Proof of Employment

5 COMMON DOCUMENTS

Below is a list of the most commonly used documents to prove past work experience.  Usually, you will NOT need to obtain all of those documents for each work position.  Instead, a combination of those documents for each position is usually sufficient.

They are (in order of importance):

• Work Reference Letters
• Offer-of-Employment
• Contract signed between Employer / Employee
• Foreign Temporary Work-Visa Applications (such as H1 in USA)
• Pay Slip Copies (Just a few: first/middle/last)

NOTES:

• Applicants with long work histories usually do NOT need to obtain documents proving their entire history.
• Usually, you will need to prove the last 5 years of your work history.
• If the Applicant has some very good documents from the employer describing the position already, then getting Reference Letters, might NOT be necessary.
• Please keep in mind that providing documents to prove your work experience should be one of your priorities in the immigration process.

GET LETTER FROM WHO?

Reference letters proving past work experience, can be obtained from:

• Supervisors (this is the best source)
• Colleagues (people you worked with)
• Clients

If the source of your reference letter will be a colleague or client (instead of a supervisor), then it is better to have a reference letter from a couple of clients and/or colleagues.

LETTER FORMAT/STYLE

The best reference letters usually follow this format:

A) Printed on Company Letterhead

• Professional / Official looking Letterhead
• If the person writing the letter changed companies, they can write on letterhead of new company.

B) Salutation

• The letter can be addressed to anyone, including: "To whom it may concern"

C) Introduction

• The person writing the letter introduces themselves, indicating their position (as supervisor, client, or colleague, etc...)
• Indicates how long you worked with the company (Time Span - Month/Year to Month/Year)
• Indicates your position/title
• If you changed positions, the introduction will usually mention the date you were promoted, or changed positions.

D) Your Work Duties (Examples)
The main body of the letter, should talk about your duties and position.

For example:

• What you did on a daily basis
• Your responsibilities
• Your special projects
• Your achievements/accomplishments
• Did you work with any important clients

E) Did you Work in English (or French)?

• If you worked in English (or French) with clients or in the work place, this is an excellent place to mention that, to help convince the Immigration Officer that you know one of Canada's official languages.
• Even if it is obvious you likely worked in English (such as with an employer in the USA or the UK), it is still a good idea to have that specifically mentioned in the letter, if possible.

F) Conclusion (optional)

• Letters will often conclude with a sentence or two, stating the person's personality or character.

---

SAMPLE OCCUPATIONS

• Technical/Scientific/Engineering
  Letters will usually describe technical skills and knowledge of the Applicant (such as programming languages, or specific engineering projects, or client-projects, etc...)
   
• Business/Management
  Letters will usually describe business development activities, or departments managed by the Applicant, and ideas or changes or systems the Applicant implemented.
   
• PhD Level Researchers
  Letters for researchers will usually discuss the nature of the research (in technical detail). Such letters are often written by supervising professors. They can also be supplemented with copies of published articles, thesis abstract/statement.
  (Remember that PhD level research often counts as “work experience” for immigration purposes and should be documented as any other work experience would be).
   
• Other Occupations
  Make sure the letter is clear about your position, and what you do, in detail. For example, a letter for a Chef might describe all the types of meals prepared by that Chef, and his/her skills, special banquet projects, etc...

OTHER OPTIONAL DOCUMENTS

Other supplementary documents can be helpful if included. Examples are:

• Performance appraisals
• Memos/Awards commending you
• Samples of Work
  (Samples are especially good to provide, for occupations such as Architects, Advertising Consultants, and Artists/Designers).