NOC Code Canada 2026: TEER Categories Explained and How to Find Your Code for Express Entry
The NOC code Canada uses to classify your job is a five-digit number under the National Occupational Classification, and for most immigration programs the second digit, your TEER category, is the digit that decides whether your work experience even counts. Get the code right and your Express Entry profile, your work permit, and your provincial nomination all line up. Get it wrong, and an officer can refuse the application on the merits. This guide sets out the full NOC 2021 TEER structure, how to read the five digits, which TEER categories qualify for each Express Entry program, and, from the officer's own refusal notes, what actually gets a NOC rejected. Figures below were verified against official government pages on September 25, 2026.
The stakes sit in one place people rarely check: the duties, not the job title. IRCC assessors do not take your NOC at face value. They compare the duties written in your employment letter against the official description of the NOC you claimed, and if those duties do not match, the experience is thrown out. A real Federal Skilled Worker refusal we review below put it in the officer's own words: "The duties described do not correspond to the essential duties associated with the declared NOC." That is not a paperwork slip. It is a refusal on eligibility, and it usually surfaces after you have already used your invitation.
In this guide: the NOC 2021 TEER table, how the five-digit code is built, which TEER levels qualify for FSW, CEC and FST, what officers actually check, how your NOC drives your CRS score and PNP options, and the edge cases (multiple NOCs, no exact match, and changing your NOC after an ITA).
The NOC code Canada uses: the 2021 TEER categories at a glance
Canada switched to the NOC 2021 system on November 16, 2022, replacing the old four-digit codes and the "skill type / skill level" language with five-digit codes and six TEER categories. "TEER" stands for Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities, the criteria used to group occupations by what they typically require. Every occupation now sits in one of six TEER categories, numbered 0 through 5. The table below is the reference most applicants actually need.
TEER category | What it usually requires | Example occupations |
|---|---|---|
TEER 0 | Management occupations | Advertising managers, financial managers |
TEER 1 | Occupations that usually require a university degree | Financial advisors, software engineers |
TEER 2 | Occupations that usually require a college diploma, apprenticeship training of 2 or more years, or supervisory work | Computer network technicians, medical laboratory technologists |
TEER 3 | Occupations that usually require a college diploma, apprenticeship training of less than 2 years, or more than 6 months of on-the-job training | Bakers, dental assistants |
TEER 4 | Occupations that usually require a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training | Retail salespersons, home child care providers |
TEER 5 | Occupations that usually need short-term work demonstration and no formal education | Landscaping labourers, delivery drivers |
Source: National Occupational Classification (NOC) for Express Entry, IRCC (canada.ca), page modified June 27, 2025; NOC 2021 Version 1.0, Statistics Canada. Verified September 2026.
One point the word "require" hides: TEER describes what an occupation typically needs, not a rule you personally must meet. You do not have to hold the usual degree or diploma to be classified in a TEER 1 or TEER 2 occupation. As IRCC's own internal work-experience guidance instructs officers, the "employment requirements" listed in a NOC description are not used to assess your experience. What matters is the work you actually did.
How to read the five digits of your NOC code
The NOC 2021 code is built as a hierarchy, and each digit tells you something specific. Statistics Canada describes the structure plainly: "The structure of the NOC 2021 Version 1.0 is based on two key occupational categorizations: Occupational categories and TEER categories, which are identified in the first two digits of the 5-digit code."
Here is what each level means, from broadest to most specific:
First digit, the broad occupational category. There are 10 of them (0 through 9), such as health occupations (3) or trades, transport and equipment operators (7).
Second digit, the TEER category (0 to 5). This is the digit that immigration programs care about most.
First and second digits together, the major group. There are 45 major groups.
First three digits, the sub-major group (89 of them).
First four digits, the minor group (162 of them).
All five digits, the unit group, the specific occupation. There are 516 unit groups in total.
So when someone asks "how many NOC codes are there," the precise answer is 516 unit groups, organized under 162 minor groups, 89 sub-major groups, 45 major groups and 10 broad categories.
To find the NOC code Canada uses for your job:
Search your job title on the official NOC website (noc.esdc.gc.ca) or in IRCC's Express Entry NOC tool. The title is only your starting point.
Open the occupation and read its "lead statement" and its list of main duties.
Compare that list to what you actually did day to day. If a substantial number of the main duties match your real work, that is your NOC. If they do not, the closest-sounding title is the wrong code.
Record the five-digit code and its TEER category. You will need both for your Express Entry profile.
The order matters. People pick the title that looks closest and copy its code. Officers do the reverse: they start from the duties you describe and check whether they belong to the code you claimed.
Which TEER categories qualify for Express Entry
This is where the NOC code Canada assigns to your job turns into eligibility. Express Entry runs three federal programs, and each one accepts different TEER categories and different work experience. The table sets them side by side. (For a fuller side-by-side of the three programs themselves, see our guide to which Express Entry program you qualify for.)
Program | Eligible NOC / TEER | Work experience required | Minimum language |
|---|---|---|---|
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) | TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 | 1 year (1,560 hours) in the last 10 years, in Canada or abroad; also needs 67 of 100 selection points | CLB 7 in all four abilities |
Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 | 1 year (1,560 hours) in Canada in the last 3 years, gained while authorized to work | CLB 7 (TEER 0 or 1) or CLB 5 (TEER 2 or 3) |
Federal Skilled Trades (FST) | Specific skilled-trade NOC groups (see below), all TEER 2 or 3 | 2 years (3,120 hours) in the last 5 years; plus a valid job offer or a certificate of qualification | CLB 5 speaking and listening, CLB 4 reading and writing |
Source: Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades eligibility pages, plus the Express Entry language requirements page, IRCC (canada.ca). FSW and CEC pages modified September 24, 2026; FST and language pages modified June 22, 2026. Verified September 2026.
Two things fall out of that table immediately. First, TEER 4 and TEER 5 occupations do not qualify for any of the three federal Express Entry programs, no matter how long you have worked. If your job classifies as TEER 4 or 5, Express Entry is not your pathway, and a provincial program or a change of occupation usually is.
Second, the Federal Skilled Trades program does not use a simple TEER cut-off. It draws from named skilled-trade NOC groups: Major Groups 72 (excluding Sub-Major Group 726), 73, 82, 83, 92 and 93 (excluding Sub-Major Group 932), plus Minor Group 6320 and Unit Group 62200. Those groups are all TEER 2 or 3 trades, and FST also requires either a valid job offer of at least one year or a certificate of qualification from a Canadian province, territory or federal body. FSW and FST applicants must also show proof of settlement funds unless they are already authorized to work in Canada with a valid job offer; CEC applicants do not need proof of funds.
How Amir reads this data: what an officer actually checks
The single most important thing to understand about your NOC is that the officer assessing your file does not accept it because you typed it in. Here is how that assessment works in practice, drawn from IRCC's own internal work-experience standard operating procedure released under access-to-information law. The officer's job is to confirm two things: that your occupation is at TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, and that "the duties on the [letter of employment] match the duties of [the] declared NOC." The instruction to officers is explicit that they must "never assess a different NOC to make the NOC match the letter." In other words, they will not rescue you by finding a better-fitting code. They test the code you chose, and only that code.
The test itself has a name inside IRCC. To count your experience, your employment letter must show that you "performed the actions in the lead statement and a substantial number of the main duties" of the NOC you are claiming. If the letter does not, the officer marks the job description as not consistent with the lead statement and main duties of the declared NOC, and the experience does not count.
In the Express Entry files Ansari Immigration reviews most often, the refusal is not about the applicant's honesty. It is that the reference letter was written to describe a job title, when it needed to prove a list of duties.
The code follows the duties, never the other way around. We can show what that looks like when it goes wrong, because IRCC now sometimes prints the officer's decision notes inside the refusal letter itself. In one real Federal Skilled Worker refusal, the applicant claimed a year of qualifying experience in a declared NOC and backed it with an explanation letter, a work contract, a job description, pay slips and emails. The officer's notes, quoted verbatim, read: "The duties described do not correspond to the essential duties associated with the declared NOC. The responsibilities outlined in the employment letter do not reflect the main duties normally expected for this classification." The conclusion: "the work experience cannot be considered to meet the requirements of the program," and "I am not satisfied that the applicant meets the requirements of Section A11.2/R75." That is a full refusal, built entirely on a mismatch between the duties and the code.
This is the anti-Overview point. A government FAQ can tell you the NOC exists. Only a file that has been through this assessment can tell you that the duties, and the way your reference letter proves them, are what decide it. Writing the reference letter to prove those duties is its own task, and we cover it in detail in our guide to the Express Entry reference letter.
Not sure the duties in your employment letter actually match the NOC you are claiming? That is the exact check that decides your file, and it is a 30-minute question for Ansari Immigration's licensed RCIC.
How your NOC code affects the rest of your application
Your NOC does more than open or close a program. It threads through several other decisions.
Your CRS score. Under Express Entry's Comprehensive Ranking System, your NOC and TEER do not directly hand you points the way age or language do, but they gate the skill-transferability combinations and, critically, they decide whether a category-based draw can invite you. IRCC now runs targeted draws for specific categories such as healthcare, trades and STEM occupations, and those categories are defined by lists of eligible NOC codes. If your occupation is on the list, a category-based draw can invite you at a lower score than a general draw; if it is not, it cannot.
Provincial Nominee Programs. Most Provincial Nominee Program streams are built around occupation lists and NOC codes too, and many mirror the TEER 0 to 3 logic while some open specific streams to TEER 4 and 5 workers in in-demand roles. Your NOC is often the first filter a province applies.
Work permits. Several work permit categories, including employer-specific and LMIA-exempt streams and the post-2024 restrictions on spousal open work permits, turn on the TEER level of the principal applicant's job. Getting the NOC right on a work permit also matters later, because that work may become the experience you claim for permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class.
What to do if your NOC situation does not fit the standard case
Real work histories are messier than the NOC's tidy list. Here are the situations that come up most, and what the rules actually allow.
You held more than one role, or your duties span two NOCs. You can only claim experience under a NOC where you performed the lead statement and a substantial number of the main duties. If your real duties are genuinely split, you claim the NOC that your actual work supports, and you may count separate periods under separate NOCs where each independently qualifies. You cannot blend two half-jobs into one code to reach the hours.
No occupation seems to match exactly. The NOC is designed so that most jobs fall under a unit group even when your job title is not listed verbatim. Match on duties, not on the title. If two codes look plausible, the deciding question is which lead statement and main-duties list your day-to-day work actually satisfies.
You already have an invitation and think your NOC is wrong. This is the highest-risk moment. Changing the NOC on your profile after an invitation, or filing under a NOC your duties do not support, is exactly what triggers the refusal quoted above, and in some cases a misrepresentation finding on top of it. If you are here, get the classification assessed before you submit, not after a refusal.
Your job is TEER 4 or 5. Federal Express Entry is closed to you on that experience, but that does not close Canada. Provincial streams for in-demand lower-TEER roles, and a change in the occupation you are hired into, are the usual routes. The honest answer is sometimes that the pathway is not Express Entry, and it is better to hear that before you pay the application fees.
Was your NOC ever questioned by an officer? If so, what did they point to, the duties, the reference letter, or something else? Share it in the comments, keeping it general and leaving out personal details, since the pattern helps others facing the same check.
Frequently asked questions about NOC codes in Canada
What is a NOC code?
A NOC code is the five-digit National Occupational Classification number Canada assigns to every occupation, and its second digit is the TEER category that decides whether your work experience qualifies for programs like Express Entry. It replaced the old four-digit codes on November 16, 2022.
How do I find my NOC code?
Search your job title on the official NOC website or IRCC's Express Entry tool, open the occupation, and confirm that a substantial number of its listed main duties match the work you actually did, because the correct NOC follows your duties and not your job title. Record the five-digit code and its TEER category for your profile.
How many NOC codes are there in Canada?
NOC 2021 Version 1.0 has 516 unit groups, which are the specific occupation codes, organized under 162 minor groups, 89 sub-major groups, 45 major groups and 10 broad occupational categories. The 516 unit groups are the codes you actually claim on an application.
How many job duties need to match my NOC code?
IRCC officers require that you performed the actions in the occupation's lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties, so a single overlapping task is not enough; your employment letter has to demonstrate the core of the role. A reference letter that lists duties matching another NOC is a common reason experience is refused.
Does my NOC code affect my CRS score?
Your NOC does not add CRS points directly, but it controls whether a category-based Express Entry draw can invite you, because those draws are defined by lists of eligible NOC codes, and it gates several skill-transferability point combinations. An occupation on a targeted category list can be invited at a lower score than in a general draw.
Can I change my NOC code after my ITA?
You can change details after an invitation, but claiming a NOC your duties do not support is the single most common trigger for a refusal on eligibility and, in some cases, a misrepresentation finding, so any change should be assessed against your real duties before you submit. If your correct NOC no longer meets your program's requirements, declining and re-entering the pool can be safer than submitting a file that will be refused.
Why work with Ansari Immigration
Doing it alone: you pick the NOC that looks closest to your job title and hope your reference letter reads the way an officer does.
With Ansari Immigration: your file is handled personally by the firm's licensed RCIC, regulated by CICC (RCIC R709304), who matches your real duties to the right NOC and builds the reference letter to prove it, before you spend an invitation on the wrong code. Express Entry representation is a flat CAD $3,000, all family members included, quoted upfront. You pay for a straight answer, including "your NOC does not support this program," not a pitch.
Which NOC are you claiming, and did your duties match it on the first read? Tell us in the comments, and for your own file, book a consultation.
Related Posts
Personal Support Worker NOC Code in Canada: Is It 44101 or 33102?: A worked example of matching one real occupation to the right NOC and TEER category.
Express Entry NOC Code Mistakes After ITA: What Nanda v Canada Means: What the Federal Court has said about getting your NOC code wrong after an invitation.
Express Entry Eligibility 2026: FSW vs CEC vs FST Compared: Which of the three Express Entry programs your TEER category and experience qualify you for.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.
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