Your TEER category can determine which Canadian immigration programs recognize your work experience, what language score you may need and whether a particular job offer can support a permanent residence application.

Canada uses the National Occupational Classification 2021, commonly called NOC 2021, to organize occupations. Every occupation receives a five-digit NOC code and is placed in one of six TEER categories: TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.

TEER stands for Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities. It describes the usual level of preparation and responsibility associated with an occupation. Canada began using NOC 2021 for immigration purposes on November 16, 2022, replacing the older skill-type and skill-level system.

A lower TEER number does not automatically mean that a job is more valuable, better paid or more important. It mainly helps immigration authorities classify the occupation and determine which programs may accept it.

TEER Categories Explained

The official NOC system classifies TEER 2 occupations as jobs that usually require a college diploma, apprenticeship training of at least two years or supervisory responsibilities. TEER 3 generally includes occupations requiring a shorter college program, an apprenticeship of less than two years or more than six months of workplace training.

TEER 0: Management Occupations

TEER 0 is reserved for management positions. These jobs usually involve planning operations, managing budgets, supervising departments or making organizational decisions.

Examples include:

• financial managers;
• human resources managers;
• engineering managers;
• construction managers;
• restaurant and food-service managers;
• computer and information systems managers.

TEER 0 experience can qualify as skilled work under the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, provided the applicant meets the other requirements.

Under the Canadian Experience Class, applicants using TEER 0 or TEER 1 work experience generally need at least CLB 7 in each language ability.

A management title alone does not make a position TEER 0. An immigration officer will compare the applicant’s duties with the official NOC description. For example, a “store manager” who mainly performs routine sales duties may not necessarily qualify under a management NOC.

TEER 1: Professional Occupations

TEER 1 includes occupations that normally require a university degree.

Common examples include:

• accountants and financial auditors;
• software engineers;
• data scientists;
• registered nurses;
• physicians;
• teachers;
• architects;
• lawyers;
• engineers.

TEER 1 applicants commonly use the Federal Skilled Worker Program when their qualifying experience was gained outside Canada. Those with eligible Canadian experience may qualify through the Canadian Experience Class.

Some TEER 1 occupations may also benefit from occupation-based Express Entry invitations. Canada’s current category-based system includes groups such as healthcare and social services, STEM, education, transport and other priority occupations. However, an applicant must first qualify for one of the Express Entry programs before being considered in a category-based round.

Many TEER 1 jobs are regulated. Immigration eligibility does not automatically authorize someone to practise as a doctor, nurse, teacher, engineer or lawyer. Provincial licensing may be required separately.

TEER 2: Technical, Supervisory and Skilled-Trade Occupations

TEER 2 includes many technical occupations, supervisors and skilled trades. These jobs commonly require a college diploma, apprenticeship training of two years or more, or significant supervisory responsibility.

Examples may include:

• medical laboratory technologists;
• computer network and web technicians;
• accounting technicians;
• human resources and recruitment officers;
• electricians;
• industrial mechanics;
• construction-trade supervisors.

TEER 2 work may qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Canadian Experience Class. Certain TEER 2 occupations can also qualify for the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program does not accept every TEER 2 or TEER 3 occupation. It is restricted to designated occupational groups such as technical trades, general trades, natural-resource occupations, processing and manufacturing supervisors, cooks, butchers, bakers and chefs.

Under the Canadian Experience Class, applicants using TEER 2 or TEER 3 work generally need at least CLB 5, which is lower than the CLB 7 requirement that normally applies to TEER 0 and TEER 1 work.

TEER 3: Skilled and Intermediate Occupations

TEER 3 occupations generally require:

• a college diploma;
• an apprenticeship shorter than two years; or
• more than six months of workplace training.

Examples include:

• administrative assistants;
• payroll administrators;
• bakers;
• dental assistants;
• logistics coordinators;
• cooks and certain tradespeople.

TEER 3 occupations are considered skilled work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class. Some also fall within the eligible occupational groups of the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

This makes TEER 3 strategically important. Applicants sometimes assume that only university-level occupations qualify for Express Entry, but eligible technical, administrative and trade experience can also support an Express Entry profile.

The decisive issue is not whether the applicant has a degree. It is whether their work experience matches an eligible NOC and whether they satisfy the requirements of the immigration program.

TEER 4: Intermediate Occupations

TEER 4 jobs usually require a high school diploma or several weeks of job-specific training.

Examples include:

• retail salespersons;
• home child-care providers;
• receptionists;
• shippers and receivers;
• data-entry clerks;
• dispatchers;
• certain food-service workers.

TEER 4 work is generally not eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Canadian Experience Class because those programs normally accept TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 experience.

However, TEER 4 workers are not automatically excluded from Canadian permanent residence.

The Atlantic Immigration Program accepts eligible job offers in TEER 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4. A TEER 4 offer must normally be for permanent employment with no fixed end date. Applicants with a TEER 4 job offer need at least CLB 4, while applicants with TEER 0–3 offers generally need CLB 5.

TEER 4 applicants may also find options through:

• selected Provincial Nominee Program streams;
• the Rural Community Immigration Pilot;
• the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot;
• occupation-specific pathways;
• employer-driven regional programs.

These routes usually require a genuine job offer and may be limited to designated employers, communities or priority occupations.

TEER 5: Labour and Entry-Level Occupations

TEER 5 includes occupations that generally require short-term work demonstration and no formal educational credential.

Examples include:

• landscaping and grounds-maintenance labourers;
• delivery-service drivers;
• certain construction labourers;
• harvesting labourers;
• food counter attendants in some occupational classifications.

TEER 5 experience is not accepted under the main Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class eligibility rules.

Nevertheless, some provinces and participating communities may nominate TEER 5 workers when their occupation addresses a local labour shortage. Community-driven programs can be particularly relevant because participating communities select employers and establish priority sectors based on local workforce requirements.

The Rural Community Immigration Pilot requires a valid offer from a designated community employer, at least 1,560 hours of related experience during the preceding three years, an eligible educational credential, language results and settlement funds where required.

Eligibility still depends on the individual community’s priority occupations and employer-designation rules. Having a TEER 5 job does not by itself create a permanent residence pathway.

Which TEER Categories Qualify for Express Entry?

TEER is only one eligibility factor. Applicants must also satisfy requirements relating to language ability, work duration, education, admissibility and settlement funds where applicable.

How TEER Affects Language Requirements

Your TEER category can affect the minimum language score required under some programs.

These are minimum eligibility levels, not guaranteed invitation scores. A stronger language result can improve an applicant’s Express Entry ranking and may open additional provincial or French-language pathways.

How to Find the Correct TEER Category

Do not choose your NOC solely by looking at your job title.

Use this process:

1. Write down your actual day-to-day duties.
2. Search for possible occupations in the official NOC database.
3. Read the occupation’s lead statement.
4. Compare your work with the listed main duties.
5. Select the NOC that most accurately reflects what you performed.
6. Confirm the NOC’s five-digit code and TEER category.

IRCC specifically instructs applicants to ensure that their main duties match the official NOC description. When the duties do not match, the applicant should search for another, more accurate occupational classification.

For example, “data analyst” may refer to several possible NOCs depending on whether the person works in data science, business systems, market research, finance or database administration.

Final Takeaway

TEER categories shape Canadian immigration options, but they do not determine a candidate’s future by themselves.

TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 workers generally have broader access to Express Entry. TEER 2 and 3 workers may also qualify through skilled-trade programs. TEER 4 and 5 applicants often need to focus on employer-driven provincial pathways, Atlantic Canada or participating rural and Francophone communities.

The safest starting point is to identify the correct NOC through your actual duties. Once the code and TEER category are confirmed, compare the relevant program’s work-experience, language, education, job-offer and licensing rules. A correct occupational classification can reveal immigration options that may be missed when an applicant searches only by job title.