NOC Codes and Express Entry

by The Canadian Magazine of Immigration · September 19, 2016

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The National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2011 is a system for describing the occupations of Canadians. The NOC is a tool that is used to classify occupations according to their Skill Level and Skill Type. Each NOC code consists of four digits.

Because CIC assesses jobs against the 2011 version of the NOC, determining which NOC code correctly matches your work experience is very important to any application for permanent residence, especially when you are applying under the Express Entry Program.

Skill Type

There are 40 major groups in the NOC 2011 and these are classified as follows:

MANAGEMENT OCCUPATIONS

00 Senior management occupations

01-05 Specialized middle management occupations

06 Middle management occupations in retail and wholesale trade and customer services

07-09 Middle management occupations in trades, transportation, production and utililties

BUSINESS, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION OCCUPATIONS

11 Professional occupations in business and finance

12 Administrative and financial supervisors and administrative occupations

13 Finance, insurance and related business administrative occupations

14 Office support occupations

15 Distribution, tracking and scheduling co-ordination occupations

NATURAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS

21 Professional occupations in natural and applied sciences

22 Technical occupations related to natural and applied sciences

HEALTH OCCUPATIONS

30 Professional occupations in nursing

31 Professional occupations in health (except Nursing)

32 Technical occupations in health

34 Assisting occupations in support of health services

OCCUPATIONS IN EDUCATION, LAW AND SOCIAL, COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES

40 Professional occupations in education services

41 Professional occupations in law and social, community and government services

42 Paraprofessional occupations in legal, social, community and education services

43 Occupations in front-line public protection services

44 Care providers and educational, legal and public protection support occupations

OCCUPATIONS IN ART, CULTURE, RECREATION AND SPORT

51 Professional occupations in art and culture

52 Technical occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport

SALES AND SERVICE OCCUPATIONS

62 Retail sales supervisors and specialized sales occupations

63 Service supervisors and specialized service occupations

64 Sales representatives and salespersons – wholesale and retail trade

65 Service representatives and other customer and personal services occupations

66 Sales and support occupations

67 Service support and other service occupations n.e.c.

TRADES, TRANSPORT AND EQUIPMENT OPERATORS AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS

72 Industrial, electrical and construction trades

73 Maintenance and equipment operation trades

74 Other installers, repairers and servicers and material handlers

75 Transport and heavy equipment operation and related maintenance occupations

76 Trades helpers, construction labourers and related occupations

NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE AND RELATED PRODUCTION OCCUPATIONS

82 Supervisors and technical occupations in natural resources, agriculture and related production

84 Workers in natural resources, agriculture and related production

86 Harvesting, landscaping and natural resources labourers

OCCUPATIONS IN MANUFACTURING AND UTILITIES

92 Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators

94 Processing and manufacturing machine operators and related production workers

95 Assemblers in manufacturing

96 Labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities

Minor Groups

The major groups are further divided at the three-digit level, into 140 minor groups.

Unit Groups

At the detailed four-digit level, the system is expanded into 500 occupational groups identified as unit groups, each with a unique code

Skill Levels

(For all non-management occupations the second digit of the numerical code corresponds to skill level.)

Skill level A (0 or 1)

University degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate)

Skill level B (2 or 3)

Two to three years of post-secondary education at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEPor
Two to five years of apprenticeship trainingor
Three to four years of secondary school and more than two years of on-the-job training, occupation-specific training courses or specific work experience
Occupations with supervisory responsibilities are also assigned to skill level B.
Occupations with significant health and safety responsibilities (e.g., fire fighters, police officers and licensed practical nurses) are assigned to skill level B.

Skill level C (4 or 5)

Completion of secondary school and some short-duration courses or training specific to the occupationor
Some secondary school education, with up to two years of on-the-job training, training courses or specific work experience

Skill level D (6 or 7)

Short work demonstration or on-the-job trainingor
No formal educational requirements

Example:

7315 Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors

7 The first digit indicates skill type category “TRADES, TRANSPORT AND EQUIPMENT OPERATORS AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS”

3 The second digit indicates skill level category B (Two to three years of post-secondary education at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEP)
15 Aircraft mechanics and inspectors (covers 155 titles).