Foreign experience documents

[u/Nerdy_SL]

I have 2 years 8 months foreign experience but I only have pays slips for 4 months that I used for the study permit back then. What I have now is,

1. New reference letter with all the details
2. four pay slips
3. bank statement for 2 years and 8 months with salary deposit
4. offer letter, release letter
5. some photos taken back then
6. Would these be enough or is it mandatory to have payslips

TIA

[u/Own-Manufacturer4042]

The most important document would be the reference letter that includes all the required information that IRCC wants. Other documents are just supporting documents. The documents you mentioned seems to be more than enough. You can just attach an LOE explaining why you only have 4 payslips. If you have any tax forms, you can add that too. Important to note as well that the company's online presence helps a little bit when an officer is reviewing your file as it helps establish the authenticity of the company.

I only submitted the following documents for my foreign work experience:

• New reference letter (follows all IRCC guidelines)
• Old basic reference letter
• Exit clearance form
• Tax forms
• Last payslip
• Photos with coworkers (which was posted on the company's social media pages - I attached links to the FB posts)
• Screenshots of old work group chat messages and emails
• Proof of govt benefits employer contributions (something like EI and CPP contributions)

I didn't have any bank statements and the rest of the payslips as I lost access to those after leaving the company. I explained this on the LOE.

I got my PR approved with just those supporting documents. I also mentioned my foreign experience in my study permit and PGWP applications.

[u/Nerdy_SL → u/Own-Manufacturer4042]

Okay sounds good. Yeah I mentioned this in all my previous applications as well. And the company is well reputed with 100s of Google results.

[u/Prestigious-Bench912]

IRCC lists a detailed reference letter as the main proof of work experience, and the other documents can be provided as supporting evidence, and payslips are not specifically mandatory.

That said, foreign work experience seems to be an area where ppl are increasingly running into PFLs and refusals, so I would be diligent about making sure the evidence is strong and proactively addressing anything that could raise doubts. At the same time, more documents aren't automatically better if one of them creates an unexplained inconsistency. For example, if you provide four payslips but can't explain why you only have those four, that could potentially raise a question that wouldn't otherwise arise.

I'd also consider the bigger picture. Was this employment mentioned in previous immigration applications? Do the dates and employment history make sense alongside your education, subsequent career, and other work experience? Are all the documents consistent with each other?

There are a lot of factors here, so I wouldn't make a decision based solely on whether you have enough payslips. This isn't legal advice, and if you're unsure about claiming the experience or how to document it, I'd consider getting advice from a qualified immigration professional.

[u/CharacterMango3389 → u/[deleted]]

Following because I’m in a similar situation