NOC 33101 job description: medical laboratory assistant duties and responsibilities
- Collect, label, sort and prepare blood, tissue and other samples from patients
- Log and validate patient samples and prepare them for testing
- Set up medical laboratory equipment
- Prepare chemical reagents to be combined with biological samples for testing
- Conduct routine laboratory tests and sample analyses
- Perform quality assurance of testing techniques and record results
- Clean and maintain medical laboratory and medical laboratory equipment.
Job titles under NOC 33101
See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 3 jobs.
Is NOC 33101 eligible for Express Entry?
By TEER, yes. TEER 3 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
| Program | TEER check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker | TEER qualifies | TEER 3 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Canadian Experience Class | TEER qualifies | TEER 3 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Federal Skilled Trades | Not a listed trade | Only certain trade groups qualify. Check IRCC |
| Spouse's open work permit | Qualifies | On IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules |
Category-based draws: NOC 33101 is on IRCC's Healthcare and social services list (checked 2026-10-16). Under NOC 2016, TEER 3 was skill level B ("NOC B").
Category-based Express Entry draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists. Check the current lists on IRCC's Express Entry page and provincial nominee page.
NOC 33101: common questions
What is NOC 33101?
NOC 33101 is the code for medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 3, is the broad category and its second digit, 3, is the TEER level. Immigration forms, job offers and LMIA applications use this five-digit code.
What TEER is NOC 33101?
NOC 33101 is TEER 3. Occupations that usually need a college program or apprenticeship of less than two years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. Under the older NOC 2016 system, TEER 3 lines up with skill level B.
Is NOC 33101 eligible for Express Entry and PR?
By TEER, yes. TEER 3 is inside the TEER 0 to 3 range that the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class accept. You still need qualifying work experience, language test results and enough CRS points to get an invitation. Category-based draws and provincial nominee programs use their own occupation lists.
Is NOC 33101 in a category-based Express Entry draw?
Yes. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 33101 is in the healthcare and social services category. Category-based draws invite candidates with at least 6 months of continuous work experience in one of the listed occupations, and IRCC updates the lists from time to time.
Is NOC 33101 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?
Yes. NOC 33101 is on IRCC's list of TEER 3 occupations that qualify, so a worker in this job can support a spouse's open work permit, as long as their own work permit has at least 16 months left when the spouse applies (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).
What is the NOC code for a medical laboratory assistant?
Medical laboratory assistant is listed under NOC 33101, medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 33101.
How do I know if NOC 33101 is my NOC code?
Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 33101, not just your job title. IRCC expects your duties to match the lead statement and most of the main duties of the code you choose. If they fit another code better, use that one. You can paste your duties into nocfinder to see how they line up, duty by duty.
Source: ESDC NOC 2021 · IRCC program pages. Not legal advice.