Skilled workers who are interested in immigrating to Canada need to classify their occupation according to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) used by the Government of Canada to identify the work a person performs and the duties that the occupation involves.

The NOC is used to inform the Government of Canada what your occupation is to ensure they are assessing your skills against the relevant job criteria, and they are fulfilling the Canadian economy’s labour shortages simultaneously. The NOC is used for immigration purposes in the following programs:

National Occupational Classification

The NOC categorises occupations into five skill levels to reflect the level of education and experience required. The immigration programs then highlight the relevant skill level that they will accept skilled worker applications for. The main groups of the NOC are as follows:

I want to move to Canada as a skilled immigrant through the Express Entry Program…

To be eligible to apply through the Express Entry Program to immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker, your previous work experience and current job must be:

• Skill Type 0; or
• Skill Level A; or
• Skill Level B

I want to move to Canada as a skilled immigrant through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot or Atlantic Immigration Program…

To be eligible to apply through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot or Atlantic Immigration Program to immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker, your previous work experience must be:

• Skill Type 0; or
• Skill Level A; or
• Skill Level B; or
• Skill Level C

I want to immigrate to Canada however my occupation is classified at Skill Level C or D…

To immigrate to Canada with an occupation that is classified as Skill Level C or D, foreign workers have the following options available:

• Apply to immigrate to Canada through a Provincial Nominee Program (note: all skill levels are accepted, and the provinces/territories are more focused on in-demand occupations rather than skill level); or
• Apply through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot or Atlantic Immigration Program if your occupation is at Skill Level C; or
• Apply to work in Canada temporarily through a Work Permit

Federal Skilled Worker Program (How this program works):

This program has minimum requirements for:

• skilled work experience
• language ability
• education

You must meet all the minimum requirements to be eligible.

Selection factors

If you meet all the minimum requirements, we’ll then assess your application based on:

• age
• education
• work experience
• whether you have a valid job offer
• English and/or French language skills
• adaptability (how well you’re likely to settle here)

These factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program. You earn points for how well you do in each of the 6 factors.

The current pass mark is 67 points.

• Selection factor point grid

How we use selection factor points

We use the selection factor points to assess your eligibility for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Once you’re in the Express Entry pool, we use a different system to rank your profile. We select the highest-ranking candidates from the pool and invite them to apply for permanent residence.

Minimum requirements

Skilled work experience

Skilled work experience means that you’ve worked in 1 of these National Occupational Classification (NOC) job groups:

• Managerial jobs (skill type 0)
• Professional jobs (skill level A)
• Technical jobs and skilled trades (skill level B)

You must show that while working in your primary occupation, you performed the duties set out in the lead statement of the occupational description in the NOC. This includes all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed.

Your skilled work experience must be

• in the same type of job (have the same NOC) as the job you want to use for your immigration application (called your primary occupation)
• within the last 10 years
• paid work (have been paid wages or earned commission—volunteer work or this means you must unpaid internships don’t count)
• at least 1 year of continuous work or 1,560 hours total (30 hours per week)—you can meet this in a few different ways:
  • Full-time at 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
  • Equal amount in part-time: 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
  • Full-time at more than 1 job: 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than 1 job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)

Part-time work experience

For part-time work, you can work more or less than 15 hours/week as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours.

We don’t count any hours you work above 30 hours/week.

Student work experience

Work experience gained while you were studying may count towards your minimum requirements if the work:

• was paid by wages or commissions
• was continuous (no gaps in employment), and
• meets all the other requirements of the Program

Language ability

You must:

• take approved language tests in English or French for:
  • writing
  • reading
  • listening
  • speaking
• get a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 in all 4 abilities
• enter the test results in your Express Entry profile

Your language tests are valid for 2 years after the date of the test result. They must be valid on the day you apply for permanent residence.

Education

If you went to school in Canada, you must have a certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:

• secondary institution (high school) or
• post-secondary institution

If you have foreign education, you must have:

• a completed credential, and
• an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) for immigration purposes from a designated organization showing that your education is equal to a completed certificate, diploma or degree from a Canadian:
  • secondary institution (high school) or
  • post-secondary institution

Proof of funds

You must show that you have enough money for you and your family to settle in Canada, unless you:

• are currently able to legally work in Canada
• have a valid job offer from an employer in Canada

Admissibility

You must be admissible to Canada.