Social and community service worker in Canada: your Express Entry path

Your way into the Express Entry pool

A draw can only invite people already in the Express Entry pool. Community service workers 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 and social services 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.

Is the job regulated?

Mostly not. The NOC says membership in a provincial regulatory body may be required only in some provinces, and Job Bank lists just two regulated roles under this code: Child and Youth Worker in Ontario (a non-compulsory trade, so certification is optional) and childcare workers in Yukon.

In Ontario, "social service worker" is a protected title held by members of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. That protects the title, not the work itself, and the College has a route for people whose diploma is from outside Ontario.

Do not confuse this job with social workers (NOC 41300, TEER 1), who are regulated: registration is mandatory in most provinces and the title is protected in all of them. Social workers are on the same healthcare and social services list.

What community service workers earn

The panel above shows Job Bank's median hourly wage for this occupation across Canada, with pay by province and region on Job Bank.