How to prove your work experience for Express Entry after your Invitation to Apply

Navigating the Express Entry process can be confusing, especially since there are multiple steps and you need to make sure you prove the eligibility requirements at each one. In this blog post, we break down how to make sure you include the proper work experience after you’ve been invited to apply.

After getting an Invitation to Apply for your Express Entry (EE) application, you are required to enter your work experience in your profile to prove your eligibility. Documenting your work history is one of the most important parts of the application as IRCC needs to confirm you meet the eligibility requirements under one of the skilled worker streams. Canada’s Express Entry program invites candidates who have a minimum of 1 year of skilled work experience, so that work experience must be entered accurately on your profile.

You will need to provide details on:

• When you worked for each company
• How long you worked there, and how many hours you worked per week
• Job title, wages and your job duties

Since the work experience section is so important, here are some of the most common questions I hear that may help you in preparing your own Express Entry application:

Do you need to put all your work experience in the work history section?

@wordpress-1234134-4407863.cloudwaysapps.comReply to @harmanjotkaur475 do I need to put all my work experience in the work history section for #expressentry♬ original sound – Visto.ai

In your Express Entry portal, you will see that there are two separate sections. One is for work history, and the other is your personal history.  The work history section should only include the items you want them to look at to determine your eligibility and earn you points.

You should include all the details that prove you have worked for a bare minimum of one year, or 1,560 hours (if working part time) in Canada.  If you have more work history that you are claiming points for, you also want that considered so you should include it in the work history section. Any other work history that does not prove your eligibility or earn you extra points can be left in the personal history section.

What do you do with foreign work history or employment from other fields?

@wordpress-1234134-4407863.cloudwaysapps.comReply to @zeusvasquez5 does the reference letter matter for express entry? Absolutely!♬ original sound – Visto.ai

This depends on whether you are relying on that work experience for eligibility or points. If you are using that work experience to meet the eligibility requirements or for more points, you will want to include them in the work history section.

If you don’t need that work experience to prove you’re eligibility or for bonus points, you can simply mention them in the personal history section and you won’t be asked to prove them with documents.

Once you have entered your information, you will need to prove that all of that work history is accurate. How do you do that?

@wordpress-1234134-4407863.cloudwaysapps.comReply to @wjkkwjkf is it okay to use the same responsibilities in the reference letter as the noc code?♬ original sound – Visto.ai

You’ll be asked to provide a reference letter for each job included in your work history section. These reference letters are critical.  Getting a reference letter wrong can have a significant impact on the success of your immigration chances because if it’s not done properly, IRCC may find you have not met the work experience requirements and then reject your application due to not being eligible.

We are often asked if there is a specific template you should use for these reference letters, and this is why we created a free reference letter template you can download and fill out to ensure that yours has all of the required information requested by IRCC. To get the free template, sign up for free for the Visto portal here and click on the Prepare Documents page in the Express Entry section!

In addition to filling out your work history and submitting reference letters, you will also be picking the NOC code that most closely describes your work. If you’re struggling to find your NOC code, you can use our NOC guide here.

Some applicants may wonder if they should simply use the described main duties word for word as they appear in their NOC code description or provide their own description of their job duties. You should be aware that IRCC does a thorough search when they review your work history and reference letters to make sure that your work history is accurate.  They also want to verify that you picked the right NOC code.  So, if you describe your job by writing the NOC description word for word, they might feel that it is a bit forced, and instead we recommend including the genuine main duties of your role as you or your manager would for any other reference letter, and then making sure the NOC code is the best match for you.

So long as you picked the correct NOC code, you do not need to mention every single item included in that NOC code description.  There is no need to worry about making a perfect match.  Just pick the code that matches the most amount of your duties, ideally covering at least 50% of the main duties listed under the NOC code. If you feel like your job description does not include enough of the duties described by the NOC code, you might want to consider looking for a better match under a different NOC code.

The work experience section of your Express Entry portal is a critical component of your Express Entry eligibility. You want to make sure that all of the information you provide in this section is accurate and easy to follow.  Thankfully, the process of filling out this section isn’t complicated as long as you understand precisely what information the Express Entry portal is asking you to provide.

Hopefully you found this information helpful. If you need more guidance on your Express Entry application or other ways to immigrate to Canada, make sure to sign up for the free Visto portal here to get started!