Is NOC 21321 (Industrial and manufacturing engineers) a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?

Yes. From November 3, 2026, NOC 21321 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 21321 give?

With 12 months or more of skilled Canadian work in NOC 21321, 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 21321 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 21321 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 21321?

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 21321?

It is on IRCC’s list for the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) category, so you can also be invited in those category draws.

1.5× median wageTEER 1NOC 2021 Version 1.0

NOC 21321: Industrial and manufacturing engineers

Industrial and manufacturing engineers conduct studies, and develop and supervise programs to achieve the best use of equipment, human resources, technology, materials and procedures to enhance efficiency and productivity. They are employed in consulting firms, manufacturing and processing companies, in government, financial, health care and other institutions, 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

STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)
At least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in this occupation within the last 3 years, in Canada or abroad.

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

CRS points for work in NOC 21321

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 21321
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:

Plan and design plant layouts and facilities
Study new machinery and facilities and recommend or select efficient combinations
Develop flexible or integrated manufacturing systems and procedures
Conduct studies and implement programs to determine optimum inventory levels for production and to allow optimum utilization of machinery, materials and resources
Analyze costs of production
Design, develop and conduct time studies and work simplification programs
Determine human resource and skill requirements and develop training programs
Develop performance standards, evaluation systems and wage and incentive programs
Conduct studies of the reliability and performance of plant facilities and production or administrative systems
Develop maintenance standards, schedules and programs
Establish programs and conduct studies to enhance industrial health and safety or to identify and correct fire and other hazards
Evaluate or assess industrial facilities
Supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff and other engineers.

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

Example job titles

computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) engineer
fire prevention engineer
industrial engineer
manufacturing engineer
plant engineer
production engineer
quality control engineer
safety engineer
work measurement engineer

Employment requirements

A bachelor's degree in industrial 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 21321 (Industrial and manufacturing engineers) a high-wage occupation for Express Entry?: Yes. From November 3, 2026, NOC 21321 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 21321 give?: With 12 months or more of skilled Canadian work in NOC 21321, 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 21321 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 21321 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 21321?: 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 21321?: It is on IRCC’s list for the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) category, so you can also be invited in those category draws.

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 21321

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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