How It Will Affect Canada’s Express Entry Program

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Changes in the Four-Category Skill Structure

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The current four-category NOC skill level structure will be replaced by a six-category level that will show the required Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) for every occupation. The TEER system will assess the level of training, of formal education, of experience required to gain entry into each occupation, and the responsibilities associated to it which is more precise than simply assessing the level of skills.

NOC 2016		NOC 2021
Skill Type 0	Management occupations	TEER 0	Management jobs (usually require a degree)
Skill Type A	Usually require university education	TEER 1	University degree (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate); or several years of experience from TEER 2
Skill Type B	Usually require college education, specialized training or apprenticeship	TEER 2	Post-secondary 2-3 years; or apprenticeship 2-5 years; or supervisory/safety roles; or experience from TEER 3
		TEER 3	Post-secondary <2 years; or apprenticeship <2 years; or 6+ months on-the-job training; or experience from TEER 4
Skill Type C	Usually require secondary school and/or occupation-specific training	TEER 4	Secondary school completion; or several weeks on-the-job training; or experience from TEER 5
Skill Type D	On-the-job training is usually provided	TEER 5	Short work demonstration and no formal educational requirements

Changes in Occupational Eligibility

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With the implementation of NOC 2021, Express Entry Cut Off will be TEER 3. A total of sixteen (16) new occupations will become eligible for Express Entry:

On the other hand, three (3) occupations will become ineligible: a) other performers; b) program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport, and fitness; and c) tailors, dressmakers, furriers, and milliners. These occupations may still be eligible for programs with broader eligibility criteria and possible streams under the Provincial Nominee Program.

For the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), it is currently open to occupations categorized as Skill Level C or above. For NOC 2021, TEER 4 will be the cut-off for its Express Entry.

Twelve occupations will become ineligible for the AIP: Pet Groomers and animal care workers, Other support occupations in personal services, Longshore workers, Material handlers, Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs, Delivery service drivers and door-to-door distributors, Boat and cable ferry operators and related occupations, Livestock labourers, Nursery and greenhouse labourers, Trappers and hunters, Food and beverage servers, Labourers in textile processing and cutting.

Changes in NOC Codification

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NOC 2021 will use the new five-digit codification system as follows:

Hierarchy	Digit Order	Definition
Broad Category	1st Digit X	Occupational categorization
Major Group	2nd Digit XX	TEER categorization
Sub-Major Group	XX.X	Top level of the Sub-Major Group
Minor Group	XX.XX	Hierarchy within the Sub-Major Group
Unit Group	XX.XXX	Hierarchy within the Minor Group

The new codification system will be more flexible as it allows for the incorporation of many new unit groups in the future, as needed. With the changes, new unit groups were created for emerging occupations such as Data scientists and Cybersecurity specialists. Moreover, some occupations were considered statistically sufficient to have their own unit group, such as Financial advisors and Police investigators, and the three distinct unit groups created for Software developers and programmers.

References

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• NOC 2016 Matrix Source — noc.esdc.gc.ca
• NOC 2016 to NOC 2021 Concordance — statcan.gc.ca
• Changes in NOC Versions — noc.esdc.gc.ca