No, you do not have to be licensed in Canada. All you have to meet is the job duties, which should substantially match the JDs of the NOC selected.
IRCC has already clarified this:
Minimum work experience requirement
The applicant must have accumulated at least one year of continuous
full-time (or the equivalent in part-time) paid work experience in the occupation identified in their application for permanent residence as their primary occupation. In calculating this period of work experience, the occupation must be listed in skill type 0 (Managerial occupations), skill level A (Professional occupations) or skill level B (Technical occupations and skilled trades) of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2016 [R75(2)(
a)].
The applicant’s skilled work experience must also
- have occurred within the ten years preceding the date of their application for permanent residence; and
- not be in an occupation that has been designated as a restricted occupation.
Note: At the time of publication, no occupations were designated as restricted.
In addition, during that period of employment, the applicant must have
- performed the actions described in the lead statement for the occupation as set out in the occupational description of the NOC [R75(2)(b)]; and
- performed a substantial number of the main duties, including all of the essential duties, of the occupation as set out in the occupational description of the NOC [R75(2)(c)].
Note: The applicant does not need to demonstrate that they meet the “employment requirements” listed in the NOC occupational description.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...pplications-against-minimum-requirements.html
