NOC 83101: Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers

Oil and gas well drillers and well servicers control the operation of drilling and hoisting equipment on drilling and service rigs, and direct the activities of the rig crew under supervision of the rig manager. Oil and gas well loggers, testers and related workers operate specialized mechanical or electronic equipment, tools or instruments to provide services in conjunction with well drilling, completion or servicing. They are employed by drilling and well service contractors, petroleum producing companies and well logging or testing companies.

Express Entry eligibility

• Skilled work (TEER 0 to 3): yes, TEER 3.
• 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: an eligible skilled trade (2 years in the last 5 years).
• High-wage occupation (from November 3, 2026): yes, 1.5× tier.

TEER 3: Occupations that usually need a college diploma, an apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than 6 months of on-the-job training. Every program has other requirements too, such as language test results and, for FSW, a points test.

Category-based draws

NOC 83101 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 83101

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

See Canadian work points and the median-wage rule.

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

• Oil and gas well drillers and well servicers
• Direct rig crew in setting up rigs and drilling, completing or servicing oil and gas exploration and producing wells
• Operate controls of drill or service rig drilling and hoisting machinery
• Train or arrange for training of crew
• Maintain records of drilling and servicing operations
• Ensure safety procedures are followed.
• Oil and gas well loggers, testers and related workers
• Drive well service or wireline truck to well site
• Assemble and attach equipment, tools or recorders to drill stem or wireline to conduct required procedures and tests
• Operate or direct the operation of wireline or unit controls to lower, position and retrieve equipment and instruments
• Operate recorders and computers in mobile testing or logging unit to collect data
• May perform limited data interpretation.

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

Example job titles

• assistant driller - oil and gas well drilling
• directional drilling operator
• downhole tool operator
• drill stem tester
• driller - oil and gas drilling
• electric line operator
• logging and perforating operator
• service rig operator
• slickline operator
• well testing operator
• wireline operator

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Oil and gas well drillers and well servicers require three to six months of formal on-the-job training, college or petroleum industry-approved training courses and four or more years of work experience in subordinate rig crew positions.
• A college diploma in drilling may be required.
• Offshore work requires several years of experience in an equivalent position on land.
• Certificates in first aid, hydrogen sulphide awareness, blowout prevention, well control, workplace hazardous materials information system (WHMIS), transportation of dangerous goods (TDG) and a special oil well operator (boiler) certificate are required.
• Oil and gas well loggers, testers and related workers require three to six months of formal on-the-job training and several years of experience in subordinate logging and testing positions or on drilling and servicing rigs.
• Completion of a college program in electronics or engineering technology may be required for open hole well logging.
• A provincial blaster's licence, and seismic blaster and oil well blaster certification are required for well perforation services.
• Trade certification for rig technician is compulsory in Alberta and available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified rig technicians upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.

Similar jobs with a different code

• 84101Oil and gas well drilling and related workers and services operators
• 82021Rig manager
• 72501Water well drillers