Express Entry NOC codes 2026: TEER tier explained with examples
Every Express Entry application starts with a five-digit occupation code, and in 2026 that code determines more than eligibility—it decides which category draws you can enter, how many CRS points an arranged job offer earns, and whether you qualify at all. The National Occupational Classification (NOC) system runs through the entire skilled-worker immigration apparatus, but the 2021 overhaul replaced the letter-based skill levels most applicants still remember with a new TEER framework that catches people off guard. If you're building a profile this year, understanding TEER isn't optional.
What NOC codes are and why Express Entry runs on them
The NOC is Statistics Canada's official occupation taxonomy—10,000+ job descriptions grouped by duties, training requirements, and skill complexity. IRCC uses it to sort applicants into the three Express Entry streams: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and Federal Skilled Trades (FST). Your NOC code isn't just a form field. It's the lens through which an officer reads your work history, reference letters, and credentials. Pick the wrong code and the system will reject duties that don't match the lead statement, even if your actual job fits perfectly under a neighboring code.
NOC codes changed wholesale in November 2022 when Canada adopted NOC 2021. Profiles created before that date used the 2016 four-digit codes and the 0/A/B/C/D skill-level grid; profiles created after transitioned to five-digit codes and the TEER tier system. The shift wasn't cosmetic—occupations moved between categories, some split into narrower codes, and the eligibility logic for Express Entry category draws now filters by exact five-digit matches rather than broad skill bands.
NOC 2021 vs NOC 2016: the TEER shift explained
NOC 2016 classified occupations by skill level using letters: 0 (management), A (university degree), B (college/apprenticeship), C (high school/training), D (on-the-job). That system mapped neatly to immigration streams—FSW accepted 0/A/B, CEC accepted 0/A/B, FST locked to specific B trades. NOC 2021 replaced the letters with TEER tiers—Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities—a six-category scale (TEER 0 through TEER 5) that measures occupation complexity by the credentials and duration of preparation typically required.
The practical difference: under NOC 2016, "skill level B" meant anything from a two-year college diploma to a four-year apprenticeship. Under NOC 2021, TEER 2 and TEER 3 split that band by training length and credential type, so occupations that sat together under old Skill Level B now land in different TEER tiers. A registered practical nurse moved from NOC 2016 B (3233) to NOC 2021 TEER 2 (32101), while a licenced practical nurse in some contexts ended up TEER 3. Job titles stayed similar; eligibility brackets shifted.
For Express Entry applicants, the TEER cutoff matters because FSW, CEC, and most Provincial Nominee Programs accept TEER 0, 1, 2, and 3—but not TEER 4 or 5. If your occupation dropped from old Skill Level C into TEER 4 under the 2021 reclassification, you lost Express Entry eligibility outright. That's not hypothetical—administrative assistants, retail supervisors, and some food-service roles saw exactly that shift.
The five TEER categories decoded
TEER 0 covers management occupations and requires several years of experience in a related occupation at TEER 1 level or above. Examples: financial managers (10010), human resources managers (10011), engineering managers (20010), restaurant managers (60010). No formal education threshold, but the occupation assumes you've supervised others in a skilled role long enough to manage strategy, budgets, or teams. TEER 0 jobs almost always qualify for Express Entry, though some niche management codes (small retail managers, for instance) sit in TEER 1 instead.
TEER 1 typically requires a bachelor's degree or higher. Examples: software engineers (21231), financial analysts (11101), civil engineers (21300), pharmacists (31120), secondary school teachers (41220). TEER 1 is the backbone of FSW—most offshore applicants competing in general CRS score rounds hold TEER 1 codes. If you're applying with a foreign degree and no Canadian work experience, this tier is where you'll land unless you've moved into management.
TEER 2 means college diploma, apprenticeship training (two years+), or occupation-specific training. Examples: computer network technicians (22220), registered nurses (31301), medical laboratory technologists (32120), electrical engineering technologists (22310), paralegal and related occupations (42201). TEER 2 overlaps heavily with regulated professions—nurses, med techs, some engineering technologists—so licensing becomes the friction point even when the NOC code qualifies. Category draws for healthcare occupations pull primarily from TEER 2 and TEER 1.
TEER 3 means apprenticeship training under two years, college certificate, or several months of on-the-job training. Examples: bakers (63202), dental assistants (33100), truck drivers (73300), administrative assistants (13110), early childhood educators (42202). TEER 3 is the floor for most Express Entry streams. FSW and CEC both accept it, but CRS competition is tougher because TEER 3 occupations often carry lower wage benchmarks and no arranged-employment boost unless the job is in a compulsory-trades province. FST candidates with TEER 3 trade codes can qualify if they hold a valid job offer or certificate of qualification.
TEER 4 and TEER 5 require high school, short training, or on-the-job demonstration. TEER 4 needs several weeks of training or high-school completion plus occupation-specific training; TEER 5 typically requires short demonstration and no formal credential. Examples (TEER 4): security guards (64100), food counter attendants (65201), home-support workers (44101). Examples (TEER 5): landscaping labourers (85100), light-duty cleaners (65310). Express Entry does not accept TEER 4 or TEER 5 occupations. Candidates in these tiers must pursue other pathways—caregiver programs, Atlantic Immigration Program, or province-specific streams that set their own NOC requirements.
Which TEER tiers qualify for which Express Entry stream
Federal Skilled Worker accepts TEER 0, 1, 2, and 3. You also need one year of continuous full-time work (or equivalent part-time) in the same NOC code within the last ten years, plus language scores at Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 minimum. The TEER tier itself doesn't set the language floor—all FSW applicants face CLB 7 regardless—but higher-TEER roles often correlate with stronger CRS totals because of credential and wage factors.
Canadian Experience Class accepts the same TEER range (0/1/2/3) but measures Canadian work experience exclusively—one year for TEER 0/1, and one year for TEER 2/3, with a CLB 7 floor for 0/1 jobs and CLB 5 for TEER 2/3. The TEER distinction matters here because a TEER 2 applicant can qualify with lower language scores than a TEER 1 applicant, which changes the CRS math and the likelihood of clearing general-draw cutoffs.
Federal Skilled Trades locks to TEER 2 and TEER 3 codes listed in specific trade groups (industrial/electrical/construction trades, maintenance/equipment operation, natural resources/agriculture, processing/manufacturing, chefs/cooks). You need two years of full-time trade experience in the last five years, plus either a valid Canadian job offer for at least one year or a provincial/territorial certificate of qualification. Most FST-eligible codes sit in TEER 3 (bricklayers, welders, heavy-duty mechanics); some technical trades (power systems electricians, for instance) land in TEER 2. If your trade isn't on the FST list, you can't use that stream even if the TEER tier matches—check the official list before building the profile.
How to look up your NOC code (and avoid the common traps)
IRCC doesn't assign your NOC code—you do. The official tool is the NOC 2021 search portal maintained by Employment and Social Development Canada. Enter your job title and the system returns candidate codes; click through to the full description and compare the lead statement and the main duties list to your actual responsibilities. The lead statement is a one-sentence summary of what the occupation does; the main duties are bullet points enumerating core tasks. Your reference letters need to demonstrate most of those duties—title match alone won't satisfy an officer.
Common traps: picking a code because the title sounds close, ignoring the duties list, or assuming your employer's internal job title maps directly to a NOC category. A "Marketing Coordinator" in one company might perform TEER 1 duties (market research, campaign strategy) that fit NOC 11202 (professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations), while in another company the same title covers TEER 3 administrative work that belongs under 13110. The duties govern. If your reference letter describes what you do and it contradicts the NOC lead statement, the officer will refuse the work experience—even if you selected a plausible code.
Another pitfall: TEER boundary cases. Some roles blend TEER 2 and TEER 3 responsibilities depending on the workplace. A "supervisor" in one context manages staff and budgets (TEER 1 or TEER 2); in another context the title just means senior worker with no true supervisory authority (TEER 3 duties). If your situation is ambiguous, pay for an hour with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) to review your duties against the NOC descriptions before you lock in the code. Changing it after submission is difficult and can trigger misrepresentation scrutiny if done carelessly.
TEER tier affects CRS points and category-draw eligibility
Your NOC code feeds into the Comprehensive Ranking System in two places: arranged employment and category-draw filtering. Under current CRS rules, a valid job offer adds 50 points for TEER 0 management roles, or 50 points for any other TEER 0/1/2/3 occupation if the offer is supported by a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or exempt under an international agreement. The old 200-point job-offer bonus for TEER 0 roles was removed in 2023, so TEER 0 no longer carries an outsized advantage—but the 50-point boost still matters when you're hovering near the cutoff.
Category draws—healthcare, French-language, STEM, trades, transport—filter by exact five-digit NOC codes (healthcare, STEM, trades) or by language scores (French rounds). If IRCC runs a healthcare-occupation draw, only candidates whose primary NOC matches one of the listed codes receive an Invitation to Apply, regardless of CRS total. The listed codes are nearly all TEER 1 or TEER 2 (physicians, nurses, med techs), so a TEER 3 candidate in an adjacent health field (dental assistant, pharmacy assistant) won't be invited even if the CRS score is high. The TEER tier indirectly determines category-draw access because IRCC groups eligible occupations by training complexity when designing the lists.
What happens if your occupation sits between two TEER tiers
Some job descriptions legitimately blend TEER levels—administrative roles with partial supervisory duties, technical positions that combine hands-on work with some project management, hybrid trades that cross apprenticeship and technologist boundaries. The NOC 2021 framework tries to force every occupation into one tier, but real-world jobs are messier. When an officer reviews your application, they apply the lead statement test: does the core purpose of your role match the NOC's lead statement? If yes, proceed to the main duties. If the majority of your duties align with the NOC's list, the code is defensible. If fewer than half align, expect a refusal or a procedural-fairness letter asking you to justify the choice.
Borderline cases should be flagged before you submit the Express Entry profile. Prepare a detailed duties breakdown—what percentage of your time goes to each task category, which duties match which TEER tier, and whether a reference letter can credibly support the higher classification. If you're stretching to claim TEER 2 when the honest fit is TEER 3, the risk is a refusal after ITA, which wastes the invitation, delays your timeline, and may require you to withdraw and rebuild the profile with the correct code. Better to pick the TEER 3 code, acknowledge the slightly lower CRS impact, and avoid the integrity problem.
If you genuinely can't decide between two codes in the same TEER tier (both TEER 1, for instance), pick the one whose main duties list covers more of your day-to-day work. The officer has discretion to accept either if the duties overlap substantially, but clarity in the reference letter matters more than code perfection. When in doubt, consult an RCIC licensed with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants—particularly if your occupation is new, niche, or changed significantly under NOC 2021.
Official NOC 2021 classifications and Express Entry program rules are published at canada.ca/immigration; this article is independent reference content prepared by IRCC.com editorial staff.