just received an email from ICA asking for employer letter / 6 months pay for "further processing" after 1.5 years of application

would it be normal to assume that if they are just gonna look at the employer letters, this is the beginning of the process and the "further" is just a feel good word.
race is obvious from the timeline...the application was probably in a race / "not-in-favor" profession bucket which has been revisited for some reason.
not too concerned about the outcome, but thought would post this as it would help others from the sub-continent on what the waiting times are nowadays.
cheers