GCMS Notes: What They Are and How to Get Yours
GCMS notes are the records Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) holds about you in its Global Case Management System, the system it uses to process immigration, citizenship and passport applications.[1] You get them by making an access request, often called an ATIP request, and IRCC releases a copy of your file with the officers' entries. Anyone can ask for their own records, wherever they live. The government fee is $5 or nothing, and the law gives IRCC 30 days to answer, with room to extend. There are three ways to get them: file online yourself, file on paper, or have a representative file for you. This page is the starting point; each step links to the guide that covers it in depth.
GCMS notes at a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Who can ask for them | Under the Privacy Act, Canadian citizens, permanent residents and foreign nationals, wherever they are, can ask for their own personal information.[2],[3] Under the Access to Information Act, citizens, permanent residents and people or corporations present in Canada can file; anyone else asks a citizen or permanent resident to file for them, with written consent.[4],[5] |
| Government fee | $5 for an Access to Information Act request.[6],[7] The Government of Canada's checklist for a personal information request about yourself asks for no payment.[8] |
| Time the law allows | 30 days from receipt.[9],[11] IRCC may extend: under the Access to Information Act for a reasonable period, under the Privacy Act for up to 30 more days (longer only for translation or format conversion). Either way, you must be told within the first 30 days.[10],[12],[13] |
| Ways to file | Online through the ATIP Online Request tool, on paper by mail, or through a representative acting with your signed consent.[14] |
What a release actually contains, page by page, is in what are GCMS notes.
Three ways to get them
| Route | Suits | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Online, yourself | Anyone requesting their own file under the Privacy Act; citizens, permanent residents and people in Canada under either Act | An email address, your identifiers, scanned documents and, for an Access to Information Act request, a credit card for the $5 fee[8],[15] |
| On paper, yourself | People who cannot or prefer not to file online | Form IMM 5563, a Treasury Board request form or a letter naming the Act, mailed to IRCC's ATIP Division in Ottawa; any fee by cheque or money order[14],[17] |
| Through a representative | People outside Canada who want the Access to Information Act route, or anyone who would rather not handle the filing | A signed consent naming the representative, such as IRCC's form IMM 5744[4],[16] |
The online route is covered click by click in the ATIP Online Request tool guide. The rules for applicants abroad are in GCMS notes from outside Canada.
How to get your GCMS notes
- Pick the right records. IRCC holds your application file. Border entries, exits and examinations are held by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which takes its own request under the Privacy Act, free and open to people inside or outside Canada.[18] See IRCC vs CBSA notes.
- Check what you already have. IRCC now attaches the deciding officer's note to most temporary resident refusals (since July 29, 2025) and most permanent resident refusals (since May 26, 2026).[19] Whether that note is enough is discussed in officer decision notes vs GCMS notes.
- Collect your identifiers. Full name as on the application, date of birth, UCI, application number, application type and year. How to word the request so the officer notes are included is in the ATIP request guide.
- Decide who files. Use the table above. If someone else files, you sign a consent that names them; see IMM 5563 and IMM 5744.
- Submit. Online, electronic requests must go through the ATIP Online Request tool; paper requests go to the Access to Information and Privacy Division, IRCC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1.[14] Card payment is only accepted online.[14]
- Watch the clock. Count 30 days from the day IRCC receives the request, and look out for an extension notice inside that window.[9],[10] If you have no response after 30 days, you can ask IRCC's ATIP Division for the status of the request by email at [email protected] or by mail.[13] See tracking your request.
- Read the release. Start with a sample release and how to read GCMS notes. If your application was refused, deadlines run from the refusal date; the deadline calculator helps you see the dates.
Want someone to file for you?
We file as your Canadian representative after you sign the consent, and deliver the release to your dashboard. From USD 19.
Order GCMS NotesWhich guide do I need?
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my GCMS notes for free?
Can I request GCMS notes from outside Canada?
How long do GCMS notes take?
The law gives IRCC 30 days from receiving the request. It can extend that period and must tell the requester within those 30 days.[9],[10],[12] Who files the request does not change these rules. More in GCMS notes processing time.
Is an ATIP request the same as GCMS notes?
No. ATIP (access to information and privacy) is the request. GCMS is the system that holds your file. "GCMS notes" is the copy of that file IRCC releases in answer to the request.
Do I need a lawyer or consultant to get my notes?
No. If you are eligible under the Act you choose, you can file yourself. For the Access to Information Act, the person who files for someone else only has to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident acting with that person's written consent.[4]
Does a GCMS notes request include my CBSA records?
No. CBSA is a separate agency with its own request process. A Privacy Act request to CBSA has no fee and is open to people living in or outside Canada.[18] See CBSA notes.
My refusal letter already includes the officer's notes. Do I still need GCMS notes?
It depends on what you need. The decision note comes from the officer who made the final decision.[19] The GCMS release is the whole file, including check results and correspondence. The two are compared in officer decision notes vs GCMS notes.
Official sources
All information on this page is based on official Government of Canada publications:
- Privacy Impact Assessment Summary: Deployment of GCMS and TEMPO — Canada.ca (checked 2026-09-28)
- Who can make a request under the Privacy Act? — IRCC (checked 2026-09-28)
- Privacy Act Extension Order, No. 3 (SOR/2021-174) — Justice Laws Website (checked 2026-09-28)
- Who can make a request under the Access to Information Act? — IRCC (checked 2026-09-28)
- Access to Information Act Extension Order, No. 1 (SOR/89-207) — Justice Laws Website (checked 2026-09-28)
- What is the fee for an Access request? — IRCC (checked 2026-09-28)
- Access to Information Regulations, section 7 (application fee) — Justice Laws Website (checked 2026-09-28)
- What you will need — Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Canada.ca) (checked 2026-09-28)
- Access to Information Act, section 7 (notice within 30 days) — Justice Laws Website (checked 2026-09-28)
- Access to Information Act, section 9 (extension of time limits) — Justice Laws Website (checked 2026-09-28)
- Privacy Act, section 14 (notice within thirty days) — Justice Laws Website (checked 2026-09-28)
- Privacy Act, section 15 (extension of time limits) — Justice Laws Website (checked 2026-09-28)
- How long does the Department have to respond? — IRCC (checked 2026-09-28)
- How and where do I submit an Access to Information or Privacy request? — IRCC (checked 2026-09-28)
- Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Online Request — Government of Canada (checked 2026-09-28)
- Consent for an Access to Information and Personal Information Request (IMM 5744) — Canada.ca (checked 2026-09-28)
- Access to Information and Personal Information Request (IMM 5563) — Canada.ca (checked 2026-09-28)
- How to make a request under the Privacy Act — Canada Border Services Agency (checked 2026-09-28)
- Explaining application refusals: Officer decision note — Canada.ca (checked 2026-09-28)