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GCMS notes and officer decision notes: how to see why you were refused

Your refusal letter tells you which test you failed. The officer’s notes tell you why. Since 29 July 2025, IRCC sends officer decision notes with most temporary resident refusals. If you did not get them, or want your full file, you can ask for it free of charge under the Privacy Act, even from outside Canada.

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Written by NextMovePath editorial teamLast updated:

General information, not legal advice. Every refusal is different. For advice on your own case, speak to a Canadian immigration lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC).

The clock may already be running. To challenge a refusal in Federal Court you must file within 15 days if the decision was made in Canada, or 60 days if it was made outside Canada, counted from when you were told about it. How the deadline works

What are GCMS notes?

GCMS notes are the records of your application in IRCC’s Global Case Management System, including what the officer wrote when deciding your case. They are the most detailed explanation of a refusal you can get. People often call a request for them an “ATIP request”, short for Access to Information and Privacy.

The refusal letter only lists standard sentences, such as “I am not satisfied that you will leave Canada at the end of your stay”. The notes show which documents the officer relied on, what they found weak, and sometimes what they did not see at all. That is why reading them before you reapply, or before you go to Federal Court, matters.

Do I get officer decision notes automatically now?

For most temporary applications, yes. IRCC started sending officer decision notes with refusal letters for temporary resident applications on 29 July 2025, and for permanent residence applications on 26 May 2026. The notes go to you or your authorized representative with the refusal letter.

IRCC lists these application types:

  • temporary resident visas: visitor visas, super visas and transit visas
  • visitor records
  • study permits and study permit extensions
  • work permits and work permit extensions
  • permanent residence applications

Electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) and temporary resident permits are not included. IRCC also says it may remove parts of a note to protect secure, private or other sensitive information.

Before you file any request, check everything that came with your refusal, or ask your representative for it. You may already have the officer’s notes.

When is a full file request still worth it?

When the notes you received are incomplete or missing, or you need more than the officer’s reasons. A Privacy Act request asks for the personal information IRCC holds about you, so you can ask for the whole application file.

  • Your refusal came before 29 July 2025, so no notes were sent.
  • Your application type is not on IRCC’s list.
  • Large parts of the note were removed.
  • You applied several times and want to see what is on your whole file before trying again.
  • You want to check whether a document you sent was actually received.

Who can request GCMS notes, and under which law?

There are two laws. For your own file, the Privacy Act is usually the right one, because it is free and open to people anywhere in the world.

Privacy ActAccess to Information Act
Who can askCanadian citizens, permanent residents and foreign nationals, wherever they live, for their own informationCanadian citizens, permanent residents, and people or companies currently in Canada
CostFree$5
Best forYour own refusal fileRequests made by someone in Canada, with your consent

If someone else makes the request for you, such as a lawyer, a consultant or a relative in Canada, they must include a signed Consent for an Access to Information and Personal Information Request (IMM 5744) for each person aged 16 or older on the file.

How do I request my GCMS notes?

Online is the simplest way. The steps are:

  1. Go to the Government of Canada ATIP Online Request service and choose Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
  2. Choose the Privacy Act if the request is for your own information.
  3. Give details that identify your file: full name, date of birth, your UCI or application number, the type of application and the date of the decision. Enter these only on the official government form.
  4. Ask for the complete file, including all notes, for that application.
  5. Attach the IMM 5744 consent form if you are requesting for someone else.
  6. Submit and keep the confirmation.

You can also send IRCC’s form IMM 5563, or a letter that says which Act you are using, by mail to the Access to Information and Privacy Division, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1. Credit card payment for the $5 Access to Information fee is only accepted online.

How long does a GCMS notes request take?

Under section 14 of the Privacy Act, IRCC must respond within 30 days of receiving your request. Section 15 lets it extend that by up to 30 more days if meeting the deadline would unreasonably interfere with its work or if consultations are needed, and for a reasonable time if translation is needed. IRCC must tell you about any extension within the first 30 days.

Do not let a notes request use up your Federal Court deadline. The Court time limit is 15 days for decisions made in Canada and 60 days for decisions made outside Canada, and it keeps running while you wait. IRCC says that if you go to Federal Court, you should state in your application that you have not received the reasons for the refusal, even if you received an officer decision note. The Court can then ask for the complete reasons.

What should I look for when I read the notes?

Look for the facts the officer relied on, and compare them with what you actually sent. The notes often reveal a fixable problem, or an error that could support a Federal Court case.

  • Which ticked reasons are explained, and with which facts?
  • Did the officer mention every key document you sent?
  • Did the officer get any fact wrong, such as your job, family or funds?
  • Is there a concern that was never raised in the letter?

Then match each concern to the guides on refusal reasons, and decide between reapplying and a court challenge in Reapply or go to Federal Court?

Official sources

We checked these pages when writing this guide. Rules and forms change, so confirm on the official page before you act.

Common questions

Often not. Since 29 July 2025, IRCC sends officer decision notes with refusals of visitor visas, super visas, transit visas, visitor records, study permits and work permits. Those notes contain the officer’s reasons. A full file request is still useful if parts were removed, the refusal is older, or you want the whole file.
A request under the Privacy Act is free. A request under the Access to Information Act costs $5. Most people asking for their own file use the Privacy Act.
Yes, under the Privacy Act. IRCC says Canadian citizens, permanent residents and foreign nationals, regardless of where they are located, can request their own personal information. The Access to Information Act is limited to citizens, permanent residents and people or companies currently in Canada.
The Privacy Act gives IRCC 30 days to respond. IRCC can extend this by up to 30 more days in some cases, such as when consultations are needed, and must tell you if it does. For Federal Court, do not wait for notes if the deadline is close.
Yes. Anyone requesting on your behalf must include a signed consent form (IMM 5744) for each person aged 16 or older whose information is in the request.

Send us your refusal. A lawyer will tell you which path fits.

Tell us what was refused and paste the reasons from your letter or officer notes. We pass your file to an immigration lawyer we work with, who can tell you whether to reapply, ask for your notes first, or go to Federal Court before the deadline passes.

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