How to read Canada GMCS notes?

Obtaining your Global Case Management System (GCMS) notes is just the first step; understanding and extracting actionable insights out of it is equally important. Whether you’ve recently requested your GCMS notes or plan to do so in the near future, this comprehensive guide will take you through the process of decoding and utilizing information from your GCMS/CAPIS notes effectively.

What are GCMS and CAIPS notes?

GCMS notes, or Global Case Management System notes, provide a behind-the-scenes look into the processing of immigration applications in Canada.

They are written by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officers as they analyze and make decisions about immigration applications.

In essence, these notes provide a detailed narrative or a behind-the-scenes explanation of why an application was processed in a certain way. 

GCMS notes are also sometimes referred to as CAIPS notes. You can have a look at sample GCMS and CBSA notes here.

If you have made an application to come to Canada (temporary or permanent residence), you can request GCMS notes to find out how your application was assessed. If your application is still pending decision, you can use GCMS notes to find out  which stage it is at. 

Why might some information be missing or redacted on your GCMS notes?

Redactions often happen when parts of a file have information about people who didn’t provide signed consent at the time of GCMS request.

GCMS notes contain sensitive client information. Sometimes, there are sections that appear redacted or missing. The primary reason for this is privacy protection. The Canadian law particularly respects the privacy of third parties and confidential sources. By extension, it also guards national security interests.

The Immigration, Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) in section 15(1) asserts the need for these redactions. They happen in compliance with the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act. These acts protect personal information from being revealed without consent, and any data posing a threat to individual/societal security is kept undisclosed.

Also, some internal methods and sensitive particulars of officers making the decisions might be hidden. This is to protect the integrity of the decision-making process and the IRCC officers’ unique identifiers.

And so, while GCMS notes help decipher the progress of your application, they also operate within boundaries laid out by law. Redactions, while potentially confusing, are pivotal in balancing transparency and confidentiality in immigration proceedings.

How to find reasons for refusal or delay on your GCMS notes?

Start by checking your application status. If you’re waiting for a decision, it should say ‘Open’. Otherwise, the status would be ‘Closed’.

After you check your immigration application status, go to the ‘Notes’ section. This part has details about how your application was or is being looked at. Read the notes to see what’s happening with your application.

What does each section on your GCMS notes mean?

GCMS notes are divided into several sections, including personal information, history of the application, notes from officers, and final decision. 

Use the search option below to learn more about each GCMS notes section.

Item What it means
APPLICATION: S0000000 Immigration application file number
Created Date: 2023/07/28 Date application was received by IRCC
Updated Date: 2023/09/13 Date/Time of last application update
Primary Office: CORR Office that will assess your application. This might change
Secondary Office: Nairobi Supporting office that will assess your application
App #: S0000000 Application number. Learn more about application numbers here
App Status: Closed Open/Closed
App Status Reason: Refused In-progress, approved, or refused
Rec'd Date: 2023/07/28 Date when the Primary Office received the application
Rec'd Via: On-line Category: PE On-Line/Mail (How the application was received at the Primary Office)
Subcategory: Immigration application category (Student, Family class, Skilled worker)
NOC Version: NOC 2021
Counterfoil Category: S-1 Visa counterfoil/sticker category. List of different Canadian visa types
Case Type: 30
Restoration: N Yes/No
Special Program(s):
Special Event:
Ministerial Instructions: Correspond Lang: English Cost Recovery: Complete
Overpayment: N Yes/No
Restricted Notes: N Yes/No
High Profile: N Yes/No
Prospective App Delete Date:
Preferred Correspondence Channel: Online
Name: Name of principal applicant
DOB: Date of birth of principal applicant (yyyy/mm/dd)
Travel Doc Expiry: 2026/11/11 Date of passport expiry in most cases
# of Entries: MULTIPLE
CAO#:
CAO Valid To:
Province of Destination: ON
City of Destination: City where PA plans to arrive or reside
Available Funds (CAD): 75340 Total available funds for stay
Stay/Program - From Date: 2023/09/07 Duration of specific program
Stay/Program - To Date: 2024/08/31
Travel Itinerary:
FOSS Doc#:
Associated App:
Pre-Assessment Notes:
BIOMETRICS
IRCC #
Assessment: Complete Summary of the application
Other Description:
Info: Received -
Review:
TRV
Purpose of Visit:
Other Description:
STUDY PERMIT
School: Designated Learning Inst-ON Institution where the applicant has enrolled
DLI Name: Trent University
Level of Study: University - Other Studies
Authorization Level: Tout etabl. d'enseignement postsecondaire designe
Field of Study: Business/Mgmt/Marketing Area of study the applicant has chosen
Compliance Verification: Required
Year of Study: 1 Duration of Study
Length of Study: 1
Tuition (CAD): 22000 Tuition Fees
Room & Board (CAD): Funds available for stay
Other Costs (CAD):
Expenses Paid: PA/Parents Who is paying for expenses
Other Description:
WP Required: Co-Op requirement
Funding Program Name: Scholarship
Money Received (CAD): Scholarship amount
WORK PERMIT
Exemption Code: NOC:
Intended Occupation: Salary (CAD): Planned or desired job or profession
LMIA/LMIA Exempt#:
Employer:
Type of Care:
ASSESSMENTS Summary of the application
Eligibility: Not started, started, complete
Security: Not started, started, complete, cancelled
HIRV: Not started, started, complete, cancelled
Criminality: Not started, started, complete, cancelled
Org Crime: Not started, started, complete, cancelled
Medical:
Misrep:
Other Req:
Info Sharing:
Final: Approved, Refused, or blank
Counterfoil Req: Y Yes/No
PAPER FILE
Office:
#:
Location:
CASE TYPE
CASE TYPE: 1
Type: PE
SPECIAL PROGRAM
SPECIAL PROGRAM: 0
TYPE OF CARE
TYPE OF CARE: 0
CLIENT DETAILS
CLIENT DETAILS: 1 For Primary applicant or Sponsored Person
Created Date: 2023/07/28 Date application was received by IRCC
Updated Date: 2023/07/31
UCI/Party ID: Unique Client Identifier number or Party ID
ClientParty: PA Principal applicant (PA)
Relationship: Spouse, Common-law partner, Child, Parent, etc
Other Relationship Descrip: Name: Name of Principal Applicant
Gender: Male Male/Female
DOB Date of birth of Principal Applicant
Effective Date: Date when IRCC opened the application
Expiry Date:
Citizenship(s): Nigeria
CoR: Nigeria
Place of Birth (City/Town):
Country of Birth: Nigeria
Marital Status: Single Spouse, common-law, conjugal, etc
Background Info: N Yes/No
Travel Doc#: Passport number of Principal Applicant
Travel Doc Expiry Date: 2026/11/11 Passport expiry date of Principal Applicant
Travel Doc Country of Issue: Nigeria Country where passport was issued for PA
Official Language: English English/other language
Can Communicate in English: Yes Yes/No
Can Communicate in French: No Yes/No
Official Language Proficiency Test: Yes Yes/No
Non Canadian Visa
#:
Country of Issue:
ADDRESS
Type: Residence Country: Nigeria
Apartment #:
Street#:
Street Address:
Street Address 2:
PO Box:
City/Town:
Province/State:
District:
PARTY DETAILS
PARTY DETAILS: 0 Details of your representative
ELIGIBILITY
IEC: 0
ADMISSIBILITIES Eligibility criteria for the immigration program (FSW / CEC / FST / PNP) you applied for, or the eligibility for the visa application (visitor’s visa/work permit/study permit) you applied for
SECURITY
SECURITY: 0
HIRV
HIRV:0
CRIMINALITY
CRIMINALITY: 1 If the criminality assessment has not yet started, it will show as blank. If it is in progress or passed, then the same will be reflected accordingly
Created Date: 2023/07/28 Date of creation of file
Updated Date: 2023/08/02
UGI#: Unique Client Identifier number
Family Name: Family name of Principal Applicant
Given Name: Given name of Principal Applicant
Type: Criminality Criminality
Status: Passed - Bio Started, not started, complete
Validity Date: 2 years after Created Date
Status Updated Date: 2023/08/02 Date of status update
ATTACHMENTS
ATTACHMENTS: 0
CRIMINALITY HISTORY
CRIMINALITY HISTORY: 0
POLICE CERTIFICATES Official documents verifying an individual's criminal record status.
POLICE CERTIFICATES: 0
SUB ACTIVITIES
SUB ACTIVITIES: 1
Created Date: 2023/07/28
Updated Date: 2023/07/31 UGI#:
Family Name:
Given Name:
Type: Biometrics - RCMP
Country:
Status: Received -
Validity Date:
Status Updated Date: 2023/07/31
Due Date: 2023/08/12
BIOMETRICS
Previous Result:
RCMP Purge: Removal or deletion of records by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Biometrics#: Biometrics number
Biometrics Review: Examination of unique physical characteristics for identification purposes.
ENROLMENT:
IRCC #:
Biometrics#:
Location:
Name:
Country: Nigeria
Code:
Type: VAC
Date: 07/31/2023 09:13:55
By:
Fingerprint Quality Regarding the quality of the fingerprint
Fingerprint Quality: Good Assessment of fingerprint clarity and detail
UGI/FOSS ID: Unique identification number or system identifier
Photo: Y
RCMP RESULTS: Findings from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
New IID: Y
IID:
Ref#:
New FPS#: N
FPS#:
UGI/FOSS ID:
RCMP #:
NAME(S): 1
Name(s):
Name:
DOB:
Gender: Male
Country of Birth: Unknown
Source: RCMP
ORGANIZED CRIME Criminal activities coordinated by groups
ORGANIZED CRIME: 0 0
MEDICAL Pertaining to health or healthcare
MEDICAL: 0 0
MISREPRESENTATION Misrepresentation can result due to submitting fraudulent documents, falsifying documents, providing incorrect or misleading information, purposefully failing to disclose relevant details etc.]
MISREPRESENTATION: 0
MINISTERIAL RELIEF
MINISTERIAL RELIEF: 0
INFO SHARING Info-sharing is done based on the requirements of an application. If applicable, the field will show the status of info-sharing as “in progress,” “complete” or “not started“
INFO SHARING: 1
Created Date: 2023/07/28 Date of creation of file
Updated Date: 2023/07/31
UCI #: Unique Client Identifier number
Family Name: Family name of Principal Applicant
Given Name(s): Given name of Principal Applicant
Clien/Party: PA PA/DEP (Principal Applicant/Dependent)
Relationship: Spouse, Common-law Partner, or blank
Type: Biometric - FCC Biometric - FCC/Biographic
Partner: USA USA, NZL, AUS, GBR
Status: No Reportable Trace, Complete, Complete - Not Reviewed, Exempt - Member - Partner CIT
Validity Date: 2023/10/29
Status Updated Date: 2023/07/31
Due Date: 2023/07/29
Correction Ref#: Blank
Correction Date: Blank
Urgent: N Yes/No
MATCHED RECORDS
REQUEST INFO
Family Name:
Given Name(s):
DOB:
Visa#:
Travel Doc#:
Travel Doc Country of Issue:
FINALISE APPLICATION
DOCUMENT ISSUANCE
DOCUMENT ISSUANCE: 0
REFUSAL GROUNDS LEGACY Historical reasons for denial
REFUSAL GROUNDS LEGACY: 0
REFUSAL GROUNDS foreign national does not meet the obligations of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and its Regulations, including those listed under ,subsection A11 , paragraph A20(1)(b) ,subsection R179 or paragraphs R200(1)(b) or R216(1)(b)
REFUSAL GROUNDS DETAILS: 1
Created Date: 2017/05/24
Updated Date: 2022/06/16
Refusal Grounds: R216(1)(b) Intro Paragraph
Print Sequence: 1
Description:
Comments:
Expiry Date:
REFUSAL GROUNDS DETAILS: 2
Created Date: 2017/05/24
Updated Date: 2022/06/09
Refusal Grounds: R216(1)(b) Assets
Print Sequence: 2
Description:
Comments:
Expiry Date:
REFUSAL LETTER DETAILS Details of the all the visa refusals before this
REFUSAL LETTER DETAILS: 1
Created Date: 2017/05/24
Created By:
Updated Date: 2022/06/09
Updated By:
Description:
Paragraph Type: Refusal Letter Intro
Selected: Y
APPEALS AND LITIGATION Details of the appeals made against the refusals
IAD
IMMIGRATION APPEALS DIVISION: 0
LITIGATION
LITIGATION: 0
OTHER REOS
A39/A41
A39/A41: 0
VERIFICATION
VERIFICATION: 0
EVENTS
EVENTS: 0
EMPLOYMENT DETAILS Information about an individual's work or job history.
LMIA EXEMPT
LMIA EEXMPT: 0
NOTES
NOTES [All notes arranged from the most recent to oldest]
NOTES: 1
Created Date: 2023/09/13 [Date of note creation]
Updated Date: 2023/09/13
Restricted: N [Yes/No]
Label: General [General, EE Eligibility, Criminality, etc]
Office: CORR [GCMS-System, Centralized Intake Office, etc]
Text: I have reviewed the application. [Information/assessment written by Immigration Officer]
I have considered the following factors in my decision.
NOTES: 2
Created Date: 2023/09/13
Updated Date: 2023/09/13
Restricted: N
Label: General
Office: CORR
Text: Indicator: N/A
Processing Priority Word Flag: N/A
NOTES: 3
Created Date: 2023/09/13
Updated Date: 2023/09/13
Restricted: N
Label: General
Office: CORR
NOTES: 4
Created Date: 2023/08/01
Updated Date: 2023/08/01
Restricted: N
Label: General
Office: CORR
Text: RROC Mission Support application pre-check completed./ CORR Soutien aux missions a complete
le polissage de cette demande.
NOTES: 5
Created Date: 2023/07/31
Updated Date: 2023/07/31
Restricted: N
Label: General
Office: SMGC-systeme
Text: Name on Application changed:
Old Value(s):
New Value(s):
NOTES: 6
Created Date: 2023/07/28
Updated Date: 2023/07/28
Restricted: N
Label: General
Office: SMGC-systeme
Text: Signed By/ Signe Par: