What is a skills verification letter?

A Skills Verification Letter is a document sometimes required when applying for Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) process, when sponsoring a foreign worker for an employment-based green card in the United States.

The purpose of a skills verification letter is to provide proof of the foreign worker’s knowledge and experience, especially when the proposed job requires specific professional qualifications and credentials. This letter typically comes into play when the U.S. employer is unable to find a suitable U.S. worker for the position and wants to hire a foreign worker instead. In this guide, we’ll explain what to include in a skills verification letter, who is responsible for signing these letters, and more.

What is included in a skills verification letter?

Skills verification letters are typically provided by a foreign worker’s previous employers and are used to verify that the individual has the required skills. awareness Or experience required for the position indicated on the PERM application. Awareness can be demonstrated by college courses or other academic credentials, while experience is demonstrated by paid professional experience in the required skill.

Although the details of the skills verification letter may vary depending on the application, all letters should follow a general format and include the following information:

• Role or position title
• Company Name
• Start and end dates of employment
• Hours worked per week (full-time or part-time)
• Detailed description of the position’s tasks
• Knowledge or experience gained in the role
• Name, title and contact details of the signatory

Who signs skills verification letters?

Skills verification letters must be signed by the foreign worker’s former manager or human resources professional at the previous company, or by the professor in the case of knowledge-based skills verification. Although it is possible to have a former co-worker sign these letters, USCIS prefers that the letters come directly from the worker’s former manager.

NOTE: If a former supervisor or manager is no longer with the company, they can still sign the letter. The former supervisor should put the letter on their current company’s letterhead and include a business card from their time at the worker’s former company.

Sample Skills Verification Letter

(Name of supervisor or human resources professional)
(Title)
(Company Name)
(Company address)
(City
: State
: Postal code)
(E-mail address)

(Phone number)
(Date)
(U.S. Department of Labor)

(Address)

(City

: State : Postal code)

Subject: Skills verification letter for (name of foreign worker)

To whom it May concern,

I am writing this letter in my capacity as (Title) at (Company Name), to verify the skills, qualifications and experience of (Foreign Worker Name), who was previously employed by our company as a (Role or Job Title).
(Name of foreign worker) was employed in our organization from (Employment Start Date) to (Employment End Date), working on a (Full-Time/Part-Time) basis, with an average of (Hours Worked per week) hours per week.

Detailed description of the position’s tasks:
(Name of foreign worker) has played a crucial role in our organization, performing the following tasks:

(Describe specific assignment 1)
(Expand on specific responsibilities and accomplishments)

(Describe specific assignment 2)
(Expand on specific responsibilities and accomplishments)

(Describe specific assignment 3)

(Expand on specific responsibilities and accomplishments)

(Describe specific assignment 4)
(Expand on specific responsibilities and accomplishments)

Knowledge or experience gained in the role:
During his stay at (Company Name), (Foreign Worker Name) gained valuable knowledge and experience in the following areas:

(Specify area of ​​knowledge/experience 1):
(Detailed knowledge or experience acquired)

(Specify area of ​​knowledge/experience 2):

(Detailed knowledge or experience acquired)

(Specify area of ​​knowledge/experience 3):

(Detailed knowledge or experience acquired)
In light of the above, I can confidently attest to the qualifications and skills of (Foreign Worker Name) for the (Role or Job Title) he previously held at (Company Name).
If you require further information or have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (email address) or (phone number).

Sincerely,

(Name of supervisor or human resources professional)

(Title) (Company Name) What to do if the letters do not match the required skills? Skills verification letters must match specific job requirements as outlined in the PERM Labor Certification Application. It must confirm that the foreign worker’s qualifications closely match the job description. USCIS requires a clear and explicit match between the skills included in the skills verification letter and the skills listed on the PERM application. If USCIS does not find an exact match in the letters with the required skills, it may issue a