NOC codes & TEER explained

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 is the official system Statistics Canada and ESDC use to describe every occupation in Canada. Each occupation has a 5-digit unit-group code with an official definition, main duties, and example job titles.

Immigration programs reference your NOC to decide eligibility, so the goal is to find the unit group whose duties genuinely match the work you do — not just a similar job title.

A NOC 2021 code is self-describing. The first digit is the broad occupational category (0–9, e.g. health, or trades and transport). The second digit is the TEER category (0–5), which signals the training, education, experience or responsibilities a job usually requires.

TEER 0 is management; TEER 1 usually needs a university degree; TEER 2 a college diploma or longer apprenticeship; TEER 3 shorter college or training; TEER 4 a high-school diploma; TEER 5 a short demonstration with no formal education. Many federal and Quebec streams hinge on whether your TEER is 0–3.

Officers compare the duties you actually perform against the code you claim. If your real work fits a different ("look-alike") code better, the usual consequence is that your documented experience doesn't establish eligibility under the code you claimed — which can mean a request for more evidence, or a refusal. A misrepresentation finding sits at the serious, less common end of that range and turns on whether the inaccuracy was material to the decision; see what happens if your NOC code is wrong for the full spectrum.

Use the free NOC validator to read a code's official definition and duties, and browse occupations by category or TEER to compare similar codes before you commit.