65312 Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners

What this occupation covers

Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners clean and maintain the interior and exterior of commercial, institutional and residential buildings and their surrounding grounds. They are employed by office and apartment building management companies, condominium corporations, educational institutions, health care facilities, recreational and shopping facilities, religious, industrial and other establishments.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 8 main duties for this code.

• Operate industrial vacuum cleaners to remove scraps, dirt, heavy debris and other refuse
• Wash windows, interior walls and ceilings
• Empty trash cans and other waste containers
• Sweep, mop, scrub and wax hallways, floors and stairs
• Clean snow and ice from walkways and parking areas
• Cut grass and tend grounds and plants
• Clean and disinfect washrooms and fixtures
• May move heavy furniture, equipment and supplies.

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 8 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.

• 62024 Cleaning supervisors
• 73201 General building maintenance workers and building superintendents
• 65310 Light duty cleaners
• 65311 Specialized cleaners

Excluded from this code

• Cleaning supervisors (See 62024 Cleaning supervisors)
• General building maintenance workers and building superintendents (See 73201 General building maintenance workers and building superintendents)
• Light duty cleaners (See 65310 Light duty cleaners)
• Specialized cleaners (See 65311 Specialized cleaners)

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.

airport janitor · apartment building caretaker · apartment building concierge · building caretaker · building custodian · campground cleaner · church caretaker · construction campsite attendant · custodian · factory cleaner · heavy-duty cleaner · industrial cleaner · industrial plant cleaner · janitor · live-in caretaker · office building concierge · plant cleaner · school custodian · school janitor

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school may be required.
• Previous cleaning experience may be required.