Upon receiving an invitation to apply for Express Entry, you must submit proof of a work reference letter as part of your PR application. Your previous employment record will determine if you will need to submit more reference letters related to your work.
Work Reference Letter and its requirement for Express Entry
Immigration to Canada using Express Entry involves two main steps.
Firstly, candidates must create and submit their Express Entry profiles. After this, eligible candidates get to enter the pool of Express Entry. Secondly, candidates with the highest ranks under the Comprehensive Ranking System obtain an invitation to apply via Express Entry draws. Also, candidates only get a limited period of 60 days to submit their electronic application for Canadian permanent residence. Apart from this, the candidates only have to submit the work reference letter in the final step of the PR application procedure. This implies that the initial process of Express Entry doesn’t require you to provide a work-related reference letter.
If you feel you have a significant chance of receiving an ITA, you better plan your reference letters for Express Entry.
Planning this beforehand will only help you get the letters well in time before you need to submit the electronic application.
Notably, you will need to arrange your letters according to the dates of employment. Furthermore, you must keep the latest employment letter first, and the rest must be kept after this one.
Express Entry work reference letter- its requirements based on specific jobs
A permanent residence application will also need you to have an immigration account with IRCC. As part of the process, the website will nudge you to provide proof regarding your work experience for the past ten years. Additionally, you, as well as your accompanying spouse or common-law partner, will have to submit proof of your prior work experience.
You must attach all relevant documents while keeping your permanent residence application ready. IRCC has a strict process when it comes to document submission for the PR applications it receives. Therefore, it is crucial to submit all required documents with the application because missing even a single one could end up in rejection.
However, there are specific situations in which your application might get approval. Here, we are talking about cases where you fail to submit documents for each job position in your previous record. Also, if you attach an irrelevant document that stands apart from the requirements of IRCC, you may face rejection.
Incorporating the essential information within your letter
The letter you receive from your former employers must consist of all essential details. If your letter fails to provide the relevant details required, your application is at risk of rejection.
Make sure your letter comprises the following information:
- Your name
- All employment dates
- Working hours in the week
- Your job profile/position
- The duties and responsibilities you adhered to during your tenure. Make sure they align with the ones listed on NOC.
- Elaborate on the salary benefits you receive annually.
You might only need a single letter if you worked at multiple positions within the same company. However, incorporating all information for each position of your previous employment is essential. You must inform the immigration officer about your previous employment dates, the job position you held, the duties you performed, and the salary you withdrew.
Additionally, all work reference letters for Express Entry must be on the company or organization’s letterhead. The letterhead must consist of the company’s address, phone number, and email ID. It must also comprise your head’s name, title, and signature at the company.
Canadian work experience– In case you have attained work experience in Canada, you must present copies of the T4 Tax slips, as these will act as supplementary proof of your previous jobs.
Self-employment– Proving your self-employment might not be an entirely hassle-free process. You will have to submit documents related to business ownership, income proof, third-party documents, and other payment-related details.
Failure to obtain the work reference letter for Express Entry
In several circumstances, individuals might fail to receive the reference letter related to their previous work. These situations could be due to a previous employer’s collapse of business or a change in staff. So, you might end up in situations where you would not have someone to verify your previous work experience.
Essentially, you need to demonstrate a few things through your work experience letters:
- Meeting your program requirements- You must prove that you fulfill all program requirements. The Express Entry consists of programs, such as Federal Skilled Worker Programs, Federal Skilled Trades, and Canadian Experience Class. For instance, the Federal Skilled Worker Program has a criterion of 1 year of full-time and continuous work experience in Canada within the previous ten years. The work experience must be skilled work experience. On the other hand, CEC also demands at least a year’s skilled work experience in Canada within the previous three years. Ensure to attain proper work experience letters which meet the standard of work experience for each program.
- Fulfilling the CRS score requirement– A candidate receives an ITA based on their CRS score. This implies that the candidate acquired a CRS score above the standard cut-off in the Express Entry draw. However, you must demonstrate before the immigration officer that you have attained the specific CRS score making you eligible for an ITA. Additionally, you must prove that you have sufficient work experience through high-quality work reference letters. Doing so will also ensure that you have achieved a higher CRS score to receive an invitation to apply.
Work experience proof
Supposedly, if you have sufficient proof to prove your past work experiences, fulfilling the above points, and you have quality documents, your application might get approval. However, approval is not guaranteed. The immigration officer, while evaluating your documents, might use his judgment to approve your application if the rest of the documents aren’t convincing.
Make sure to submit any document on request; if you fail to submit a specific work experience letter, you must submit a statement justifying the reason behind the failure in this submission. You must attach this written statement talking in place of the reference letter.
What to do if sufficient work reference letters and CRS score requirements are unavailable?
In case you realize that you will require some more time to obtain the letters, you can always decline the ITA you receive. If your Express Entry eligibility persists with time, your profile will return to the Express Entry pool. Furthermore, you will be acknowledged for future Express Entry draws. However, the CRS score might go above the previous one or go down.
Additionally, you can submit alternate documents if you don’t have enough letters to prove your previous work experience. You must remember that these substitute documents might or might not be considered by the immigration officer.
Include the following documents as substitutes:
- Previous employment records.
- Salary slips and tax forms.
- Personal letters from former colleagues.
- Any media proof of the company where your name is mentioned or tagged.
- Highlighting pay deposits within your bank account statements.
Also, ensure that while you submit your alternate documents, you include a statement justifying the reason for not being able to submit the original documents required. Explain properly all the documents you are providing.
Conclusion
An employment reference letter proves the work experience you claim to have to become eligible under any of the Express Entry programs. Once you receive an ITA, you must work to arrange this letter. Keep a note of the job positions or titles you mention in your letter as they must align with the one listed under NOC.
