Allow time to identify every discrepancy, confirm the accurate version with the employer, and obtain corrected documentation before proceeding. This step can take longer than expected if it requires internal employer approval to amend a signed contract, so build it into the schedule rather than treating it as a same-day fix.
Resolve documents before setting other dates
Do not finalize travel plans, resignation from a current position, or dependent arrangements while the letter and contract still disagree. Set a specific milestone for receiving corrected, consistent documents, and only build the rest of the timeline, including any planned start date, around the confirmed corrected assignment dates. This avoids repeating the same planning work if the correction shifts the dates.
A practical sequence keeps the schedule honest. First, obtain written confirmation from the employer of which version is accurate. Second, receive the corrected document.
Third, have counsel confirm the corrected set is internally consistent. Fourth, and only then, set the travel or filing date. Each step depends on the one before it, so a slip early moves everything after it.
The step that most often runs long is the second, because a contract amendment may need a signatory who is travelling or a legal review inside the employer's own organisation. Ask at the outset who must sign and whether that person is available, rather than discovering the constraint after the correction has already been requested.