The first article provided an in depth summary and introduction to what Express Entry is. 

This article will go in depth on how to prepare documents for Express Entry to pass the completeness check and ensure your application won’t get refused for a silly mistake.

It goes without saying that all documents must be scanned in a clear quality, avoiding blurs, and translated into English or French per IRCC translation requirements. 

1 - Passport

As a bare minimum you must upload a copy of the bio-data page together with Canadian permits/visas. 

What I do in my practice is upload a copy of the passport with Canadian permits/visas and pages that contain travel stamps and other visas. 

A copy of the previous passport is not required unless the new passport is brand new and has nothing. In this case, I upload a copy of the previous passport to which Canadian permits and visas were issued (as and if applicable) 

2 - Digital Photo

The photograph must match these specifications per IRCC instructions. The photograph must be digital to ensure high quality.

You are only required to upload the front of the photo, as such you can disregard the information that is being asked for the back of the photo - these requirements apply to different PR classes. 

3 - Education Documents

Must include diploma, transcripts and ECA certificates as applicable. 

As a reminder, ECA reports are mandatory for any non-Canadian post-secondary degrees that were evaluated and claimed points for. 

More information about the ECA is provided in the first article.

4 - Employment Documents

Here, IRCC will specifically ask for:

1. Employment records, that include documents such as:

   1. Employment verification letter

   2. T4 slip

   3. Notice of Tax Assessment 

2. Job offer letter: 

   1. The ‘proper’ usage of this was to prove arranged employment when claiming the 50 or 200 points. Coming spring of this year, this no longer will be applicable. 

   2. If this document shows up in your document list, you can upload a copy of your current offer. 

3. Letter of employment, that includes documents such as:

   1. Employment verification letter

   2. Other relevant and supporting documents

Letter of employment and employment records are practically the same thing. 

In my practice, I create a bundle of employment verification letter + supporting documents and upload it in relevant fields. 

Now it’s very important that the employment verification letter includes the following details:

• Job title and job duties

• Hours worked per week

• Start date and end date (or confirmation of ongoing employment)

• Salary and benefits

• Company’s official letterhead 

• Company’s contact information such as:

  • Address

  • Telephone number

  • Email address

• Signed by a member of HR or direct supervisor, including their contact information

• Has a date of when the document was issued or signed 

See and save this ultimate cheatsheet on what information must be included in employment verification letters. 

If you were self-employed, you will need to provide similar supporting documents that can prove your experience. These documents can include:

• Client testimonials and reference letters - they must include essential information as a regular employment verification letter such as job duties, dates of engagement, etc. 

• Invoices and service contracts

• Business incorporation or ownership documents 

• Proof of income

• Other relevant documents that can act as proof of experience

5 - Police Certificate

A very important document to collect as early as possible in case it takes a while to process. 

A police certificate is required from any country where you lived for 6+ months after turning 18 years old except Canada. 

If there was a country of frequent visit for extended periods of time, it would be prudent to provide a police certificate from there as well. 

Instructions on what exact documents are required for each country and how to get it are listed on the official IRCC website.

6 - Medical Exams

There has been a new development in 2023 stating that applicants don’t need to complete an upfront medical exam. 

If you completed an immigration medical exam prior, you can upload it in the requested slot. 

If not, you are instructed to upload a blank document but my recommendation is to include some text to say “haven’t done a medical, please issue a request letter”.

7 - Proof of Funds

If you are applying under Canadian Experience Class, you are exempted from submitting documents to prove your financial sustainability. 

If you are applying under Federal Skilled Worker or Federal Skilled Trades categories then you must show enough funds to support yourself and your dependents (if applicable). 

To check IRCC’s information on this, you can follow this link. 

8 - Proof of Relationship

If you are married and have children, you will be asked to provide a marriage certificate and children’s birth certificates.

Your dependent family members will also have to provide passports, photos, police certificates (if over 18 years of age) and medical exams (as applicable). 

If you have siblings in Canada who have a Canadian permanent resident or citizen status, and you declared them in your application to claim points, then you will be asked to provide documents to prove your relationship - birth certificates, family registries, etc. 

9 - Language Test

IRCC doesn’t provide a separate slot to upload language test results. In my practice I combine it with the education documents or with the submission letter. 

10 - Client Information

This is an extra document slot to which you can upload any supplementary document such as a language test or an explanation letter if you want to provide more information about your application for the officer’s consideration. 

Confused about the document collection process or have a few questions to clarify? Get in touch with me and let’s see how we can work together!