3 separate letters of recommendation up to 3 A4 pages, with their CV’s merged.
10 separate pieces of evidence, each piece up to 3 A4 pages.
Total 14 attachments.
Please resend your evidence as per the EB guidelines, maximum 3 A4 pages.
All evidence submitted must be legible to be considered during assessment, evidence that is excessively compressed or reduced in size in order to fit into the 3 page limit is not acceptable. Documents containing only a list of links to online sources are not acceptable, any links provided should relate to evidence within your application. Authorized English translations must be provided for all documents which are not originally written in English (translations do not count towards the 3 page limit for evidence, however the original untranslated document must not exceed 3 pages). Tech Nation is not obligated to use 3rd party software / services to translate documents or links to online content.
My situation:
I originally submitted 15 attachments in total, which included:
The checklist PDF received from the Home Office after payment
My MC and OC evidence documents were prepared in PowerPoint and exported to PDF. Each is 3 pages long. However, I also attached a verification letter at the end of one evidence document, which makes that particular document 4 pages in total.
My recommendation letters are only 1 page each, but after merging the author’s CV, each merged document becomes 4 pages in total.
Since I exported my evidence from PowerPoint to PDF, the page orientation is landscape. I am not sure if this is acceptable or if I need to completely reformat everything into a Word document and export it as portrait-oriented PDF.
My questions:
Does the Home Office open and review the evidence documents before sending this type of email, or is this a general automated response sent to all applicants regardless of whether their documents meet the requirements? I am asking because I want to understand whether my specific documents were flagged for a reason or if this is a standard procedural email.?
Do I need to remove the application form and checklist when resending, since they are not part of the 14 assessment attachments?
For my evidence document that is 3 pages plus a verification letter (making it 4 pages total), do I need to remove the verification letter or shorten the evidence to fit within 3 pages?
For my recommendation letters, if the letter is 1 page and the author’s CV is 3 pages, making the merged document 4 pages, do I need to reduce the author’s CV to 2 pages so the total fits within 3 pages?
Is landscape orientation acceptable for PDF evidence, or does it need to be portrait-oriented? Do I need to completely reformat my PowerPoint-based evidence into Word documents?
I would appreciate any guidance from the community or anyone who has been through this process recently.
1. Is this an automated response, or were my documents flagged?
It is a standard procedural email, but it was sent because your specific documents were flagged. The Home Office does not send this to everyone; they send it when they identify a discrepancy between your submission and their official rules. The email mirrors the requirements on GOV.U.K
2. Do I need to remove the application form and checklist? Yes. You must remove them when you resend. The email explicitly lists the accepted documents: 1 CV, 3 letters of recommendation, and 10 pieces of evidence. This totals 14 attachments. Your application form and checklist are administrative and push you over the limit.
3. For the evidence document that is 3 pages plus a verification letter (4 pages total), what should I do? You must remove the verification letter or integrate its content into the 3 pages. The rule is strict: each piece of evidence can be up to 3 sides of A4 paper . A verification letter attached to an evidence document is considered part of that document. You cannot submit a 4-page evidence file.
4. For recommendation letters, if the letter is 1 page and the author’s CV is 3 pages, making the merged document 4 pages, do I need to reduce the CV? No, you do not need to reduce the CV. Official GOV.U.K guidance states letters must be “up to 3 single sides of A4 paper, excluding the author’s credentials and contact details”. Forum discussions with applicants confirm that the author’s CV does not count toward the 3-page limit. You can keep the CV as long as the letter itself is under 3 pages.
5. Is landscape orientation acceptable? Do I need to reformat from PowerPoint? Landscape orientation is not standard and should be avoided. The guidance consistently refers to “sides of A4 paper,” which implies portrait orientation. Using PowerPoint and exporting to landscape PDF is a known issue that has caused problems for applicants. You should reformat your evidence into a Word document and export it as a portrait-oriented PDF. This ensures compliance and professionalism.
For my evidence document that is 3 pages plus a verification letter (making it 4 pages total)
As an alternative, would it be acceptable to remove the verification letter from the evidence document and instead place all three verification letters in a single separate PDF file, uploaded as its own piece of evidence, and then reference that file within each evidence document where the verification letters are cited?
Would that be considered good practice, or would it cause confusion for the assessor?
@farshid It does not really matter if the message is generic or if they checked your document. Since you received the email, the right thing is to act on what they flagged and resubmit. And not everyone receives a resend evidence email. So, it is because there is an issue with submission most likely.
2. Do I need to remove the application form and checklist?
The check list and application form are not part of your application documents or evidence list, so remove them.
3. For the evidence document that is 3 pages plus a verification letter (4 pages total), what should I do?
The reference letter is part of your evidence, so you should have 2 page evidence and 1 page reference letter to still stay within the 3 pages.
4. For recommendation letters, if the letter is 1 page and the author’s CV is 3 pages, making the merged document 4 pages, do I need to reduce the CV? No, you do not need to reduce the CV.
Lastly for recommendation letters, it can be up to 3 pages and the authors’ credentials are not part of the 3 pages limit.
My response is based solely on publicly available information from the Tech Nation guidance and the official GOV.UK website. This should not be taken as immigration advice, as I am not an immigration lawyer.
1. It likely creates a “self-certified” document problem.
The official guidance and rejection patterns show that assessors are skeptical of documents that merely “claim” something without independent proof. A single PDF containing three verification letters, which you then reference from multiple evidence pieces, starts to look like a self-created summary document rather than discrete, third-party verified evidence. The assessor may view it as you trying to bundle weak proof together.
2. It breaks the “one piece of evidence per document” principle.
The system is built on discrete evidence pieces. For digital technology, the rule is a maximum of 10 documents, and each piece of evidence must be up to 3 sides of A4 paper. If you submit one PDF containing three separate letters, that single document is now serving three different evidence slots. This is confusing for the assessor who is trying to map your documents to specific criteria.
3. Cross-referencing adds unnecessary friction.
Assessors review hundreds of files and need to verify claims quickly. If they have to jump between documents to find the verification letter you mentioned in Evidence 1, then find the same combined file again for Evidence 4, it slows them down and increases the chance they miss the connection entirely. The strongest files are self-contained.
4. A verification letter is “evidence,” not a “recommendation letter.”
This is a critical distinction. The 3 recommendation letters are a separate, mandatory category and do not count toward your 10 evidence documents. However, any other reference or verification letter you use to support a specific criterion does count as one of your 10 evidence pieces. A community caseworker explicitly confirmed this: “The letters of references are classed as evidence. Only the 3 letters of recommendation which you have already provided are not classed as evidence.”.
You have a few better options, depending on what the verification letter proves:
Option A (Best): Keep the verification letter inside the evidence document, but shorten it.
The simplest fix is often the best. If the verification letter is short (e.g., half a page), try to condense the evidence narrative or visuals in that specific PDF so the total document is 3 pages or less. This keeps the proof right next to the claim, making it easy for the assessor to verify.
Option B: Submit the verification letter as its own, separate piece of evidence.
If the letter is substantial and essential, make it a standalone evidence document. You would lose one of your 10 slots, but this is the cleanest way to comply. You would label it clearly (e.g., “Evidence 10: Verification Letter for Platform X”) and ensure it is under 3 pages.
Option C: If the letter simply confirms employment or a role, you may not need it.
Ask yourself: is this letter absolutely necessary? For some claims, a payslip, contract, or the recommendation letters from your referees can already verify your role. If the letter is just a formality, dropping it entirely might be the best way to save a slot and avoid formatting issues.
@farshid This approach isn’t strategic because it increases your evidence count unnecessarily you’ll end up with 11 pieces of evidence. Also, each reference letter should directly support the evidence set it’s attached to.
For instance, if page 1 and page 2 show that you led the development of a product, then the letter on page 3 from an executive in your company should be validating exactly what you presented in those two pages. That way, the letter strengthens the evidence rather than standing on its own.