Anyone involved in securing work permits for foreign nationals in Canada knows that (with few exceptions for open work permits), the occupation to which the work permit relates must be based on the job’s government-mandated occupational classification. This classification system is known as the ‘NOC’ – The National Occupational System. Ensuring that the correct NOC is used in a work permit will have numerous implications for salary, permanent residence options, LMIA allowances, and more.
The four-digit NOC codes are based on a matrix where (a) the rows represent nine general fields of work, for example, health occupations and business occupations, and (b) the columns represent five possible levels within each occupational category ranging from managerial, to those usually requiring a university education, to ultimately those requiring no formal education. The matrix can be seen at https://noc.esdc.gc.ca/Structure/Matrix (at a two-digit level, and then can be drilled-down upon from there). An appropriate NOC must be considered for any work permit application (as well as in many permanent residence applications, and notably economic class applications).
The government of Canada has now announced that the NOC system that has been in place for many years will be ‘upgraded’. Changes are expected to go into effect in the latter half of 2022, but readers should be generally aware of the new system in order to be ready when the changes happen.
A new five-digit codes will break occupational skill/background requirements down into six categories, to better reflect criteria necessary for the job, relating to Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (the acronym for which is ‘TEER’). Occupational groupings will be modified as well to reflect a hierarchy of levels reflecting:
- Broad Occupational Categories
- Major Groups
- Sub-major Groups
- Minor Groups, and
- Unit Groups.
Fuller details will of course be provided as they become available, but the common breakdown of NOC 0/A/B occupations (managerial and typically post-secondary education) vs. NOC C/D (secondary or no prior education) will be replaced, and we will all need to adapt and understand how this will impact work permit applications.
We will keep readers apprised in future issues of ImmPulse™, but this is certainly an important development.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.