A primary applicant with 16 years of experience — the most recent 11 years well-documented, but the earlier 5 years (2007–2012) only supported by offer/relieving letters missing hours-per-week and duty details — asked whether the incomplete documentation would be a problem.
Members gave two useful angles:
- Try to strengthen the older documentation where you can, by contacting former employers by email (keeping their response, or lack of one, as a record) and supplementing with bank statements and Form 16 as secondary proof of employment and income.
- However, if this older experience is for foreign (non-Canadian) work experience specifically, you may not need full documentation for it at all — CRS foreign work experience points typically max out at the same value for any period of 3+ years, so additional years beyond that don't add points. Also, since 2007–2012 falls beyond the standard 10-year documentation window some IRCC processes look at, members suggested it may be sufficient to simply list it in your personal history rather than fully substantiate it with a duties-and-hours reference letter.
Before deciding to skip full documentation for the older period, confirm the exact CRS treatment and personal-history requirements for your specific situation, since rules and interpretations can vary.