NOC 43203: Border services, customs, and immigration officers
What border services, customs, and immigration officers do
Border services, customs, and immigration officers administer and enforce laws and regulations related to immigration, customs and border crossing. They are employed by government agencies.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Border services and customs officers
- Conduct interviews, using inspections and information-seeking techniques, at border points as part of primary and secondary inspections for immigration, food, plant and animals, and customs program functions
- Inspect baggage to detect undeclared merchandise, or contraband
- Inform manufacturers and shippers of customs and laws and procedures
- Observe fabrication of articles affected by customs laws and conduct appraisals
- Board carriers arriving from foreign countries to determine nature of cargo to ensure compliance with customs and commerce laws
- Inspect goods imported by mail
- Apply applicable legislation, policies, and procedure when screening and/or inspecting people and goods
- May conduct an arrest, detention, or conduct personal search of individuals suspected of having committed a criminal offence under the Customs Act or certain other designated Criminal Code offences until police intervention is possible
- Operate firearms and use defensive tactics and physical force when necessary in the performance of duties.
- Immigration officers
- Determine admissibility of persons seeking entry into Canada by examining documents and conducting interviews
- Grant landed-immigrant status, admit persons or order detention or deportation
- Locate and apprehend persons presumed to be infringing on immigration laws
- Assist in the removal of deported people by seeking authorization from receiving countries and securing necessary travel documents
- Appear as a witness in cases related to immigration appeals.
Job titles under NOC 43203
24 job titles are classified here, including border services officer (BSO), customs inspector, customs officer.
- adjudication officer - immigration
- border services officer (BSO)
- border services student officer
- border services trainee officer
- case review officer - immigration
- citizenship registration examiner
- claims processing officer - immigration
- customs appraiser
- customs baggage inspector
- customs collector
- customs examiner
- customs inspection supervisor
- customs inspector
- customs inspectors supervisor
- customs investigator
- customs officer
- Immigration Act enforcement officer
- immigration agent - government services
- immigration appeal officer
- immigration examiner
- immigration examining officer
- immigration inspector
- immigration officer - government services
- immigration officers supervisor
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is required.
- A four-week online training and a four-and-half-month specialized training at the CBSA College are required for border services officers.
- Successful pass of the officer trainee entrance exam (OTEE), successful completion of the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CGSC) and the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) is required for border services officers.
- Must pass psychological assessment, physical abilities requirement evaluation (PARE) and medical exam to be a border services officer.
- Border services student officers must complete Control and Defensive Tactics (CDT) training
- Completion of specialized government training is usually required.
- A driver's license is required.
Border services, customs, and immigration officers wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $24.62/hr | $40.10/hr | $54.34/hr |
Toronto ON | $24.00/hr | $42.79/hr | $56.00/hr |
Montréal QC | $26.23/hr | $38.45/hr | $43.79/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $30.00/hr | $46.15/hr | $56.41/hr |
Calgary AB | $16.00/hr | $33.33/hr | $45.04/hr |
Edmonton AB | $16.00/hr | $33.33/hr | $45.04/hr |
Ottawa ON | $21.50/hr | $38.69/hr | $55.56/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $27.27/hr | $39.21/hr | $46.19/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $26.50/hr | $40.00/hr | $50.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $29.17/hr | $40.75/hr | $51.28/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $31.52/hr | $40.71/hr | $48.53/hr |
London ON | $21.50/hr | $42.68/hr | $55.56/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $25.36/hr | $40.59/hr | $45.42/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $28.21/hr | $43.08/hr | $43.66/hr |
Nova Scotia | $25.97/hr | $30.77/hr | $45.52/hr |
New Brunswick | $29.33/hr | $46.15/hr | $56.41/hr |
Quebec | $26.50/hr | $40.00/hr | $50.00/hr |
Ontario | $21.50/hr | $42.68/hr | $55.56/hr |
Manitoba | $30.01/hr | $39.47/hr | $49.82/hr |
Saskatchewan | $27.38/hr | $39.11/hr | $49.34/hr |
Alberta | $16.00/hr | $33.33/hr | $45.04/hr |
British Columbia | $30.00/hr | $46.15/hr | $56.41/hr |
Using NOC 43203 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 24 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Employment insurance and revenue officers (NOC 12104)
- Government managers - economic analysis, policy development and program administration (NOC 40011)
- Government managers - health and social policy development and program administration (NOC 40010)
- Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers (NOC 41403)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for border services, customs, and immigration officers?
Border services, customs, and immigration officers are NOC 2021 unit group 43203. Example job titles in this group include border services officer (BSO), customs inspector, customs officer, immigration agent - government services.
What TEER is NOC 43203?
NOC 43203 is TEER 3 (College or apprenticeship (under 2 years)). Usually requires a college program or apprenticeship of less than 2 years, or more than six months of on-the-job training. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do border services, customs, and immigration officers earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $40.10/hr, about $78,000 a year full-time, with a range of $24.62/hr to $54.34/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.