Gather the most recent approval or admission record, the original and any updated duty letters, proof of continued qualifying employment, and current credential documentation. Having these organized well before the deadline avoids scrambling for records the employer or applicant may not have kept accessible.
Organize records chronologically, not just the latest one
A single current approval notice isn't enough context on its own; keep a chronological file showing each prior approval, any changes in duties or employer details, and how the role has evolved. This history helps counsel spot whether the extension is straightforward or whether something needs updating, and it speeds up preparation considerably compared to reconstructing the record under time pressure. Add two items to that chronological file that are easy to include now and awkward to reconstruct.
First, keep the employer's original support letter alongside each approval rather than only the approvals themselves, since the letter is the document that describes what was actually relied upon and the approval merely records the outcome. Second, keep a short dated note of any change in the role as it happens — a new reporting line, an added responsibility, a title adjustment — written in the month it occurs rather than assembled at the end. A file built this way lets a reviewer see immediately whether anything needs addressing.
Hypothetical example: a research assistant's file contains three approvals and three support letters, plus four one-line notes recording changes over two years, and the extension review takes an afternoon rather than a fortnight of interviews about what happened when.