A member spent 5 years in the US without leaving — starting as a dependent (some of it as a homemaker), then studying at a university, then working remotely for a home-country company — and wasn't sure what to fill under "Purpose of Travel" for an Express Entry application covering that period.
What another member's comparable experience suggested:- You can log it as a single continuous travel record rather than multiple separate entries, since there was no actual travel out of the US during that time — the location/state can be noted (e.g. "stayed in state X for studies, later moved to state Y for work").
- In the Purpose of Travel field, briefly summarize the sequence of statuses — for example, describing an initial period as a dependent (homemaker) followed by pursuing a Master's degree, phrased simply and factually rather than trying to capture every status change in exhaustive detail.
- You generally don't need to justify remote work for a foreign employer within the travel history section itself — that's more relevant to your work experience and CRS points sections of the application, not the travel purpose field.
- If your visa status changed (e.g. dependent to student, or student to OPT), it can help to briefly note that status transition in the purpose field, so the narrative reads coherently to whoever reviews the file.
The practical takeaway: when a multi-status US stay spans years without leaving the country, log it as one continuous travel record and use the Purpose of Travel field to briefly summarize your status progression (dependent, then student, etc.) — save the detail about remote work for the work experience section rather than the travel history.