One way to qualify for Canadian immigration as a Federal Skilled Worker is to have at least one year of continuous full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the past 10 years in one of the following 50 qualifying occupations.
The qualifying occupations are listed by ➨ NOC (National Occupational Classification)
The NOC is a system used by the Government of Canada to classify jobs (occupations). Jobs are grouped based on the type of work a person does and the types of job duties.
Many of Canada’s immigration programs use it to decide if a job, or type of work experience, is valid for that program’s criteria. For instance, if a person wants to apply as a skilled worker they should check the NOC to see which jobs are considered “skilled” (NOC Skill Type O or Skill Level A or B).
The job information is broken down into a number of groups.
For immigration purposes, the main groups are:
- Skill Type 0 (zero) – management jobs.
- examples: restaurant managers, mine managers, shore captains (fishing)
- Skill Level A — professional jobs. People usually need a degree from a university for these jobs.
- examples: doctors, dentists, architects
- Skill Level B — technical jobs and skilled trades. People usually need a college diploma or to train as an apprentice to do these jobs.
- examples: chefs, electricians, plumbers
- Skill Level C — intermediate jobs. These jobs usually need high school and/or job-specific training.
- examples: long-haul truck drivers, butchers, food and beverage servers
- Skill Level D — labour jobs. On-the-job training is usually given.
- examples: cleaning staff, oil field workers, fruit pickers
If you want to come to Canada as a skilled immigrant (Express Entry):
- Your job, and the work you have done in the past, must be skill type 0, or level A or B to use Express Entry. The Express Entry system manages applications for permanent residence if you want be considered:
- as a Federal Skilled Worker,
- under the Federal Skilled Trades Program,
- or under the Canadian Experience Class.
If your job is skill level C or D:
- you may be able to come to Canada as a provincial nominee, as long as it is not in a program for skilled workers, or
- you may be able to work here for up to two years.
People who come to work on a temporary basis are not permanent residents. However, some go on to immigrate here on a permanent basis.