TEER Categories replace Skill Levels in NOC 2021
The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is a system for classifying all jobs in Canada. ESDC, or Employment and Social Development Canada, is the organization responsible for developing the NOC. Of course, to keep NOC meaningful and relatable, ESDC reviews NOC every five years. Consequently, they may revise how they classify jobs and how they organize the NOC system. NOC 2021 is the latest version of NOC. While it shows many changes, the most prominent one is replacing the old skill levels with TEER categories. I explain here the TEER categories in NOC 2021 and how they compare with skill levels in NOC 2016 and earlier versions.
Table of contents
What is a skill level in NOC?
Before explaining the TEER categories, let’s explore the skill levels. Skill levels refer to the educational credentials you usually need to do a job. Moreover, NOC 2016 and older versions of NOC consider the following skill levels:
- A: Skill level A refers to professional positions that typically require a degree from a university. Examples: engineers, doctors, and financial auditors.
- B: Skill level B covers skilled trades or technical jobs that usually require training as an apprentice or a college diploma. Examples: welders, administrative assistants, and immigration officers.
- C: Skill level C refers to intermediate jobs that usually require job-specific training or a high school diploma. Examples: bank clerks, storekeepers, library assistants.
- D: Skill level D covers labour jobs that usually receive on-the-job training. Examples: cashiers, light-duty cleaners, and mine labourers.
As you can see, the focus is primarily on education. However, these definitions do not do justice. Luckily, the TEER categories resolve this issue to a great extent.
NOTE: NOC 0 is not a skill level but a skill type. However, it covers all management positions. Examples include senior management positions to frontline management jobs.
What does TEER stand for?
TEER stands for Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities. Of course, this new term replaces the skill levels to better categorize jobs by requirements.
TEER categories range from 0 to 5. TEER category 0 is similar to NOC Type 0. Nonetheless, the remaining categories are distinct from skill types. I have taken the following table from canada.ca verbatim. Of course, I couldn’t come up with a better definition than those the government of Canada uses.
| The NOC 2021 V1.0 Training, Education, Experience and Responsibility (TEER) | category |
|---|---|
| Management – TEER | 0 |
| Completion of a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate); or Previous experience and expertise in subject matter knowledge from a related occupation found in TEER 2 (when applicable). | 1 |
| Completion of a post-secondary education program of two to three years at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEP; or Completion of an apprenticeship training program of two to five years; or Occupations with supervisory or significant safety (e.g. police officers and firefighters) responsibilities; or Several years of experience in a related occupation from TEER 3 (when applicable). | 2 |
| Completion of a post-secondary education program of less than two years at community college, institute of technology or CÉGEP; or Completion of an apprenticeship training program of less than two years; or More than six months of on-the-job training, training courses or specific work experience with some secondary school education; or Several years of experience in a related occupation from TEER 4 (when applicable). | 3 |
| Completion of secondary school; or Several weeks of on-the-job training with some secondary school education; or Experience in a related occupation from TEER 5 (when applicable). | 4 |
| Short work demonstration and no formal educational requirements. | 5 |
How do TEER categories affect immigration to Canada?
IRCC will likely use the new TEER categories by mid-2022. Of course, many economic immigration options rely on NOC for the selection process. Therefore, replacing NOC Skill Types with TEER Categories could affect all those options. For example, we expect changes to the following programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC),
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC),
- Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC),
- Start-up visa,
- Self-employed immigration, and
- Some provincial (PNP) and Quebec programs.
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Let’s say TEER categories confuse you, but you still want to immigrate as a skilled worker. In this case, fill out the following form. Of course, you may alternatively book a consultation session with me or fill out our assessment form.
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Al Parsai, LLM, MA, RCIC-IRB
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Adjunct Professor, Queen’s University Faculty of Law
Instructor, Ashton College, Immigration Consulting Program
Author of 88 Tips on Immigration to Canada and Inadmissibility to Canada for Human Rights Violations
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