NOC 65220: Pet groomers and animal care workers
Animal care workers feed, handle, train and groom animals and assist veterinarians, animal health technologists and technicians and animal breeders. Pet groomers clip coats, bathe and otherwise groom pets. They are employed by animal hospitals and clinics, animal shelters, breeding and boarding kennels, zoos, laboratories, retail pet shops, dog training schools, pet grooming establishments, or may be self-employed.
Last reviewed 2026-11-02 · Sources: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Quick answer
NOC 65220 (Pet groomers and animal care workers) is a TEER 5 occupation — not skilled work for FSW or CEC. It is not on IRCC's high-wage list. It isn't on any current category-based draw list.
TEER
TEER 5
Not skilled for FSW/CEC
High-wage
Not listed
No extra CRS points
Category draws
None
IRCC 2026 lists
| NOC 2021 code | 65220 |
|---|---|
| Title | Pet groomers and animal care workers |
| Broad category | Sales and service occupations |
| TEER | TEER 5 — usually short-term work demonstration and no formal education |
Example job titles
- animal care worker (except farm)
- dog groomer
- dog trainer
- kennel attendant
- laboratory animal attendant
- pet groomer
- pound attendant
- veterinary attendant
Main duties
- Prepare food and feed animals, fish or birds at scheduled intervals
- Clean and disinfect cages, pens and surrounding areas
- Shampoo, clip and groom animals
- Assist veterinarians and animal health technologists and technicians to inoculate and treat animals
- Assist animal breeders to handle and nurture animals
- Assist scientists and researchers in conducting laboratory tests with animals
- Monitor and document animal behaviour
- Train dogs to obey commands and perform specific duties in response to signals.
Your duties should match the lead statement and most of the main duties to use this NOC — check the full profile on the official NOC site.
Related occupations
- NOC 65200 — Food and beverage servers
- NOC 65201 — Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations
- NOC 65202 — Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale
- NOC 65210 — Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities set-up services
- NOC 65211 — Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport
- NOC 65229 — Other support occupations in personal services
- NOC 65100 — Cashiers
- NOC 65101 — Service station attendants
- NOC 65102 — Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
- NOC 65109 — Other sales related occupations
← NOC 65211 Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport · NOC 65229 Other support occupations in personal services →
Calculate your CRS score → · All NOC codes · High-wage list
TEER 5 also matters for work permits: see the spousal open work permit (TEER rules for spouses of workers), LMIA explained and the Atlantic Immigration Program (job offers in TEER 0–4).
Sources: Statistics Canada NOC 2021 V1.0; IRCC high-wage occupations; IRCC category-based selection; IRCC who can apply.
Frequently asked questions
Is NOC 65220 eligible for Express Entry?+
NOC 65220 is a TEER 5 occupation. IRCC only counts TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 work as skilled experience for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, so this occupation alone generally won't meet those requirements. Provincial programs may differ.
Is NOC 65220 a high-wage occupation?+
No. NOC 65220 isn't on IRCC's Express Entry high-wage occupations list, so it doesn't earn the extra high-wage or job offer CRS points. Canadian work-length points can still apply for TEER 0–3 work.
Which Express Entry category draws include NOC 65220?+
None of IRCC's current category-based selection lists include NOC 65220. Candidates can still be invited in general, program-specific (such as CEC) or PNP rounds.