Is NOC 21231 (Software engineers and designers) a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?

Yes. From November 3, 2026, NOC 21231 is in the 1.5× tier of IRCC’s high-wage list, meaning its national median wage is at least 1.5 times, but less than 2 times, the median wage of the Canadian workforce (2023 to 2025 data).

How many CRS points does NOC 21231 give?

With 12 months or more of skilled Canadian work in NOC 21231, you add 40 points to your Canadian work-experience points. For example, a single candidate with 3 years of Canadian work goes from 64 to 104 points. A qualifying job offer in NOC 21231 is worth 70 points instead. You get the higher of the two routes, never both, capped at 150 points (140 with a spouse).

Do I need to earn 1.5× the median wage myself?

No. The tier comes from the occupation’s national median wage, not from your own salary. What matters is that your job’s main duties match NOC 21231 and that the work is skilled, paid, Canadian experience.

Can I combine months in different high-wage jobs?

Months here combine with months in 2× occupations for the 40-point add-on, and with any high-wage occupation for the 20-point add-on.

Which Express Entry programs accept NOC 21231?

As a TEER 1 occupation it counts as skilled work for the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Which category draws include NOC 21231?

It is not on any of IRCC’s occupation category lists, so it does not qualify you for an occupation-based category draw.

1.5× median wageTEER 1NOC 2021 Version 1.0

NOC 21231: Software engineers and designers

Software engineers and designers research, design, evaluate, integrate and maintain software applications, technical environments, operating systems, embedded software, information warehouses and telecommunications software. They are employed in information technology consulting firms, information technology research and development firms, and information technology units throughout the private and public sectors, or they may be self-employed.

Express Entry eligibility

Skilled work (TEER 0 to 3): yes, TEER 1.
Canadian Experience Class: counts as skilled Canadian work (1 year in the last 3 years).
Federal Skilled Worker Program: counts as skilled work (1 year of continuous work in the last 10 years).
Federal Skilled Trades Program: not one of the eligible trades.
High-wage occupation (from November 3, 2026): yes, 1.5× tier.

TEER 1: Occupations that usually need a university degree. Every program has other requirements too, such as language test results and, for FSW, a points test.

Category-based draws

NOC 21231 is not on any of IRCC’s occupation category lists. You can still be invited in general, Canadian Experience Class or other program draws.

Category lists checked on canada.ca on 2026-10-17. IRCC category-based selection

CRS points for work in NOC 21231

With 12+ months of Canadian work here, from November 3, 2026, by years of skilled Canadian work:

Canadian work CRS points with 12 or more months in NOC 21231
Years in Canada	Single, today	Single, Nov 3	With spouse, today	With spouse, Nov 3
1	40	80	35	75
2	53	93	46	86
3	64	104	56	96
4	72	112	63	103
5 or more	80	120	70	110

See Canadian work points and the median-wage rule.

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Collect and document users' requirements and develop logical and physical specifications
Research, evaluate and synthesize technical information to design, develop and test computer-based systems including mobile applications
Develop data, process and network models to optimize architecture and to evaluate the performance and reliability of designs
Plan, design and coordinate the development, installation, integration and operation of computer-based systems including mobile applications
Assess, test, troubleshoot, document, upgrade and develop maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software
May lead and coordinate teams of information systems professionals in the development of software and integrated information systems, process control software and other embedded software control systems.

For Express Entry your duties must match the lead statement and most of the main duties above.

Example job titles

application architect
computer software engineer
embedded software designer
embedded software engineer
software architect
software design engineer
software design verification engineer
software designer
software testing engineer
telecommunications software engineer

Employment requirements

A bachelor's degree, usually in computer science, computer systems engineering, software engineering or mathematics or Completion of a college program in computer science is usually required.
A master's or doctoral degree in a related discipline may be required.
Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).
Engineers are eligible for registration following graduation from an accredited educational program, three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering, and passing a professional practice examination.
Experience as a computer programmer is usually required.

Similar jobs with a different code

Common questions

Is NOC 21231 (Software engineers and designers) a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?: Yes. From November 3, 2026, NOC 21231 is in the 1.5× tier of IRCC’s high-wage list, meaning its national median wage is at least 1.5 times, but less than 2 times, the median wage of the Canadian workforce (2023 to 2025 data).
How many CRS points does NOC 21231 give?: With 12 months or more of skilled Canadian work in NOC 21231, you add 40 points to your Canadian work-experience points. For example, a single candidate with 3 years of Canadian work goes from 64 to 104 points. A qualifying job offer in NOC 21231 is worth 70 points instead. You get the higher of the two routes, never both, capped at 150 points (140 with a spouse).
Do I need to earn 1.5× the median wage myself?: No. The tier comes from the occupation’s national median wage, not from your own salary. What matters is that your job’s main duties match NOC 21231 and that the work is skilled, paid, Canadian experience.
Can I combine months in different high-wage jobs?: Months here combine with months in 2× occupations for the 40-point add-on, and with any high-wage occupation for the 20-point add-on.
Which Express Entry programs accept NOC 21231?: As a TEER 1 occupation it counts as skilled work for the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Worker Program.
Which category draws include NOC 21231?: It is not on any of IRCC’s occupation category lists, so it does not qualify you for an occupation-based category draw.

Other 1.5× high-wage occupations

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See your CRS score with NOC 21231

Quick CRS adds up every factor and shows your score under today’s rules and the rules from November 3, 2026, side by side. Free, about 3 minutes.

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