NOC 72501 job description: cable tool driller - water well drilling duties and responsibilities
- Review client requirements and proposed locations for water wells
- Operate water well drilling rigs and other equipment to drill, bore and dig for residential, commercial and industrial water wells or environmental assessment, and install well screens, casings and other well fixtures
- Document geological formations encountered
- Clean and disinfect wells in preparation for use
- Perform routine mechanical maintenance work on water well drilling rigs and equipment
- Install, test, maintain and repair water well pumps, piping systems and equipment and perform pumping tests to assess well performance
- May provide other drilling services, such as repair or dismantling of existing water well structure, elevator shaft drilling and hydro pole drilling.
Job titles under NOC 72501
See every job title and its code in the A–Z job title index, or all TEER 2 jobs.
Is NOC 72501 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, and NOC 72501 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.
| 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 | Listed trade | NOC 72501 is in a trade group IRCC accepts. Check IRCC |
| Spouse's open work permit | Qualifies | On IRCC's TEER 2–3 list. SOWP rules |
Category-based draws: NOC 72501 is on IRCC's Trades 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 72501: common questions
What is NOC 72501?
NOC 72501 is the code for water well drillers in Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021). Its first digit, 7, 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 72501?
NOC 72501 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 72501 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, and NOC 72501 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 72501 in a category-based Express Entry draw?
Yes. As of IRCC's list dated 2026-10-16, NOC 72501 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 72501 eligible for a spousal open work permit (SOWP)?
Yes. NOC 72501 is on IRCC's list of TEER 2 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 cable tool driller - water well drilling?
Cable tool driller - water well drilling is listed under NOC 72501, water well drillers. The job title alone does not decide your code: your duties should match the main duties of NOC 72501.
How do I know if NOC 72501 is my NOC code?
Compare what you actually do with the main duties listed for NOC 72501, 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.