Citizenship and Immigration Officer
Citizenship and immigration officers examine applications for immigration, citizenship and visas and interview people to determine their eligibility for admission, residence or travel in Canada.

                                There was an error. Please try again.
This page is already listed in your guide. Please choose a different page to add.
Immigration Officer
In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.
The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used.
Here is how this occupation has been classified over time.
2006 NOC
2006 NOC-S
2011 NOC
2016 NOC
2021 NOC
2023 OaSIS
There are three types of citizenship and immigration officers and duties vary accordingly.
Admissions Officers interpret and apply the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) to:
Citizenship Officers interpret the provisions of the Citizenship Act to:
Settlement Officers manage contribution agreements with agencies that provide settlement services and language training to refugees and newcomers to Canada.
Citizenship and immigration officers usually work standard week day office hours. Some travel and occasional overtime may be required.
Most of the people that immigration officers interview are friendly and honest but officers occasionally have to deal with individuals who are hostile or engaged in criminal activities.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2023 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
To find out how well this occupation fits your work personality types, complete the Work Personalities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
Click or tap a personality type for its description.
Find other alis occupations that match this occupation’s work personalities.
To identify or change your work personalities, complete the Work Personalities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2023 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
                                        Immigration officers
                                        
                                        2023 OaSIS: 43203.02
                                    
The graph below shows how well your scores match the overall abilities for this occupation.
The closer your ability scores are to the center, the more they match this occupation’s. The further away they are, the less they match this occupation’s.
The lower your ability scores are compared to the occupation’s, the more challenging the occupation will likely be for you. The higher your ability scores are compared to the occupation’s, the less challenging the occupation will likely be for you.
To find out how well this occupation fits your abilities, complete the Abilities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
The 49 abilities are grouped into 5 abilities sets: Critical Thinking, Numbers and Patterns, Physical Activity, Mind-Body Coordination, and Senses.
Some abilities are more relevant to an occupation than other abilities. Individual abilities that are not relevant to an occupation are greyed out.
To fill in or change the values for your abilities, complete the Abilities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
Critical Thinking includes 9 abilities related to identifying and solving problems, thinking of ideas, and communication, such as speaking and writing.
This is how well your scores match the set of Critical Thinking abilities for this occupation:
Numbers and Patterns includes 10 abilities related to math, memorizing, and multitasking. It also includes how we perceive patterns, shapes, and distances.
This is how well your scores match the set of Numbers and Patterns abilities for this occupation:
Physical Activity includes 9 abilities related to strength, balance, flexibility, coordination, and endurance.
This is how well your scores match the set of Physical Activity abilities for this occupation:
Mind-Body Coordination includes 9 abilities related to movement control and how we react to signals. It also includes fine motor skills, such finger and hand dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
This is how well your scores match the set of Mind-Body Coordination abilities for this occupation:
Senses includes 12 abilities related to seeing, hearing, and speaking.
This is how well your scores match the set of Senses abilities for this occupation:
Immigration officers need:
They also must be:
They should enjoy analyzing information and having clear rules for their work, making decisions and working with people.
Post-secondary education, a second language and experience in dealing with people are definite assets.
Newly hired citizenship and immigration officers must complete an in-house training program. After the initial training period, further training in operational and organizational skills is provided on an ongoing basis.
To expand or narrow your program options, visit Post-Secondary Programs and start your search with:
Completing a program does not guarantee entrance into an occupation. Before enrolling in an education program, prospective students should look into various sources for education options and employment possibilities. For example, contact associations and employers in this field.
There is currently no provincial legislation regulating this occupation in Alberta.
Source: 2021-2025 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook
Citizenship and immigration officers are employed by the federal government. Position openings are advertised through the Public Service Commission of Canada.
Experienced citizenship and immigration officers may relocate to other locations to take advantage of career opportunities. Promotion is on a competitive basis and therefore depends on the individual's initiative, interest, competence, employment record and current knowledge of relevant laws and regulations.
This section shows the industries where the majority of people in this occupation work. The data is based on the 2016 Census.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.
Employment insurance, immigration, border services and revenue officers
2016 NOC: 1228
96.6% of people in this occupational group work in:
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For examples, see Note.
This section shows the Alberta job market condition, or short-term demand forecast, for this occupation over a 3-year period. It also shows the number of people employed in the occupation.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.
Source: 2024-2026 Alberta Short-Term Employment Forecast
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For examples, see Note.
To see data for all occupations, visit Occupations in Demand.
This section shows the employment outlook for this occupation in Alberta over a 5-year period.
Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.
Source: 2021-2025 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook
Annual growth is from 2021 to 2025. New positions created each year are in addition to job openings created by employment turnover.
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For examples, see Note.
Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
Unless otherwise noted, the data shown here is for all industries and all regions in Alberta.
All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production), and other forms of compensation.
To see the full survey data for this NOC group, visit the wage profile.
Other wage sources
To make an informed wage and salary decision, research other wage sources to supplement this data.
Good Reliability, represents a CV of between 6.01% and 15.00% and/or fewer than 30 survey observations and/or if survey observations represent less than 50% of all estimated employment for the occupation.
| Wages* | Low (5th percentile) | High (95th percentile) | Average | Median | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting | $21.83 | $45.38 | $34.84 | $38.51 | 
| Overall | $25.26 | $52.23 | $38.85 | $40.76 | 
| Top | $28.70 | $52.23 | $41.05 | $45.68 | 
Swipe left and right to view all data. Scroll left and right to view all data.
* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation.
Pay brackets for hourly wages
| ALL INDUSTRIES | $74,933 | 
|---|---|
| Public Administration | $79,938 | 
Citizenship and Immigration Canada website: cic.gc.ca
Public Service Commission of Canada website: psc-cfp.gc.ca
Get information and referrals about career, education, and employment options from Alberta Supports.
Updated Mar 02, 2021. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook, and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.