How can a change in my NOC impact my PR application?

Occasionally, Canadian immigration applicants may apply for permanent residence (PR) with one National Occupation Classification (NOC) code but switch the NOC code later on in their immigration journey.
For example, an applicant may apply for PR to Canada through one of Canada’s Express Entry-managed programs and be contacted to pursue PR through one of Canada’s 11 Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

Let us use the PNP in Ontario – the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) – as an example. Specifically, we will explore this situation using a hypothetical candidate who has been invited under a tech draw.
This candidate, Lincoln, is a software developer who received a Notification of Interest* (NOI) from the OINP under a tech draw.

*It is worth noting that the term “NOI” is what Ontario calls the invitation issued by the OINP indicating that the province is inviting the selected candidate to submit his/her application for a provincial nomination.

Lincoln received his NOI after submitting his expression of interest to the federal Express Entry pool. The provincial government, after reviewing the candidate’s profile in the Express Entry federal pool, issued him an NOI via an Enhanced PNP. The NOI was issued because Lincoln met the OINP tech draw ‘s specific requirements, including having a primary NOC code from the list of OINP-targeted occupations.

At this stage, Lincoln can apply for his provincial nomination with the Ontario government. To do so, he will have to provide supporting documents to the Ontario government, such as reference letters, supporting the NOC code he claimed.

Reference letters should be obtained from each employer, allowing the province to verify that his job duties and responsibilities align with the NOC that was indicated in his federal Express Entry profile – Software Developers and Programmers (NOC 21232).

More: NOC codes are five-digit numbers used to “categorize and classify occupations for purposes of immigration.” Use this dedicated webpage to get a better understanding of the Government of Canada’s NOC 2021 system and use this tool to find your own NOC.

What happens if my NOC changes during the immigration process at the provincial level?
The candidate’s supporting documents are assessed to verify if their job role and responsibilities accurately align with an NOC that is on the province/territory’s targeted occupations list.
What happens next will depend on the outcome of this assessment, specifically if the provincial/territorial government determines that a candidate’s stated NOC does not align with their job’s role/responsibilities.

Note: The following will return to using the example of our hypothetical candidate, Lincoln.

Hypothetical scenario 1: Lincoln claimed NOC 21232 (Software Developers and Programmers) on his application. However, the Ontario government assessed his job as more closely aligning with NOC 21234 – Web Developers and Programmers

Hypothetical scenario 2: Despite claiming NOC 21232 (Software Developers and Programmers) on his application, the Ontario government assessed his job as more accurately aligning with NOC 22220 – Computer Network and Web Technicians

In the first scenario, although Lincoln’s job does not align with his stated NOC, his application may proceed because his assessed NOC is still on the Ontario government’s list of targeted occupations for tech draws. The OINP will contact the client is this case and request additional clarifications.

In the second scenario, because Lincoln’s assessed NOC is not on Ontario’s targeted occupations list, he will be deemed ineligible for a provincial nomination through the OINP. His application will be refused.

Source: https://www.cicnews.com/2024/04/how-can-a-change-in-my-noc-impact-my-pr-application-0444143.html#gs.8q105o