NOC 63201: Butchers - retail and wholesale

NOC 63201 is the NOC 2021 unit group for butchers - retail and wholesale, with job titles such as apprentice butcher - retail or wholesale, retail butcher and butcher - butcher shop. It is a TEER 3 occupation in broad category 6, sales and service occupations.

TEER 3Broad category 6NOC 2021

Decode the code

Pick a level to see what each digit means.

63201

Unit group 63201: butchers - retail and wholesale. This is the code you put on your application.

NOC 63201 job description: apprentice butcher - retail or wholesale duties and responsibilities

  • Cut, trim, bone and otherwise prepare custom and/or standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale at self-serve counters or according to customers' orders
  • Prepare meat for special displays and/or delivery
  • Shape, lace and tie roasts and other meats, poultry or fish and may wrap or package fresh or frozen or prepared meats
  • Manage inventory, keep records of sales and determine amount, product line and freshness of products according to company and customer requirements
  • Adhere to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and food safety standards
  • Ensure food storage conditions are adequate
  • May supervise, direct work or train other butchers, meat cutters or fishmongers.

Job titles under NOC 63201

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

Is NOC 63201 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, and NOC 63201 is also on the Federal Skilled Trades list. 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 63201
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 TradesListed tradeNOC 63201 is in a trade group IRCC accepts. Check IRCC
Spouse's open work permitNot eligibleNot on IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules

Category-based draws: NOC 63201 is on IRCC's Trades 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 63201: common questions

What is NOC 63201?

NOC 63201 is the code for butchers - retail and wholesale in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 6, 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 63201?

NOC 63201 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 63201 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, and NOC 63201 is also on the Federal Skilled Trades list. 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 63201 in a category-based Express Entry draw?

Yes. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 63201 is in the trades 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 63201 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 63201 is not on that list (IRCC page modified 2026-06-12).

What is the NOC code for an apprentice butcher - retail or wholesale?

Apprentice butcher - retail or wholesale is listed under NOC 63201, butchers - retail and wholesale. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 63201.

How do I know if NOC 63201 is my NOC code?

Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 63201, 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.