PERSONAL HISTORY SECTION - eimm5669e - I've been to almost 100 countries. What to do?

[thestormtrooper]

Hi,

I'm trying to complete the Personal History section of eimm5669e which asks for:

Provide the details of your personal history since the age of 18 or the last 10 years. It says to include work and travels with no gaps in time.

I have worked remotely on my laptop and travelled the world for the last 10 years. During this time I've been to almost 100 countries and some multiple times.

Will I have to click to add a new box and list every country I've been to?

I've calculated if I did this I'd need to add over 100 boxes!?

I'd have to try and compile the information using a mixture of my old passport, my Google timeline, and photos. The process for this question alone will take me days rather than hours.

Just want to check I'm doing the right thing before I go ahead?

or if anyone has any experience dealing with this question who has an extensive travel history?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[dw33]

Wow, that background check might take 10 years!

 

[armoured]

Provide the details of your personal history since the age of 18 or the last 10 years. It says to include work and travels with no gaps in time.

I have worked remotely on my laptop and travelled the world for the last 10 years. During this time I've been to almost 100 countries and some multiple times.

Will I have to click to add a new box and list every country I've been to?

I've calculated if I did this I'd need to add over 100 boxes!?

This section is NOT a travel history. There is a separate form for that which is required for some nationalities but not all (if you must do that, it's a separate topic). Note that this part asks for dates on a month, not day, basis.

USUALLY for this form, you would put where you habitually reside ('home base') and work, and if you went on trips - even relatively lengthy ones - it would not need a separate line. (I can't tell you exactly what length of time to use for any 'reset' or new entry, but perhaps if you were based in one country for six months, that might necessitate a new line).

Important: if this is exceedingly complicated for some reason, include a letter of explanation and explain the situation as simply as possible. The point of a letter of explanation here is not to overwhelm them with data but to explain why the situation as seen on the form doesn't capture the situation.

Again, the point of this particular form is what you were doing (primarily what you were employed doing or studying) in the countries that you habitually resided in during that time period.

Be careful of course to tell the truth.

 

[thestormtrooper]

This section is NOT a travel history. There is a separate form for that which is required for some nationalities but not all (if you must do that, it's a separate topic). Note that this part asks for dates on a month, not day, basis.

USUALLY for this form, you would put where you habitually reside ('home base') and work, and if you went on trips - even relatively lengthy ones - it would not need a separate line. (I can't tell you exactly what length of time to use for any 'reset' or new entry, but perhaps if you were based in one country for six months, that might necessitate a new line).

Important: if this is exceedingly complicated for some reason, include a letter of explanation and explain the situation as simply as possible. The point of a letter of explanation here is not to overwhelm them with data but to explain why the situation as seen on the form doesn't capture the situation.

Again, the point of this particular form is what you were doing (primarily what you were employed doing or studying) in the countries that you habitually resided in during that time period.

Be careful of course to tell the truth.

Hi,

Thanks for the response. However, this seems to contradict what it says on the Complete Guide (IMM 5289) which provides examples, and says there are to be no gaps in the timeline?

2007-11 2008-12 Unemployed vacation Toronto, Canada Visitor visa

I have planned to include a separate document stating I was working remotely on my laptop during the travels.

Based on their example it seems like I do have to list every country, and sometimes multiple entries. Which means I'll need over 100 entry boxes added on the form.

Most of the countries I visited were for 90 days at the most as that is generally what a visitor visa allows you in most of the world.

I've started to create an Excel sheet of dates and locations, but it still seems like a crazy amount of entries, would be much easier if I could just share my Google timeline with them and they can see where I've been ever day for the last 10 years!

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

[armoured]

Hi,

Thanks for the response. However, this seems to contradict what it says on the Complete Guide (IMM 5289) which provides examples, and says there are to be no gaps in the timeline?

2007-11 2008-12 Unemployed vacation Toronto, Canada Visitor visa

I have planned to include a separate document stating I was working remotely on my laptop during the travels.

Based on their example it seems like I do have to list every country, and sometimes multiple entries. Which means I'll need over 100 entry boxes added on the form.

I think that interpretation is wrong, this is not a travel history. Note in the example above, there seems to be both a change of status (unemployed) that coincided with a location (I don't see what they're doing before and after or where). It is certainly NOT a day-to-day accounting of your whereabouts - they don't even have a space for days.

But it's your decision how to approach. I think it's not necessary but up to you. I also don't know your specifics well enough to say for certain which is the best approach.

But if it were me, I'd put my main identifiable residence and employement (changing when either of those clearly changed), and add a letter of explanation where I thought necessary. As before, my suggestion is you should definitely not leave any time gaps - but focus this on what you were doing, it's fine if you were working remotely. Short vacations _while employed_ also don't matter.

But: what nationality are you? Will you also have to do a travel history? You may need to collect/collate this information separately anyway.

 

[thestormtrooper]

Yeah, it's definitely not a day to day entry. It requires Year and Month. I'm Scottish, but have lived a fairly nomadic existence over the last 10 years.

Being in so many places doesn't leave me with logical start and end points, as the vast majority have been travels.

It seems regardless of how I complete it, I'm going to have to compile a list of places and dates so I might as well add the boxes and have it on the form.

The only alternative I can think of is to narrow it to:

Europe - 2015 05 to 2016 03
South America - 2014 05 to 2015 05

However, I feel somewhere or at some point they'll want or ask for me to be more specific. I don't want to give them any potential reason to reject or return my application.

Such a long process. :-(

Thought I'd also include the full description:

Question 6

Give details of your personal history since the age of 18, or the past 10 years, whichever is most recent.

Start with the most recent information. Under “Job/Activity, Title, Position”, write your occupation or job title if you were working.

Important: Be specific when you are describing your job/occupation or other activities. For example, an entry of “working,” “employee,” or “employed” for “job/activity” are not acceptable.

If you were not working, give information about what you were doing (for example: unemployed, studying, travelling, retired, in detention, etc.). If you were outside your country of nationality, write your status in that country.

You can add more rows by pressing the plus sign (+) button.

Make sure you DO NOT leave any gaps in time.

See example of a complete answer below:

From (YYYY-MM) To (YYYY-MM) Activity Type Job/Activity Title, Position City/town and Country Status in Country Name of company, employer, school etc.
2015-05 2016-01 Employment Salesperson Ottawa, Canada Work visa XYZ Company
2014-02 2015-04 Unemployed unemployed Beijing, China Citizen
2009-01 2014-01 Educational Activity student Toronto, Canada Study visa University of Toronto
2007-11 2008-12 Unemployed vacation Toronto, Canada Visitor visa
2006-01 2007-10 Educational Activity student Beijing, China citizen ABC high school

 

[Spousalsponsorshipca]

You’re probably going to need police clearance certificate from the places you have lived for over 6 months as well.

 

[thestormtrooper]

You’re probably going to need police clearance certificate from the places you have lived for over 6 months as well.

Thankfully my home country and Canada are the only places I've been for a stretch of 6 months in one go.