An applicant with a CRS of 402 was told by a consultant that a simple employer 'recommendation letter' — distinct from an LMIA — could add 50–200 CRS points. They asked the group to verify this claim.
- This is false — there is no CRS points path without an LMIA. A member flatly stated there's no such points allowance from a plain recommendation letter; the additional-points mechanism in Express Entry runs through a valid, supported job offer backed by an LMIA, not an informal employer letter.
- Even with a genuine LMIA, points depend on the job's skill level. Follow-up discussion in the thread noted that LMIA-linked job offer points (around 50 for most eligible offers) apply specifically to skilled positions; a semi-skilled role such as a front-desk position was flagged as not qualifying for the extra points at all.
Takeaway: be skeptical of any consultant claim that a non-LMIA document can add large CRS points — verify point-earning claims against IRCC's own Express Entry rules before paying for or relying on such 'recommendation letter' offers, and confirm the job's skill/TEER classification if an LMIA-backed offer is involved.