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NOC 43204: Operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces

NOC 43204 is the NOC 2021 unit group for operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces, with job titles such as sonar operator, naval combat information operator and airborne electronic sensor operator. It is a TEER 3 occupation in broad category 4, occupations in education, law and social, community and government services.

TEER 3Broad category 4NOC 2021

Decode the code

Pick a level to see what each digit means.

43204

Unit group 43204: operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces. This is the code you put on your application.

NOC 43204 job description: sonar operator duties and responsibilities

  • Analyze equipment and system performance on all combat information equipment
  • Maintain and operate engineering equipment, including weapons, vehicles, heavy equipment and supplies
  • Inspect motors in operation, road test motor vehicles, and test automotive systems and components using computerized diagnostic and other testing devices to diagnose and isolate faults
  • Configure and operate intelligence, surveillance and recognizance systems
  • Oversee the construction of tools and devices to enable infantry soldiers to cross natural and man-made obstacles and break through enemy defenses
  • Operate weapons and missile related equipment for defense.

Job titles under NOC 43204

Airborne electronic sensor operatorAssault pioneerCombat engineerNaval combat information operatorSonar operator

See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 3 jobs.

Is NOC 43204 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.

Federal program TEER requirements for NOC 43204
ProgramTEER checkWhy
Federal Skilled WorkerTEER qualifiesTEER 3 is within TEER 0 to 3
Canadian Experience ClassTEER qualifiesTEER 3 is within TEER 0 to 3
Federal Skilled TradesNot a listed tradeOnly certain trade groups qualify. Check IRCC
Spouse's open work permitQualifiesOn IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules

Category-based draws: NOC 43204 is on IRCC's Skilled military recruits 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 43204: common questions

What is NOC 43204?

NOC 43204 is the code for operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 4, 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 43204?

NOC 43204 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 43204 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 43204 in a category-based Express Entry draw?

Yes. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 43204 is in the skilled military recruits 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 43204 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?

Yes. NOC 43204 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 sonar operator?

Sonar operator is listed under NOC 43204, operations Members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 43204.

How do I know if NOC 43204 is my NOC code?

Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 43204, 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.

Often confused with

40042

Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces

TEER 0 · See this code →

42102

Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces

TEER 2 · See this code →

44200

Primary combat members of the Canadian Armed Forces

TEER 4 · See this code →