Is NOC 21320 (Chemical engineers) a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?

Yes. From November 3, 2026, NOC 21320 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 21320 give?

With 12 months or more of skilled Canadian work in NOC 21320, 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 21320 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 21320 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 21320?

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 21320?

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 21320: Chemical engineers

Chemical engineers research, design, and develop chemical processes and equipment, oversee the operation and maintenance of industrial chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, resource, pulp and paper, and food processing plants and perform duties related to chemical quality control, environmental protection and biochemical or biotechnical engineering. They are employed in a wide range of manufacturing and processing industries, consulting firms, government, research and educational institutions.

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 21320 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 21320

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 21320
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:

Conduct economic and technical feasibility studies in areas related to chemical, petroleum, pulp and paper, food or other processing industries
Conduct research into the development or improvement of chemical engineering processes, reactions and materials
Evaluate chemical process technology and equipment and determine production specifications
Design and test chemical processing and associated plants and equipment
Oversee the construction, modification, operation and maintenance of pilot plants, processing units or processing plants
Establish and conduct quality control programs, operating procedures and control strategies to ensure consistency and adherence to standards for raw materials, products and waste products or emissions
Prepare contract documents and evaluate tenders for the process aspects of industrial construction
Supervise technicians, technologists and other engineers
May work in an administrative capacity, for example, in the development of guidelines and specifications for the handling of dangerous chemicals, environmental protection, or standards for foods, materials and consumer goods.
Chemical engineers may specialize in the products and processes of a particular industry such as pulp and paper manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, energy processing, plastics, metal extraction and refining, or adhesives and coatings production. They may also specialize in functional areas of various industries such as process control, pollution control or fermentation processes.

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

Example job titles

adhesives engineer
biochemical engineer
biotechnical engineer
chemical process control engineer
chemical process engineer
chemical project engineer
environmental chemical engineer
industrial hygiene engineer
industrial waste treatment engineer
liquid fuels engineer
petrochemical engineer
polymer engineer
pulp and paper engineer
refinery engineer
waste treatment engineer

Employment requirements

A bachelor's degree in chemical engineering or in a related engineering discipline is required.
A master's degree or doctorate in a related engineering 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, and after three or four years of supervised work experience in engineering and passing a professional practice examination.

Similar jobs with a different code

Common questions

Is NOC 21320 (Chemical engineers) a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?: Yes. From November 3, 2026, NOC 21320 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 21320 give?: With 12 months or more of skilled Canadian work in NOC 21320, 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 21320 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 21320 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 21320?: 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 21320?: 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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Find any NOC code · All high-wage occupations · Source: Statistics Canada, NOC 2021 Version 1.0

See your CRS score with NOC 21320

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