Personal history

[jvong9412]

Question for anyone who has had a similar situation:

I am currently working in Canada on a work permit while studying part-time at a university in the Philippines. My work and study periods overlap.



I am not claiming any education points for this degree under Express Entry/CEC and plan to include it only in my Personal History section.



My questions are:



1. Since I am not claiming any points for this study, do I still need to upload supporting documents or provide a Letter of Explanation (LOE) regarding this degree?

2. Has anyone had a similar situation (working in Canada while studying part-time abroad with overlapping dates) and successfully obtained PR without submitting additional documents from their school?



I would appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

 

[Ash G.]

You still need to include the Philippines degree in your personal history even though you're not claiming points for it. IRCC wants a complete timeline with no gaps — leaving it out could raise more questions than including it. Just list it with the correct dates and note that it was completed online.

For documents, since you're not claiming education points for this degree, you generally don't need to upload transcripts or an ECA for it. But a brief Letter of Explanation noting that you're studying part-time abroad while working full-time in Canada is a good idea — it preemptively answers any questions an officer might have about the overlapping dates. Keep it simple, one or two sentences explaining the situation is enough.