Are you applying for Canada PR under the Express Entry Program or the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program or any of the other Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)? If yes, then you may require to submit proof of your current or previous work experience.
The candidate must submit a letter to Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) when the candidate is applying for Canada PR. The applicant must give a letter from the organization with all the specific information.
This letter is called an Employment Reference Letter. This guide will provide detailed information on what these letters should contain, how to obtain them, and what to do if you face challenges in getting one.
Key Components of an Employment Reference Letter
- Company Letterhead: The letter should be printed on official company stationery.
- Company Information:
- Full company name
- Complete address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Website (if applicable)
- Letter Date: The date the letter was issued.
- Addressee: “To Whom It May Concern” is acceptable.
- Employee Information:
- Full name
- Job title
- Employment dates (start and end, if applicable)
- Full-time or part-time status
- Hours worked per week
- Salary (annual or hourly rate)
- Any benefits or bonuses
- Detailed Job Duties: A comprehensive list of your responsibilities and tasks.
- Signature: The letter should be signed by your supervisor or an HR representative.
- Signatory Details: Include the name, job title, and contact information of the person signing the letter.
Receiving the Employment Reference Letter from the Organization
Being open-minded, IRCC considers specific scenarios related to the Employment Reference Letter for Canada PR application:
- Alternative Documents: If the candidate fails to provide the Employment Reference Letter as per IRCC’s guidelines, they can provide other relevant documents and a Letter of Explanation (LoE) stating why they couldn’t provide the letter.
- Communication with HR: If the HR manager refuses to provide the letter, the candidate can discuss the matter with their reporting manager.
- Proof of Refusal: Keeping proof of communication with HR is essential. If HR refuses to provide the letter, the candidate can use the email as proof.
- Letter from Reporting Manager: If HR refuses to provide the letter, the candidate can ask their reporting manager to sign the Employment Reference Letter on behalf of the organization, even without using the organization’s letterhead.
- Notarized Signature: The candidate should add a copy of the company card and have their signature notarized.
- Additional Documents: After the manager signs the letter, the candidate should add copies of relevant documents, such as job contracts, offer letters, payslips, salary certificates, promotion letters, etc.
Remember, the goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of the candidate’s role and contributions to the organization. This information helps IRCC assess the candidate’s suitability for Canada PR.
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How to use NOC to Draft the Employment Reference Letter?
It is essential to find the NOC (National Occupational Classification) code. Each NOC code mentions the list of responsibilities and duties. The candidate must search for the right NOC code, which matches their actual job duties and responsibilities.
It is one of the most critical parts of your immigration process. If you face any difficulty finding the right NOC code for your occupation, please consult a licensed Canadian immigration consultant. The candidate has to complete the majority of the job duties mentioned in the NOC code.
- The candidate must write his duties by taking inspiration from the NOC code description.
- One should not use the same order of the employment responsibilities and the same number of employment duties, as mentioned in the NOC code description.
- It is advised that one should add two to three more tasks, which are not mentioned in the NOC code description.
Make sure you are not copying the NOC code page’s duties and paste them into your Employment Reference Letter.
IRCC will get to know the reliability and genuineness of your letter. Depending on the same, further investigation might consume time and extend the application process time and may end in rejecting the reference letter.
We have provided below a sample Employment Reference Letter to make the process easier for you:
Sample Employment Reference Letter
(Either organization’s letterhead mentioning organization’s email address, exact location address, and contact number OR name of the Manager and contact information which includes Manager’s Name, designation, organization’s email address, location address, contact number)
Subject: REFERENCE LETTER – EMPLOYMENT AT (ORGANIZATION’S NAME)
(City)
(Date)
To whomsoever, it may concern,
I, (Manager’s Name), hereby certify, as the direct Manager of (Your Name), that (he/she) has been recruited by (Organisation’s Name) since (Date of recruitment) as an (Employment title), and works (full-time or part-time) for (number of work hours per week), and is still working at (Organisation’s Name) under my supervision (if mentioning about the previous employment, make use of the past tense and insert the last date of the job). (Candidate’s Name) annual income is (mention the salary in local currency) and receives benefits, which include (mention the benefits received).
The responsibilities and duties of (Candidate’s Name) as an (Employment title) are as mentioned below:
- (Duty/Responsibility)
- (Duty/Responsibility)
- (Duty/Responsibility)
- (Duty/Responsibility)
- (Duty/Responsibility)
(In case the Manager does not mention some IRCC required information, you can, for example, add « Not having the necessary authority, I cannot attest to the salary of (Candidate’s Name), nor use the letterhead of (Organisation’s Name) for this letter
Hoping to meet your expectations,
{Manager Title}
Manager Name
Since the Employment Reference Letters are an essential part of ascertaining the correct NOC code for your occupation and, hence the basis of your Canadian immigration process, it is pertinent to consult a licensed Canadian immigration consultant if you want to do it right the first time around without any negative impact on your application.
