40042 Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces

What this occupation covers

Commissioned officers of the Canadian Armed Forces plan, organize, command, direct, control and evaluate, the operations of their organization in relation to established objectives. Senior commissioned officers formulate military and strategic policies which establish the direction to be taken by the Canadian Forces. All ranks of commissioned officers in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Navy are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 6 main duties for this code.

• Allocate material, human and financial resources to implement military policies and programs, establish administrative controls, and approve overall personnel planning
• Plan, organize and command the activities of the Canadian Armed Forces combat units and military strategic units in the Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal Canadian Navy at home and when deployed overseas during operations in conflict territory
• Plan, organize and command units engaged in non-military disaster relief, humanitarian and peacekeeping operations at the national and international level
• Set objectives of the organization in accordance with legislation and government policy, formulate or approve and evaluate programs and procedures, alone or in collaboration with senior government committees
• Coordinate the work of various military strategic units employing appropriate levels of military force for specific tasks
• Develop and implement military procedures and policies that are geared to the capabilities and performance of each unit.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 6 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 43204 Operations members of the Canadian Armed Forces
• 44200 Primary combat members of the Canadian Armed Forces
• 42102 Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces

Excluded from this code

• Operations members of the Canadian Armed Forces (See 43204 Operations members of the Canadian Armed Forces)
• Primary combat members of the Canadian Armed Forces (See 44200 Primary combat members of the Canadian Armed Forces)
• Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces (See 42102 Specialized members of the Canadian Armed Forces)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

acting sub-lieutenant · admiral · air combat systems officer · armour officer · artillery officer · brigadier general · captain - Canadian Army · captain - Royal Canadian Air Force · captain - Royal Canadian Navy · captain · colonel · commander · commodore · court martial judge · general · infantry officer · lieutenant - Canadian Army · lieutenant - Royal Canadian Air Force · lieutenant - Royal Canadian Navy · lieutenant colonel · lieutenant commander · lieutenant general · lieutenant · major general

Employment requirements

• A university degree is usually required.
• Completion of military training is required.
• Experience as a non-commissioned member of the armed forces and demonstrated leadership ability may substitute for a university degree.
• Senior ranks, such as colonel, require several years of experience.