Working in Canada: what is meant by TEER categories 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5?

You may have heard about job levels while doing your research about working in Canada. Here you will find more information on Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) system – Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) categories 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

First of all, here are two links which you may find useful:

• The National Occupational Classification system in Canada
• The Canadian Immigration website

What is the National Occupational Classification (NOC)?

The NOC is the way in which jobs are classified in Canada. Jobs are generally classified according to category (or wider industry) and by skill level, ranging from TEER 0 (for management jobs) to TEER 5 (for jobs which do not require any formal education).

• TEER 0 jobs are management occupations, e.g. a public relations manager.
• TEER 1 jobs are those which generally require a university degree, e.g. a software engineer.
• TEER 2 jobs generally require a college diploma or some form of apprenticeship training that lasts two or more years. TEER 2 also covers supervisory occupations, e.g. a retail sales supervisor.
• TEER 3 jobs generally require a college diploma or some form of apprenticeship training that lasts less than two years. TEER 3 also covers jobs where you have had to train on-the-job for more than six months, e.g. a baker.
• TEER 4 jobs generally require a high school diploma or several weeks of on-the-job training, e.g. a library assistant.
• TEER 5 jobs generally require only short-term work demonstration and no formal education, e.g. a delivery driver.

Find out more on this subject.

For a number of immigration procedures (some temporary work permits and permanent resident programmes), the classification of the job you have or intend to have in Canada may play a key role in your application. For example, some Canadian work permits require that you first find a “skilled” job, meaning that your job must sit within the TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 category of the Canadian NOC.

Here are the steps you must go through to find out which category your job fits into.

Identify your occupation

You will firstly need to try and identify your job title and the corresponding five-digit NOC code. If you have received an offer from an employer, you may search using the job title that has been offered to you. You can search:

• By keywords (use this link)
• By area of activity (use this link)

Take the time to research and read the description of the occupations which may match yours. At the bottom of each occupation, you will find a list of similar (but still very different) occupations and the “exceptions,” where you can find your exact job title. You can always ask your employer for more details.

Identify the skill level

Once you have found your job title, you will see that each occupation is classified by a five-digit code (the NOC code). The first two numbers of the NOC code allow you to determine the area of activity and which TEER category it is classed as.

Let’s use the example of a baker (code 63202):

• The first number represents the area of activity (the 6 corresponds to the sales and services sector).
• The second number represents the skill level (the number 3 corresponds to the TEER category of the NOC; in this case, TEER 3).

The first number of the NOC code corresponds to an area of activity:

• 0: Legislative and senior management occupations
• 1: Business, finance and administration occupations
• 2: Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
• 3: Health occupations
• 4: Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services
• 5: Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport
• 6: Sales and service occupations
• 7: Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
• 8: Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations
• 9: Occupations in manufacturing and utilities

To be eligible for a work permit which requires finding a “skilled” job, the NOC code of your job must either begin with the number 0 (senior management job) or have one of the following as the second number: 0, 1, 2 or 3.

TEER 0 jobs

When the first number is a 0, this corresponds to senior management jobs, regardless of the area of activity.

In the Canadian NOC, senior management jobs include, for example, legislators (00010), senior government managers and officials (00011) or senior managers in a range of other occupations, e.g. senior manager – construction (00015), etc.

Any NOC code with the second number as a 0 will represent a management job in TEER 0. For example, a public relations manager (10022), a manufacturing manager (90010), a food service manager (60030), etc.

TEER 1 jobs

Occupations where the second number of the NOC code is a 1 are TEER 1 jobs. Examples of TEER 1 jobs include a financial advisor (11102), a web designer (21233), a journalist (51113), etc.

TEER 2 jobs

Occupations where the second number of the NOC code is 2 are TEER 2 jobs. Examples of TEER 2 jobs include computer and web technicians (22220), dental hygienists (32111), food service supervisors (62020), etc.

TEER 3 jobs

Occupations where the second number of the NOC code is a 3 are TEER 3 jobs. Examples of TEER 3 jobs include administrative assistants (13110), real estate agents (63101), elementary/secondary school teaching assistants (43100), etc.

TEER 4 jobs

Occupations where the second number of the NOC code is a 4 are TEER 4 jobs. Examples of TEER 4 jobs include home support workers (44101), data entry clerks (14111), bartenders (64301), etc.

TEER 5 jobs

Occupations where the second number of the NOC code is a 5 are TEER 5 jobs. Examples of TEER 5 jobs include taxi drivers (75200), cashiers (65100), janitors (65312), etc.

Please note! The immigration officers will decide whether or not your occupation falls into a certain category of the NOC. Their assessment will be based on the description of the tasks and necessary skills established by the employer. If they find that your occupation does not fall into one of the required TEER categories, your work permit may be denied if one of the conditions is to have found a skilled job.

Which work permits/permanent residence procedures are TEER categories important for?

Temporary work permits

The Young Professionals temporary work permit

The Young Professionals permit is for people with a job offer of TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC. Note that TEER 4 jobs may also be eligible if the applicant can present a post-secondary diploma, certificate or degree with their work permit application.

To find out more: the Young Professionals permit in Canada.

The Francophone temporary work permit

This is a simplified work permit for French-speaking people who have obtained a qualified job offer from an employer to work in a province where French is a minority language (i.e. all of Canada EXCEPT Quebec).

The open work permit for spouses/partners of skilled workers

If your spouse/partner* has a work permit (Young Professionals, Francophone, etc.) valid for more than six months in Canada and is employed in a skilled job (TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC), you may be eligible for an open work permit for spouse/partners of a skilled worker.

* Spouse/partner = someone you are married to or who you have been living for at least 12 months (with proof).

To find out more: the open work permit for spouse/partners of skilled workers.

Permanent residence programmes

Express Entry

The Express Entry programme (one of the permanent residency programmes for immigrants anywhere in Canada EXCEPT Quebec) bases its selection on so-called skilled jobs (TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC). The three types of Express Entry (federal skilled workers, Canadian experience class and skilled trades) only take into account experience gained in jobs from these categories of the NOC.

To find out more: Express Entry.

The Quebec Experience Program – skilled workers (first possible step towards permanent residence via Quebec)

The Quebec Experience Program (QEP) for temporary skilled workers is one of the ways to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (French: CSQ) – an essential step for anyone wishing to immigrate to Quebec (before moving on to the federal stage). There are also other programmes that allow you to access the CSQ. The QEP for temporary skilled workers is based on having worked in a job at TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the NOC for 24 months within the 36 months preceding the application.

To find out more: the QEP.

Certain categories of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)

Other Canadian provinces outside of Quebec have the option of selecting their own candidates through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Each province offers different selection categories according to its own needs. Many categories are based on skill levels.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is designed to encourage immigration to the four provinces of Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island). This programme is divided into different categories and these categories are organised according to employment level.