62201 Funeral directors and embalmers

What this occupation covers

Funeral directors coordinate and arrange all aspects of funeral services. Embalmers prepare the remains of deceased persons for public visitation and burial. Funeral directors and embalmers are employed by funeral homes.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 12 main duties for this code.

• Consult with the family of the deceased regarding the nature of the funeral service, the disposition of the remains and funeral costs
• Transfer, or arrange for the transfer of, the remains from the place of death to the funeral home
• Inform survivors of benefits for which they may be eligible
• Issue death notices to newspapers
• Oversee the preparation of the remains, plan and schedule funeral services, coordinate burials and cremations and complete legal documents
• Discuss and negotiate prearranged funerals with clients
• Manage funeral home operations including hiring and directing staff, maintaining financial records, preparing accounts and ordering merchandise
• Supervise embalmers, funeral home attendants and other funeral home staff
• May perform same duties as embalmers.
• Preserve, sanitize and prepare human remains for funeral services
• Perform cosmetic and restorative work on human remains
• Supervise funeral home attendants and other funeral home staff.

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 12 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.

• 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
• 65329 Other service support occupations
• 00014 Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services

Excluded from this code

• Bereavement counsellor (See 41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies)
• Funeral home attendant (See 65329 Other service support occupations)
• Funeral services general manager (See 00014 Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services)

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.

apprentice embalmer · assistant funeral director · embalmer · embalmer apprentice · funeral director · funeral home director · funeral services director · mortician · undertaker · undertaker assistant

Employment requirements

• Completion of a one- to two-year college program and a twelve- to twenty-month practical apprenticeship program during or following the educational program is usually required for funeral directors.
• Completion of a two- to three-year college program and a twelve- to twenty-month practical apprenticeship program during or following the educational program or completion of a three-year college program is required for embalmers.
• Funeral directors require licensure in most provinces and territories.
• Funeral directors may be required to be licensed embalmers depending on provincial requirements.
• Embalmers require licensure in all provinces.