The 2021 NOC system is going to be implemented in Canada by the federal government beginning on November 16th, 2022. Recent disclosures of classified IRCC documents reveal that the Express Entry system will allow applicants to apply for 16 new occupations, but three existing occupations will no longer be eligible. The new NOC system, which will affect how IRCC analyzes work experience, is responsible for these alterations to how the system operates.
The process of entering Canada through a program known as Express Entry is both the quickest and most common way to do so. Because having a valid NOC code is necessary to be allowed into Express Entry, a great number of applicants will be directly impacted by the upcoming changes to this code.
Mechanisms of the NOC system
The NOC system is used to establish whether or not an individual is eligible for employment-based immigration programs in Canada. Within the system, each conceivable occupation has been given its unique code. After then, the codes are categorized by the type of job being done and the particular responsibilities that each worker is responsible for carrying out.
When filling out an application for one of Canada’s economic immigration programs, prospective immigrants are required to include the relevant NOC code. When selecting a NOC code, it is essential to take into consideration the degree to which the primary tasks of the code correspond with the job that will be carried out by that code.
Alterations to take effect on November 16th, 2022
To submit a profile to the Express Entry system, candidates now require expertise in either an Occupational Skill Level A or B or level O altogether. The National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 version 1.3 is the standard that is used at present to determine the level of competence that is necessary for a certain profession. The National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 V1.0 classification system will be implemented by the government of Canada on November 16, 2022.
The new NOC system will classify positions not according to their required levels of expertise, but rather according to four criteria: education, years of experience on the job, and level of responsibility (TEER).
The main changes to the NOC system are as follows.
- Change in the terminology
The first major shift is in the use of words. Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) is the new name for what was once known as the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.
As a result, NOC considers a candidate’s training, formal education, job experience, and duties related to that experience while deciding whether or not to grant them Express Entry or a temporary foreign worker visa.
- Modification of Ability Groupings
The expansion of the NOC system’s number of tiers is the second major shift. There are now six primary categories instead of the previous four. In the 2016 NOC, occupations requiring skill level B are the most common. The selection process should be more consistent if job qualifications are more clearly differentiated, which can be achieved by adding more categories.
- The move from a four- to a five-point scale
The actual NOC code will evolve from a four-digit to a new five-digit NOC code, marking the third major shift. For future incorporation of more unit types, allows for greater adaptability and uniformity.
16 occupations that will become eligible for Express Entry
- Payroll administrators
- Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
- Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
- Sheriffs and bailiffs
- Correctional service officers
- By-law enforcement and other regulatory officers
- Estheticians, electrologists and related occupations
- Residential and commercial installers and servicers
- Pest controllers and fumigators
- Other repairers and servicers
- Transport truck drivers
- Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators
- Heavy equipment operators
- Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
Further alterations also include that in addition to these big shifts, some jobs were reworked to adapt to the dynamic nature of the modern labour market. Other occupations have been deemed statistically sufficient to have their unit groups, while new groups were developed to account for growing jobs in Canada, such as data scientists and cybersecurity professionals.
Jatinder Singh
Cluster Manager