If you were terminated or left a short job on bad terms and the employer won't provide a reference or experience letter, you should still list the employment accurately on your study permit application rather than leaving it out or writing "unemployed."
What group members advised:- List the job with its actual dates, even without a formal reference letter — a study permit application (unlike Express Entry) isn't assessing points for that period of work, so the bar for supporting documentation is lower.
- Support it with whatever proof you have: an offer/joining letter, bank statements showing salary deposits, or even something simple like a company ID card. One member noted they got approved after attaching just a copy of their company ID for a similar situation.
- IRCC is very unlikely to contact the employer directly to verify a short, non-points-claiming job — that level of verification is generally reserved for cases where work experience points are being claimed, which doesn't apply to most study permit applications.
While this reflects group members' actual outcomes, note that officer discretion varies by case, so be accurate and consistent across all your documents (bank statements, dates, etc.) regardless of how the job ended.