NOC 42201 job description: social services worker duties and responsibilities
- Review client background information, interview clients to obtain case history and prepare intake reports
- Assess clients' relevant skill strengths and needs
- Assist clients to sort out options and develop plans of action while providing necessary support and assistance
- Assess and investigate eligibility for social benefits
- Refer clients to other social services or assist clients in locating and utilizing community resources including legal, medical and financial assistance, housing, employment, transportation, day care and other services
- Counsel clients living in group homes and halfway houses, supervise their activities and assist in pre-release and release planning
- Participate in the selection and admission of clients to appropriate programs
- Implement life skills workshops, substance abuse treatment programs, behaviour management programs, youth services programs and other community and social service programs under the supervision of social services or health care professionals
- Meet with clients to assess their progress, give support and discuss any difficulties or problems
- Assist in evaluating the effectiveness of treatment programs by tracking clients' behavioural changes and responses to interventions
- Advise and aid recipients of social assistance and pensions
- Provide crisis intervention and emergency shelter services
- Implement and organize the delivery of specific services within the community
- Maintain contact with other social service agencies and health care providers involved with clients to provide information and obtain feedback on clients' overall progress
- Mobilise and coordinate volunteer resources and activities for a range of organizations such as human service agencies, health care facilities, arts and sports, etc.
- May maintain program statistics for purposes of evaluation and research
- May supervise social service support workers and volunteers.
Job titles under NOC 42201
See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 2 jobs.
Is NOC 42201 eligible for Express Entry?
By TEER, yes. TEER 2 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 2 is within TEER 0 to 3 |
| Canadian Experience Class | TEER qualifies | TEER 2 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 | Not eligible | Not on IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules |
Category-based draws: NOC 42201 is on IRCC's Healthcare and social services list (checked 2026-10-16). Under NOC 2016, TEER 2 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 42201: common questions
What is NOC 42201?
NOC 42201 is the code for social and community service workers in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 4, is the broad category and its second digit, 2, is the TEER level. Immigration forms, job offers and LMIA applications use this five-digit code.
What TEER is NOC 42201?
NOC 42201 is TEER 2. Occupations that usually need a college program of two to three years or an apprenticeship of two to five years, or that carry supervisory or significant safety responsibilities. Under the older NOC 2016 system, TEER 2 lines up with skill level B.
Is NOC 42201 eligible for Express Entry and PR?
By TEER, yes. TEER 2 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 42201 in a category-based Express Entry draw?
Yes. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 42201 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 42201 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?
No. For applications made since January 21, 2025, only TEER 0 and 1 jobs and a list of selected TEER 2 and 3 occupations qualify, and NOC 42201 is not on that list (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).
What is the NOC code for a social services worker?
Social services worker is listed under NOC 42201, social and community service workers. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 42201.
How do I know if NOC 42201 is my NOC code?
Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 42201, 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.