Canada job guide
Pharmacy technician in Canada: your Express Entry path, step by step
Picture yourself working in a Canadian pharmacy, helping patients get the medicines they need, with a new life for your family. Pharmacy technicians (NOC 32124, TEER 2) are on IRCC's 2026 healthcare and social services list: 12 months of work in the last 3 years, in Canada or abroad, puts you in the healthcare draws as well as the regular rounds. Registration is required in every province except Quebec, and for people educated abroad the route starts with the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC).
At a glance
- Occupation
- Pharmacy technicians · NOC 32124 · TEER 2
- Express Entry group
- Healthcare and social services
- Latest healthcare round
- September 4, 2026, cut-off 475
- Median wage in Canada
- $24.83 an hour Job Bank, wages updated November 19, 2025
Your way into the Express Entry pool
Every invitation needs a profile in the Express Entry pool. You would usually qualify through:
- Federal Skilled Worker. Experience must be in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job; this one is TEER 2.
- Canadian Experience Class. For skilled work experience already gained in Canada.
The healthcare draws
These draws rank only people with recent experience in one of the 37 listed health and social services jobs. The panel above shows the latest one and its cut-off. You need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same part-time) in this occupation within the last 3 years. The months do not have to be in a row, and the work must match the NOC description of the job.
Getting registered: PEBC
Registration with a regulator is required in every province except Quebec, and passing PEBC's certification exams is part of it. The provincial pharmacy regulators license; NAPRA brings the 13 of them together.
- The Pharmacy Technician International Evaluation: PEBC's first step if you were educated outside Canada, starting with its eligibility survey. A pharmacy technician diploma or related program, or a pharmacist program, completed abroad can qualify; certificate courses are not accepted. The evaluation is in English only for now, with a French process due in 2026.
- The Pharmacy Technician Qualifying Examination: Part I (multiple choice) and Part II (OSPE, a practical exam). Passing both gives PEBC certification.
- Then the province: PEBC certification alone is not a licence; the provincial regulator decides.
What pharmacy technicians earn
The panel above shows Job Bank's median hourly wage for pharmacy technicians across Canada, with pay by province and region on Job Bank.
What to do next
Frequently asked questions
- Can a pharmacist trained abroad become a pharmacy technician?
A pharmacist program completed abroad can make you eligible for PEBC's Pharmacy Technician International Evaluation.
- Does the PEBC rule for pharmacists' ECA apply to technicians?
No. IRCC names PEBC as the designated ECA body for pharmacists, not for pharmacy technicians, who can use any designated organisation.
- Does my experience abroad count for the healthcare draws?
Yes. The healthcare and social services category counts experience in Canada or abroad.
Last updated October 21, 2026