Does anyone know if it's possible for him to electronically send me the letter and use a digital signature? And likewise with the payslips? Has anybody done this and been successful? I've not been able to find any official guidance concerning this.
They are allowing some leeway with the document requirements because of Covid, so an electronic signature on the employer letter should be fine. If your employer can add a line regarding the reason for it having an electronic signature and not a wet signature, that will probably help too.
Regarding the payslips, they should not be signed anyway, so that's not an issue.
The requirements for payslips are either:
1. Official payslips printed by the company and given or mailed to you
or
2. Electronic payslips which are accompanied by a letter from the employer, on company letterhead and signed by a senior official, which verify the authenticity of each payslip.
Most people have their employer include the payslip verification as part of the mandatory employer letter, so that they only need to provide 1 letter and not 2 separate ones.