What should be included in an employment reference letter for immigration to Canada?
Many Canadian Immigration applications request employment reference letters as part of their document checklist to prove your work experience. It might be an Express Entry application, family sponsorship, a work permit or other application to Canada.
In this article, we are dealing only with the employment reference letters used to prove past employment, and not the job offers used to support future employment that are needed in some categories of Express Entry or work permits - the job offer letter has different criteria.
What is a letter of employment/ employment reference letter for express entry or work permit?
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has standard requirements when it comes to reference letters submitted for Canada PR. They are not looking for a good conduct reference letter of a person as some people assume. Rather, IRCC is looking for the employer to confirm specific information of the past work to allow an officer to assess the work experience of a certain NOC code under relevant immigration policies such as the CRS points under Express Entry.
Usually a separate letter is required from each employer. Multiple roles with the same employer can be covered in the same letter.
The employment reference letter is one of the essential supporting documents for any Canada PR application based on employment history, such as under the Express Entry programs. It is an official document printed on company business letterhead and signed by a company official with specific information. It does not need to be signed by your direct manager, but anyone with the necessary authority to sign such letters, such as HR personnel at the company is acceptable.
The letter must include the following IRCC required information:
- Your full name
- Company business contact details (address, telephone number, email address)
- Name, title and signature of the person signing the letter, such as the immediate supervisor or the manager
- All roles held while employed at the company
- Job title(s)
- Main duties/responsibilities (for each role/ NOC code held)
- Dates worked for the company in each role
- # of hours per week
- Annual salary plus benefits
Example - Sample Employment Reference Letter
[Company Letterhead or Logo]
[Full Company Name]
[Company Address]
[City, Province/State, Postal Code]
Telephone: [Company Phone Number]
Email: [Company Email Address]
Date: [Insert Date]
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter is to confirm that [Employee’s Full Name] was employed with [Company Business Name] in the following role(s) (note if previous job, use the past tense and add the date of ending of employment):
| Title | Employment Period | Work Hours/ Week | Annual Salary | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Position 1] | [Start Date – End Date] | [e.g., 40] | [e.g., CAD $55,000] | [e.g., Health and dental benefits, paid vacation] |
| [Position 2] (if applicable) | [Start Date – End Date] | [e.g., 40] | [e.g., CAD $60,000] | [e.g., Health and dental insurance, RRSP contribution] |
Main Duties and Responsibilities
During [his/her/their] employment as a [ Position Title], [Employee’s First Name] performed the following key job duties (You can reference the NOC code description but do not write the same order of the responsibilities and same number of duties in the NOC code):
- [Duty 1 – e.g., Supervised and coordinated daily kitchen operations, ensuring compliance with food safety standards.]
- [Duty 2 – e.g., Trained and supervised junior staff to maintain consistent quality and productivity.]
- [Duty 3 – e.g., Managed inventory and supply orders to reduce waste and maintain cost efficiency.]
- [Duty 4 – e.g., Wrote reports on production metrics and performance outcomes.]
(Add or adjust as necessary for each role.)
[Employee’s First Name] worked an average of [number] hours per week under [role type, e.g., full-time permanent] status.
[He/She/They] demonstrated strong professional conduct and contributed significantly to our organization throughout [his/her/their] tenure.
If you have any questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at [supervisor’s phone number] or [supervisor’s email address].
Sincerely,
[Manager Full Name]
[Manager Title]
[Company Name]
[Signature]
Issues with Getting an Employment Reference Letter for Canadian Immigration
We see many people struggle to get a letter from past employers that will meet the Canadian immigration specifications above. Many countries do not issue letters of employment that include all the above details required by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Sometimes you may have left your previous employment on bad terms and cannot expect your past employer to provide you with a proper letter. Or, you are still working in your role, and do not want to signal your future plans to your current employer. Sometimes the company that you worked for has closed and there is no employer left to issue the employment verification letter.
These barriers can cause problems with proving your work history for a Canadian immigration application. The reference letter is the normal way to prove employment history, but where you simply cannot get it, it is still up to you, the applicant, to prove your past work experience by other means. You can provide alternate evidence to confirm your past employment to allow IRCC to verify that it meets the standards necessary to approve your application.
If you cannot obtain an employment reference letter for Canada PR
If for any reason you cannot obtain an employment letter that meets all of the above criteria, there are other options to provide alternate documentation to prove your work history. It is possible to collect other relevant documents such as salary information, pay stubs, company details, contracts, promotion letters, etc. as alternative documentation to confirm your job status with a past employer. Exactly what to produce - the combination of documents and information to establish the details - will be different for each individual situation.
If you find yourself unable to obtain a proper letter of employment for your Canadian Immigration application, contact our office for assistance. If you were an worker who did indeed work in the role, we can usually brainstorm together to create a custom evidence package that will satisfy the officer reviewing the file that your past work experience qualifies.
I have the letter but it's missing some information!
One common mistake that we see in our office is a letter of employment that is deficient in some way. The reference letter may not list the main duties of the NOC code, or include job duties sufficient to satisfy an officer that the applicant meets the requirements of the NOC code or TEER category which is the basis of their application. Or the letter may not confirm the exact date of service for each position held, the hours the person worked (full time or part time), exact salary, or other details.
A template or sample reference letter from someone else is not likely to be enough. Each work experience, and thus every letter of employment, will be different.
If you have a cooperative employer, you might provide a link or printout of what the letter needs to contain when you make the request. Or, you can retain an immigration professional to assist you to draft the letter that contains all the necessary information to make it as easy as possible for the employer for your Canada PR. You can explain to the employer that this is a very different type of letter than HR normally provides given the extra details needed, so you haven take the liberty of preparing it. Ask the employer to review it and, assuming they concur it is accurate, put it on letterhead and sign it. For an employer willing to assist you, this saves them time and work and you can have confidence the letter will meet IRCC program requirements.
Employment verification letter when you were self-employed….
It is important to note that a reference letter on its own will not be sufficient to prove any self-employment that you are claiming as relevant to your Canadian immigration application. If you were your own boss, IRCC is not going to accept a letter of employment that you have written for yourself as the only evidence of what took place during that period of time. You will need additional supporting documentation in order to meet IRCC's guidelines.
The evidence an officer will expect to see as sufficient proof of self-employment will be different for every situation. We advise you to get professional help whenever self-employment is a material factor in a Canadian immigration application. You will need professional assistance in order to gather sufficient evidence of your self-employment, and to ensure that the documents you provide demonstrate the material factors the officer will need in order to approve your application.
Is the letter of employment the same as a job offer letter?
A letter of employment is not the same as a job offer . An offer letter is issued before you start working and serves to confirm that an employer is offering you a position, outlining the terms such as position title, start date, salary, and work conditions. In contrast, a letter of employment is issued after or during your work duration to confirm that you have actually worked for the company. It includes details such as your job title, duties, start and end dates, hours worked, and salary. In short, an offer letter confirms a promise of position offered, while a letter of employment confirms proof of past or current employment.
At The Way Immigration citizenship and immigration Calgary office, we work regularly with employment reference letters, plus preparing and reviewing other evidence to prove past work experience for Canadian immigration applications. Providing sufficient evidence of past employment is critical to the successful process of your permanent residence application. Contact the Best Immigration Consultants Calgary to arrange a consultation today, so that you can be assured of success with your immigration application.
