Lion Heart

Hey guys

Need some assistance on this one. Please don't guess, it's kind of important

My partner has been invited to apply for Permanent Residence by CIC. We are in the process of filling out all of the paperwork, undergoing medical and police checks etc etc within the 90 days.

Need some help on the details/paperwork side of things for previous employment.

Firstly, it does not state how far back the employment must go. My partner thinks it must go back to day one of first job, so WH Smiths when she was 17 twenty years ago.

It seems unrealistic/irrelevant that it needs to go back 20 years? Plus we won't be able to get any paperwork that far back!!!

So that's question one.

Secondly (and more importantly!):

Most of our work over the last 10 years has been self employed (via our own Limited Company). Being self employed we don't have things that they ask for such as:

Reference Letter from Employer (as it would be us!)
Signature of immediate boss (us)

They give no guidance for self-employed applicants. So, how should we present the information to them???

We can't really write our own reference letters.

Could use some practical advice on this!!

Thanks guys!

christmasoompa

I can't help with the employment history duration, as I would be guessing! It always used to be 10 years, only personal history and address history ever needed to go back to age 18 and over, but it's odd that it's not telling you what they need.

As for self-employed, this page will help - Applications received on or after January 1, 2016, for permanent residence programs subject to the Express Entry completeness check

"if the applicant is self-employed, articles of incorporation or other evidence of business ownership, evidence of self-employment income and documentation from third-party individuals indicating the service provided along with payment details (self-declared main duties or affidavits are not acceptable proof of self-employed work experience)."

So you need to get letters from clients outlining your duties, a letter from your accountant, etc.

You've not said which visa stream you've applied under, so the above is assuming it's an EE/FSW app?

HTH, good luck.

Lion Heart

That's great - thank you. Just that paragraph alone is really, really useful!

Certificates of incorporation etc not an issue. We have all that here.

It seem from the wording that they require letters from our customers, rather than suppliers or accounts etc?

A little tricky for us as purely retail.

Yes, this is an Express Entry stream

christmasoompa

They're just looking for proof that you are indeed skilled workers i.e that you do the duties listed under the NOC code you're applying under. For an employed person, it would be in the form of a reference letter from their employer and employment contract setting out their duties, but obviously that doesn't apply to you so you need to show something else instead.

But any letters that you can get that detail your duties and show you meet the criteria of the NOC code for the job would be fine, do you have a solicitor that could do it maybe? Or your accountant?

Lion Heart

Yes, that makes perfect sense.

I could indeed get our Accountant to writes letters for us confirming that they provided accounting services for the business, and they dealt directly with us as Managers of the business etc.

However, I'm not sure if they'd be able to set out the duties we had in the business, apart from confirm our roles as Managing Directors I suppose. But they could not confirm our day to day duties as such, as that would be beyond their remit and not something they would have been involved with?

Lion Heart

And how far back do they want those records to go?

Do they really need info on jobs you did 20 years ago at 17 (WH Smith's etc)?

Engineer_abroad

On my current PR application via my cic online it asks for 10 years of personnel and work history

Lion Heart

Hey Engineer_abroad

Can you advise exactly where it says that please as we can't find any mention of the timescale.

Did you find this within the PR main application page where you add each of the required sections/documents and can click the edit button on each, and you get a tick once filled in? If so, I've just looked there again and it does not say anything about 10 years.

In the PERSONAL HISTORY section it specifies 10 years and it has employment included in there, but there is a dedicated EMPLOYMENT HISTORY section (the button above personal history) and that does NOT seem to specify any time.

10 years would make sense, but we don't want to assume and get it wrong and be rejected.

Is your application for Express Entry?

rivingtonpike

What NOC code are you applying under? Maybe that will give someone on here some info' that might help them to advise you.

Shakyuk

I am at the same stage as you and I am also self employed. I am only giving documentation for the skilled work experience I am claiming to have. The maxium for points is 6 years but I am been an engineer for just over 10 and so I'm going back that far.
I am employed as a self employed contractor. For the period I was employed as staff I have got the reference they request but I wrote my own template for this reference and just had my former employers sign it.
For the period I have been self employed I have done the following:
For year 1, I attached: certificate of incorporation, certificate of VAT registration, signed off accounts for the year, copy of my contract, a letter of work experience just like I had as an employee but worded differently as I was a contractor.
For subsequeny years I have uploaded my VAT return, signed accounts, copy of contracts, SA302.
I've basically gone for everything I can possible think of that will prove my contract says my position and my rate of pay and invoices are of the level you would expect for someone who has worked the entire year at the right level to count as worthy experience.
If this is right or wrong I do not know!