NOC 85103: Nursery and greenhouse labourers

Nursery and greenhouse labourers plant, cultivate and harvest trees, shrubs, flowers and plants, and serve nursery and greenhouse customers. They are employed in indoor and outdoor nurseries and greenhouses.

Express Entry eligibility

• Skilled work (TEER 0 to 3): no, TEER 5 does not count for Express Entry.
• Canadian Experience Class: does not count.
• Federal Skilled Worker Program: does not count.
• Federal Skilled Trades Program: not one of the eligible trades.
• High-wage occupation (from November 3, 2026): no. No high-wage add-on, and a job offer in it earns no CRS points.

TEER 5: Occupations that usually need short-term work demonstration and no formal education. Every program has other requirements too, such as language test results and, for FSW, a points test.

Category-based draws

NOC 85103 is not on any of IRCC’s occupation category lists. You can still be invited in general, Canadian Experience Class or other program draws if you qualify through other experience.

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

CRS points for work in NOC 85103

None. Work in TEER 4 and 5 occupations earns no Canadian work points in the CRS.

See Canadian work points and the median-wage rule.

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

• Prepare soil; plant bulbs, seeds and cuttings; graft and bud plants; and transplant seedlings and rooted cuttings
• Monitor plants for healthy growth and potential weed, insect, disease, and fertilizer problems in greenhouse crops
• Spray trees, shrubs, flowers and plants to prevent disease and pests
• Position and regulate greenhouse and outdoor irrigation systems to water plants and fields
• Dig, cut and transplant trees, shrubs, flowers and plants and prepare them for sale
• Provide information to customers on gardening, the use of various garden tools and products and the care of trees, shrubs, flowers, plants and lawns
• May operate tractors and other machinery and equipment to fertilize, cultivate, harvest and spray fields and plants
• Maintain inventory and order materials as required
• Clean working areas.

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

Example job titles

• forest nursery labourer
• greenhouse labourer
• horticulture labourer
• hothouse labourer
• hydroponics worker
• nursery labourer

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school may be required.
• Completion of college courses in horticulture or a related field may be required.
• On-the-job training is provided.
• A provincial licence to apply chemical fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides may be required.

Similar jobs with a different code

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• 80021Managers in horticulture
• 84111Silviculture and forestry workers