ARCHIVED – Operational Bulletin 521 – May 3, 2013

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

Transition to National Occupational Classification 2011 for the Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Worker Class

This Operational Bulletin has expired.

Summary

This Operational Bulletin (OB) provides guidance to officers on processing applications for permanent residence in light of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC’s) decision to transition to the 2011 edition of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC). This OB supersedes the interim instructions provided in OB 393 in March 2012.

Background

On January 31, 2012, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) and Statistics Canada (STC) replaced the 2006 edition of the NOC with the 2011 edition.

Interim guidance to officers on processing applications for permanent residence in the CEC and FSWC was provided in OB 393 issued on March 5, 2012.

The 2011 edition of the NOC includes some structural changes due to having been merged with STC’s National Occupational Classification for Statistics. In addition, some NOC codes and job descriptions have changed in the 2011 edition.

A transition period was provided for applications in processing at the time the 2006 edition of the NOC was replaced, and it provided sufficient time for new applicants to adjust to this change. CIC will now use exclusively the 2011 edition of the NOC for the purposes of assessing applications for permanent residence in the CEC and FSWC.

Applications for permanent residence in the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC), which was launched on January 2, 2013, have been assessed from the outset against the 2011 edition of the NOC in accordance with the definition of a skilled trade occupation pursuant to subsections 2 and 87.2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

Guidelines for assessing CEC and FSWC applications against the NOC

GCMS has been updated to include four-digit unit group occupation codes from both the 2006 and 2011 editions of the NOC, and officers have the ability to view to which edition of the NOC each code belongs.

The 2011 edition of the NOC is available on the HRSDC website.

The 2006 edition of the NOC is available on the HRSDC website.

If the application was received before May 4, 2013, then the officer will assess the CEC or FSWC applicant’s work experience against the minor unit group occupation description(s) in either the 2006 or 2011 edition of the NOC, whichever is most advantageous to the applicant.

If the application was received on or after May 4, 2013, then the officer will assess the CEC or FSWC applicant’s work experience exclusively against the minor unit group occupation description(s) in the 2011 edition of the NOC.

Note: As noted above, FSWC applications received on or after May 4, 2013, are to be assessed against the 2011 edition of the NOC. However, CIC will continue to accept as supporting documentation positive/neutral Labour Market Opinions (LMOs) assessed and issued by HRSDC against the 2006 edition of the NOC, and work permits based on these LMOs, provided the NOC 2006 occupation code can be correlated to an eligible NOC 2011 Skill Type 0, Skill Level A or B occupation code at the time the application is received by CIC. Regardless of the NOC code identified on the LMO, the applicant will need to demonstrate that they performed the actions in the lead statement, and performed a substantial number of the main duties, including all the essential duties, of the occupation as set out in the occupational description for an eligible NOC 2011 minor unit group.

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