Canada job guide
Social worker in Canada: your Express Entry path, step by step
Picture yourself supporting children, families and communities in Canada, with a new life for your own family. Social workers (NOC 41300, TEER 1) 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 those draws as well as the regular rounds. Social work is regulated: the title is protected in every province, and in most you must register to practise.
At a glance
- Occupation
- Social workers · NOC 41300 · TEER 1
- Express Entry group
- Healthcare and social services
- Latest healthcare round
- September 4, 2026, cut-off 475
- Median wage in Canada
- $38.46 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. Social workers usually qualify through:
- Federal Skilled Worker. Experience must be in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job; social work is TEER 1.
- 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) as a social worker 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, province by province
The NOC says registration is mandatory in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, and that the titles "Social Worker" and "Registered Social Worker" are regulated in all provinces. Job Bank also lists regulators in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, so check the province you choose.
- Start with the province: the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators tells social workers with credentials from abroad to contact the regulator in the province where they plan to live and work; each sets its own assessment, exams and language requirements.
- Ontario example: the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers has an equivalency route for degrees from outside Canada and the U.S. From fall 2027 those applicants must pass an entry-to-practice exam developed with the Association of Social Work Boards, and from fall 2028 every applicant must.
What social workers earn
The panel above shows Job Bank's median hourly wage for social workers across Canada, with pay by province and region on Job Bank.
What to do next
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to register to work as a social worker in Canada?
In most provinces, yes, and the title is protected in all of them. Each province's regulator sets its own requirements.
- Is there an exam for social workers trained abroad?
It depends on the province. In Ontario, equivalency applicants will need an entry-to-practice exam from fall 2027.
- What is the difference from community service workers?
Social and community service workers are NOC 42201, which is mostly not regulated. Social workers are NOC 41300 and are regulated. Both are on the healthcare and social services list.
Last updated October 21, 2026