second, Statistics Canada argues that the previous NOC categorization system artificially creates a low- versus high-skilled categorization. This redesign moves away from the high/low categorization to more accurately capture the skills required in each occupation.
What does this mean for immigrants?
Once NOC 2021 is implemented by IRCC and ESDC, immigration and foreign worker applicants must ensure their NOC corresponds with the eligibility criteria of the program they are applying to.
For instance, one major area of interest is seeing how IRCC and ESDC choose to classify jobs that are currently defined as skill level “B”. According to Statistics Canada, this group grew disproportionately large over time, as it includes occupations that require varying degrees of education and experience. At this point, it is not known which TEER categories will be eligible for Express Entry-managed programs as well as other federal and provincial programs that currently require a “high skilled” NOC.
For now, immigration applicants will need to wait patiently for IRCC and ESDC to provide more information.
NOC 2016 V1.3 Distribution of Unit Groups by Skill Level | NOC 2021 V1.0 Distribution of Unit Groups by TEER | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| TEER Category 0 | 9% | ||
| Skill Level A | 28% | TEER Category 1 | 19% |
| Skill Level B | 42% | TEER Category 2 | 31% |
| Skill Level C | 24% | TEER Category 3 | 13% |
| Skill Level D | 6% | TEER Category 4 | 18% |
| TEER Category 5 | 9% | ||
The new TEER system has 516 occupations, up from 500 in NOC 2016. New occupations were created to reflect emerging fields in data science, cyber security and others.
16 occupations will become eligible for Express Entry and three will become ineligible in November 2022.
The NOC is managed by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Statistics Canada, which revise the system every 10 years. NOC 2021 will introduce new terminology and a revised classification structure that will affect IRCC programs.
As a result of these changes, the following 16 occupations will become eligible under 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 transit operators;
Heavy equipment operators; and
Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors.
There will also be three occupations that will become ineligible, including:
other performers;
program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness; and
tailors, dressmakers, furriers and milliners.
The first step towards moving to Canada is to get an assessment of your specific situation. Call us today at 1+613.222.7154 for an assessment to see if you are eligible to move to Canada, or fill out our online assessment form.
