Canada job guide
Machinist in Canada: your Express Entry path, step by step
Picture yourself making the precision parts Canadian industry runs on, with a fresh start for your family. Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors (NOC 72100, TEER 2) are on IRCC's 2026 trades list: 12 months of this work in the last 3 years, in Canada or abroad, puts you in the trades draws as well as the regular rounds. Certification is voluntary in every province and territory, so you can work without one.
At a glance
- Occupation
- Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors · NOC 72100 · TEER 2
- Express Entry group
- Trades
- Latest trades round
- October 1, 2026, cut-off 476
- Median wage in Canada
- $30.00 an hour Job Bank, wages updated November 19, 2025
Three ways into the Express Entry pool
A draw can only invite people already in the Express Entry pool, through one of three programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker. Experience must be in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job; this one is TEER 2.
- Federal Skilled Trades. It covers NOC Major Group 72 except sub-major group 726, and 72100 sits in group 721, so it counts. You need at least 2 years of full-time work (3,120 hours) in the trade within the last 5 years, plus either a full-time job offer of at least 1 year or a Canadian certificate of qualification in the trade.
- Canadian Experience Class. For skilled work experience already gained in Canada.
The trades draws
Trades draws rank only people with recent experience in a listed trade. 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 machinist 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.
Certification: voluntary, but useful
Machinist is a Red Seal trade (Ontario calls it General Machinist), and the NOC says certification is voluntary in all provinces and territories.
- Ontario: General Machinist is non-compulsory. The apprenticeship is about 8,000 hours, and the Trade Equivalency Assessment asks for experience at least equal to that before you can challenge the certifying exam.
- Alberta: Machinist is an optional certification trade. Its Trades Qualifier – Work Experience Program asks for 72 months (9,360 hours) of verifiable machinist work plus a theory and a practical exam, is meant for people who will live and work in Alberta, and does not by itself give you the right to work in Canada.
Even though it is voluntary, a Canadian certificate of qualification opens the Federal Skilled Trades program without a job offer.
What machinists earn
The panel above shows Job Bank's median hourly wage for machinists across Canada, with pay by province and region on Job Bank.
What to do next
Frequently asked questions
- Do machinists need a certificate to work in Canada?
No. The NOC says certification is voluntary in every province and territory.
- Why get certified, then?
A Canadian certificate of qualification lets you use the Federal Skilled Trades program without a job offer, and some employers prefer it.
- Does my experience abroad count for the trades draws?
Yes. The trades category counts experience in Canada or abroad, as long as you have 12 months in the last 3 years.
Last updated October 21, 2026