A 2-year Bachelor's plus 2-year 'Master of Science' (a 16-year education pattern common in Pakistan and India) raises the question: what education level do you select in Express Entry? The thread produced unusually clear rules.
What group members explained:- You don't choose the level — the ECA does. For any non-Canadian degree, the level you select must be whatever the ECA report states as the Canadian equivalency. A degree titled 'Master of Science' may be assessed as equivalent to a Canadian bachelor's; the assessment, not the title or the year count, is what goes in the profile.
- No ECA = it doesn't go in the education section. Non-Canadian education without an ECA effectively doesn't exist for points purposes. Before ITA, declare only your highest Canadian degree and/or degrees you hold an ECA for.
- Everything else goes in Personal Activities after ITA. Un-assessed degrees and non-points work experience from the last 10 years belong in the personal activities/personal history section of the post-ITA application — no proof or documentation is required for that section.
- Build a 10-year timeline. The practical method one member laid out: map every activity for the past 10 years; anything you claim points for goes in Work History or Education with documents; everything else goes in personal activities so there are no gaps.
This keeps the application complete and truthful while claiming points only for what you can substantiate.