GCMS notes: how to see what the officer wrote.

What GCMS notes are

The Global Case Management System (GCMS) is IRCC's platform for processing immigration, citizenship and passport applications. Applications are handled in it, and "GCMS notes" is the common name for the copy of an applicant's file from this system that you receive after a formal request.

For a refused application, the part most people look for is the officer's entry on the decision: which documents were considered and why the officer was not satisfied. The notes can be brief. They do not change the decision, but they help you understand it.

Privacy Act or Access to Information Act

IRCC accepts requests for its records under two federal laws. The right one depends mainly on where the requester is and whose information is being requested.

For someone in Iran who wants to see their own visitor visa file, IRCC's description means a Privacy Act request made by the applicant is available and costs nothing. A representative in Canada can also request the file under the Access to Information Act, with the applicant's signed consent.

Requests made by a representative

The consent form is the Consent for an Access to Information and Personal Information Request (IMM 5744). It authorizes IRCC's Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Division to release your personal information to the person you name. If several family members are on one application, each person who meets the age threshold above needs their own consent form.

How to make the request online

1. Choose the lawUse the table above. If you are outside Canada and asking for your own file, the Privacy Act is the route IRCC describes for you.
2. Collect your file detailsHave your full name as it appears on the application, date of birth, application number and the type of application ready, so the request points clearly to one file.
3. Open the online serviceIRCC's request pages link to the Government of Canada ATIP online service ("Apply online"). Select IRCC as the institution.
4. Describe the recordsAsk clearly for the records of the specific application, including the officer's notes. A precise description is easier to process than a general one.
5. Attach consent and pay if neededInclude IMM 5744 if the request is for someone else. For an Access to Information Act request, pay the $5 fee online with a credit or prepaid card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB) or a Visa Debit card. The card does not need to be in the applicant's name.

You can also apply by mail with IRCC's form IMM 5563, the Treasury Board Secretariat form TBC/CTC 350-57, or a letter naming the law you are using. Mail goes to the Access to Information and Privacy Division, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1. For a mailed Access to Information Act request, the fee is paid by cheque or money order to the Receiver General for Canada.

How long it takes

The legislated time to respond is 30 calendar days under both laws (Access to Information Act s.7, Privacy Act s.14). Extensions are allowed:

• Access to Information Act: for a reasonable period if the request involves a large number of records, if searching would seriously disrupt operations, or if consultations are needed.
• Privacy Act: up to 30 more days if meeting the deadline would unreasonably disrupt operations or consultations are needed, or a reasonable period for translation or conversion into another format.

If IRCC extends the time, it must tell you within the first 30 days, along with your right to complain to the Information Commissioner or the Privacy Commissioner. IRCC also warns that significant increases in request volumes may affect its ability to respond within these timelines. If you have heard nothing after 30 days, you can ask the ATIP Division about the status of your request by email or in writing.

How to read the notes

The release can be long and partly blacked out. When information is withheld, the response must state the specific provision of the law relied on (Access to Information Act s.10(1), Privacy Act s.16(1)). You also have the right to complain to the relevant Commissioner.

• Find the officer's entry close to the decision date. That is where the reasoning usually appears.
• List each concern the officer mentions, for example ties, funds, purpose of travel or travel history.
• Separate concerns about missing evidence from concerns about how the evidence was weighed. The first can often be fixed with documents. The second needs a stronger explanation, or a real change in your situation.
• Check for factual errors: a wrong employer, a misread amount, a document marked as missing that you did submit. Write these down with the page of your application that shows the correct fact.

Using the notes before you reapply

IRCC says that applying again with the same information will likely not change a decision. The notes help you see what needs to be different. Build the new application around each concern the officer recorded, and explain in a short letter what has changed and which document shows it.

If the notes show a clear factual error, that may also matter for judicial review at the Federal Court. That deadline is 15 days for a matter arising in Canada and 60 days for a matter arising outside Canada, counted from the day you were notified of or became aware of the decision (IRPA s.72(2)(b)). It does not wait for your notes, so if you are considering that route, speak to a lawyer straight away.

Official sources

• IRCC: How to make a request under the Privacy Act
• IRCC: How to make a request under the Access to Information Act
• IRCC: Consent for an Access to Information and Personal Information Request (IMM 5744)
• IRCC Help Centre: How long does the Department have to respond?
• IRCC: Timeframe for responding to access or privacy requests
• IRCC: Global Case Management System future transformation (CIMM briefing)
• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: Make a request
• Justice Laws: Access to Information Act section 7
• Justice Laws: Privacy Act section 14
• Justice Laws: IRPA section 72