Foreign experience

[yellowpineapple]

Hi Everyone,

It's my first time posting here. I am really hoping to find an answer to a question that has been in my head for a while and makes me so anxious if I took the wrong job. I went to 2 consultants both of them said different things so I am here to get some advice from the community about proof for foreign experience

I work as an independent contractor to a US company as an admin assistant (remote) and I don't live in Canada. I work around 35 to 36 hours a week with a flat retainer. The pay is not super high but enough to live a comfortable life in my country. I would say a little bit above average national income for a similar position I just took whichever job came my way as I needed income and did not mind much about as I want to complete my experience first before moving to another job.

For some context:
1. I have a screenshot of the job that was posted on indeed
2. I have the contract that I had signed. It's 6 month fixed term and renewable position so I got it renewed recently and got lucky with that.
3. I also sent monthly invoices to them under my name and they would pay to my bank account
4. I will also pay tax to my home country end of the year


My questions are:
1. Can I request a letter as per IRCC standard from the employer. As I am not a freelancer I don't have clients to prove my work. But I can ask my employer to see if they could add the details to a letter including the the duties they had in the job posting. But the last time I checked they only provide a generic one.
2.I never registered any business to do this work as we can legally work under our name and send invoices. Would this be a problem?
3. Anything else to strengthen my application or any advice you would provide or if I am missing anything.

Thank you!

 

[CanGoldDigger]

1. Sure, why not.
2. Totally okay.
3. You are more than good.

 

[Ash G.]

You've got more proof than most people honestly. Contract, invoices, bank deposits, tax. That's a solid trail.

The one thing I'd focus on is getting a proper reference letter with your title, duties, hours, and dates on it. If your employer only does generic ones, write up the details yourself and ask them to put it on their letterhead. Most companies will do that if you make it easy for them.

The contractor thing without a registered business is fine. IRCC cares that the work was real and continuous, not how you invoiced it.

 

[yellowpineapple]

1. Sure, why not.
2. Totally okay.
3. You are more than good.

Thank you so much for your response and apologies for the delayed reply. I was seeing so many forums online about rejections and how Virtual assistants cannot be contractors. I was very worried.

 

[yellowpineapple]

You've got more proof than most people honestly. Contract, invoices, bank deposits, tax. That's a solid trail.

The one thing I'd focus on is getting a proper reference letter with your title, duties, hours, and dates on it. If your employer only does generic ones, write up the details yourself and ask them to put it on their letterhead. Most companies will do that if you make it easy for them.

The contractor thing without a registered business is fine. IRCC cares that the work was real and continuous, not how you invoiced it.

Thank you! I really appreciate it. They had hourly wage and I asked for a flat retainer. I am not sure if I made a mistake. But even with a flat retainer; if we add up the avg hours it would almost make the flat retainer total.

The reference letter is what I am worried about. But I am going to give it a shot by asking them. Other than that additionally I received a copy of my form to not withhold US taxes as I will pay taxes in my home country. I would possibly include that well.

My biggest concern as mentioned in my other reply is can an admin assistant be a contractor due to the phone calls they would have to answer but contractors can choose their own hours.
Does IRCC care about it because so many people do it?

I have chosen my work hours as evening to night time and it somewhat overlaps with the US time, as I am engaged in part time studies in my home country and all hobbies that I missed when I worked so much in Canada (Basically catching up on everything I missed haha)

 

[Ash G.]

Thank you! I really appreciate it. They had hourly wage and I asked for a flat retainer. I am not sure if I made a mistake. But even with a flat retainer; if we add up the avg hours it would almost make the flat retainer total.

The reference letter is what I am worried about. But I am going to give it a shot by asking them. Other than that additionally I received a copy of my form to not withhold US taxes as I will pay taxes in my home country. I would possibly include that well.

My biggest concern as mentioned in my other reply is can an admin assistant be a contractor due to the phone calls they would have to answer but contractors can choose their own hours.
Does IRCC care about it because so many people do it?

I have chosen my work hours as evening to night time and it somewhat overlaps with the US time, as I am engaged in part time studies in my home country and all hobbies that I missed when I worked so much in Canada (Basically catching up on everything I missed haha)

Your welcome

IRCC doesn't really police the contractor vs employee distinction the way the CRA or US IRS would. For immigration purposes they care that the work was real, skilled, continuous, and at least 30 hours per week. How you were classified for tax purposes is between you and your employer.

The fact that you chose your own hours and work remotely actually supports the contractor setup. Include your contract, invoices, bank deposits, and that US tax withholding form. Together they tell a clear story. If you can get that reference letter on top of all that, you're in strong shape.

 

[yellowpineapple]

Your welcome

IRCC doesn't really police the contractor vs employee distinction the way the CRA or US IRS would. For immigration purposes they care that the work was real, skilled, continuous, and at least 30 hours per week. How you were classified for tax purposes is between you and your employer.

The fact that you chose your own hours and work remotely actually supports the contractor setup. Include your contract, invoices, bank deposits, and that US tax withholding form. Together they tell a clear story. If you can get that reference letter on top of all that, you're in strong shape.

Hello @Ash G.! I have an update regarding my job. Would it please be alright if I sent you a direct message I just wanted to get your opinion on my hourly wage and some documents I’ve been collecting for this.

 

[Ash G.]

Hello @Ash G.! I have an update regarding my job. Would it please be alright if I sent you a direct message I just wanted to get your opinion on my hourly wage and some documents I’ve been collecting for this.

Hey, glad things are moving forward! Not a consultant so I can't give personal advice on specific documents, but happy to share general thoughts if you post your questions here. That way others in a similar situation can benefit too.

 

[yellowpineapple]

Hey, glad things are moving forward! Not a consultant so I can't give personal advice on specific documents, but happy to share general thoughts if you post your questions here. That way others in a similar situation can benefit too.

Hello! Thank you for your reply, and apologies for the delay! I felt too awkward to share my hourly wage publicly, but I think it's within a range widely used in the Southeast Asian region, especially for independent contractors hired as admin assistants. My hourly wage is between 5 and 6 USD an hour, but I get to work 30 to 35 hours a week, so I'm not too worried about the hours. So far, I have collected the first contract they gave me. I have also sent them my invoice, I'm waiting for my payment, and I plan to keep doing this for a while.

Today I was expecting a payment from the client's bank account to my bank account, but they sent it through their Wise Business Account because of its lower transaction fees compared to direct transfers. Is this okay? I started panicking as soon as I saw that it came from Wise.
Their contract said that they will transfer from their bank account to mine, and will only use Wise or a similar method if the contractor does not have a direct payment option, which I do.

My worry is that the hourly wage is also kind of low (though not low for Asia), and now the transaction trail looks like this too. Could you please share your thoughts on this, and whether you have come across similar posts before?

I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!

 

[Ash G.]

Not a consultant, just my take. The hourly rate itself isn't something IRCC evaluates against a global standard. What matters is that it's a real wage for real work, paid consistently. $5-6 USD per hour for an admin assistant in Southeast Asia is within the normal market range for that region, so it shouldn't raise red flags on its own.

On the Wise payment, that's completely fine. IRCC cares that you were paid, not which platform processed the transfer. Wise is a legitimate, regulated financial service used by millions of businesses for international payments. Your bank statement will still show the deposit clearly. If the contract says direct bank transfer but they used Wise, you could ask them for a quick email confirming they switched to Wise for lower fees. That way you have documentation if anyone ever asks about the discrepancy.

Overall you're still in good shape. Contract, invoices, bank deposits (whether direct or Wise), and tax filings all tell the same story.