Find Your NOC Code in Canada: Duties and TEER Guide

Your National Occupational Classification (NOC) code comes from the work you actually did, not from your job title. To find it, search NOC 2021 Version 1.0 for the entry whose main duties match your day-to-day tasks, then note its five-digit code and its TEER category. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses NOC 2021 to classify jobs. A code describes a job. It does not, by itself, make anyone eligible for a program or add points to a score.

What a NOC code identifies

IRCC states that it uses the 2021 NOC to identify and categorize jobs based on the training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) they require. It switched to this version on November 16, 2022, replacing the older four-digit codes.

Each NOC 2021 code has five digits. Statistics Canada, which publishes the NOC with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), explains that the first digit is the broad occupational category and the second is the TEER category. The NOC classifies jobs, not people: a job is all the tasks a person carries out, and a job title is only its name.

The six TEER categories, in the official wording

Statistics Canada’s introduction to NOC 2021 Version 1.0 defines each category as follows.

• TEER 0: Management.
• TEER 1: Completion of a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate); or previous experience and expertise in subject matter knowledge from a related occupation found in TEER 2 (when applicable).
• TEER 2: Completion of a post-secondary education program of two to three years at community college, institute of technology or CEGEP; or completion of an apprenticeship training program of two to five years; or occupations with supervisory or significant safety (e.g. police officers and firefighters) responsibilities; or several years of experience in a related occupation from TEER 3 (when applicable).
• TEER 3: Completion of a post-secondary education program of less than two years at community college, institute of technology or CEGEP; or completion of an apprenticeship training program of less than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training, training courses or specific work experience with some secondary school education; or several years of experience in a related occupation from TEER 4 (when applicable).
• TEER 4: Completion of secondary school; or several weeks of on-the-job training with some secondary school education; or experience in a related occupation from TEER 5 (when applicable).
• TEER 5: Short work demonstration and no formal educational requirements.

These describe the occupation, not the person in it. Statistics Canada notes that a job’s TEER requirements may differ from personal educational levels.

How to find your code, step by step

1. Before searching, write down what you actually did: the tasks that filled most of your week, who you reported to, and anyone you supervised.
2. Search the ESDC NOC website, choosing NOC 2021 Version 1.0, by title or keyword. IRCC says its own lookup table is for reference only and the NOC website prevails.
3. Open each likely entry and read the lead statement, main duties, employment requirements, example titles and exclusions, as Statistics Canada’s coding guidance suggests.
4. Compare duty by duty. IRCC’s instruction is to make sure the main duties match what you did, and if they do not, to find a different title whose duties match.
5. Record the code, class title, TEER category and the date you checked.

Fictional example: comparing duties, not titles

This example is fictional and for illustration only. The person, the duties and the two candidate entries are invented. They are not real NOC profiles and not a client’s case.

Amira’s title was “Office Coordinator”, and her search returned two possible entries. She listed her real duties and checked each against both.

Entry B describes more of her work, but a tally is only a starting point. For the Federal Skilled Worker Program, IRCC says the experience must show the actions in the lead statement and most of the main duties listed. The supervision row may point to a different entry altogether, a question worth reviewing before anything is filed.

TEER is not a professional licence

A TEER category describes the training an occupation usually requires. Whether you may practise it in a province is a separate question. Statistics Canada states that some occupations are designated as regulated professions and trades, that regulations vary across jurisdictions, and that the most reliable information is found with provincial regulatory organizations and licensing authorities.

A NOC search cannot confirm a licence. If your occupation is regulated, check with the relevant Alberta regulator directly.

Why the code matters, and what it does not do

Programs refer to NOC and TEER in their own requirements. For the Federal Skilled Worker Program, IRCC says skilled work experience must be in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 and have the same NOC as your primary occupation, which may not be your most recent job. IRCC asks applicants to choose the NOC that most closely aligns with their experience, to avoid processing delays and be assessed against the correct program.

The code follows the duties, never the other way round. Choosing a different code does not change the work you did, and your records have to show that work. Occupations also appear in Express Entry category-based rounds and in provincial streams such as the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, each with its own rules, so check the current official criteria for the program you are considering.

Make your records describe the same job

Your code, your profile and your employer’s letter should describe one consistent job. IRCC’s Express Entry completeness-check instructions ask for a reference letter that includes your job title, duties and responsibilities, dates worked and weekly hours, among other details. Our guide to employment reference letters covers that letter in detail.

Mismatches are common and usually honest: a senior-sounding title, duties split across two entries, a mid-job promotion. Sort them out before submission.

Having your employment evidence reviewed

If you are unsure which entry fits, bring your duty list, the entries you are comparing, your employment letters and pay records to a 30-minute consultation, $50 + Tax, by video or in person at our Edmonton office. Clients in Calgary and elsewhere in Alberta meet with us by video. The consultation reviews your evidence; it does not by itself reach a conclusion about eligibility for any program. See our Express Entry service, or book a consultation.

Questions people ask about NOC codes

Can I pick the NOC code with the higher TEER category?

The code has to match the duties you performed. IRCC tells applicants to confirm the main duties match what they did and to choose the NOC that most closely aligns with their experience. A code chosen for its TEER category will not match your employment records.

My job title is not in the NOC. What do I do?

Search by keywords from your duties. Statistics Canada says the NOC holds more than 30,000 titles in each official language but the list is not meant to be exhaustive, and suggests broadening or narrowing the search with related keywords.

I have a degree, but my job is in TEER 3. Is that wrong?

Not necessarily. TEER describes what the occupation usually requires, and Statistics Canada notes this may differ from personal educational levels.

Does a TEER category mean I am licensed to work in that job?

No. Licensing for regulated professions and trades is set by provincial regulatory organizations and licensing authorities, according to Statistics Canada. Check with the regulator in your province.

Official sources

• IRCC: Find your National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• Statistics Canada: Introduction to NOC 2021 Version 1.0
• IRCC: Express Entry, Federal Skilled Worker Program
• IRCC: Express Entry completeness check

Checked against the official sources on 5 October 2026. Immigration rules change. Where this page and an official page disagree, the official page is correct.

Immigration advice provided by Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence R705794. This article is general information, not advice about your own situation.