Reapplying after a refusal, an applicant with ~8 years of experience had payslips and bank records only for the recent 3 years — earlier employers had permanently closed, leaving just appointment and experience letters. Members laid out a practical evidence hierarchy:
- The gold standard: first and last month's salary slips for each year, per employer. That pattern demonstrates continuous, genuine employment across the claimed period.
- Can't arrange that? Submit what exists and let documents stack. Appointment letters plus experience letters for the defunct employers, complete payslips and bank statements for the recent years. The refrain: 'submit documents you have — the more, the better.'
- Recent evidence carries the most weight. One member suggested the last year's bank statements or payslips suffice in practice; another shared that attaching just the last 6 months of payslips from each of two employers (6 years total) got their visa approved.
- Explain the gap, don't hide it. Where an employer has closed and records are unobtainable, a brief note explaining why (with the letters you do have) reads better than silence.