An Express Entry candidate had three employers on file but only earned points from the current one (which alone met the 3-year foreign-work requirement). For the two older employers there were offer letters, relieving letters, and paystubs — but no roles-and-responsibilities letters, and no realistic way to get them. The thread's guidance:
- Get reference letters from every employer where possible. The first advice was unambiguous: even for jobs that don't score points now, letters may be useful later (future applications, verification), so attempt them for all declared employment.
- If an employer won't cooperate, document the refusal. The most practical tip: email the old employers requesting the letter, and if they decline, keep the denial email. If IRCC later issues an Additional Document Request (ADR) for that employment, the refusal email is your evidence of best effort.
- Non-scoring work can go under Personal History instead. The structural fix members endorsed: if you've been with your latest employer 3+ years and it alone carries your points, older jobs can be declared in the Personal History section rather than the work-experience section. Personal-history entries don't require reference letters — only work claimed for points does.
Takeaway: don't drop old jobs from your application (gaps invite questions), and don't panic over unobtainable letters. Either document them fully, or move non-scoring employment to Personal History and keep written proof that you tried to obtain letters for anything IRCC might query.