Decision note or GCMS notes: what do I need?

• If your refusal came with an officer decision note, read it first. It sets out why the officer refused the application, and it may be all you need to plan what comes next.
• A records request under the Privacy Act (what people call getting your GCMS notes) can go further: the notes on the whole file, the case history and the documents, subject to what IRCC withholds. You can make it yourself, free, from anywhere.

What is an officer decision note?

IRCC includes a decision note with the refusal letter for most temporary resident applications refused since 29 July 2025 and most permanent residence applications refused since 26 May 2026. It is written by the officer who made the final decision. In IRCC's words:

“These notes explain why we refused your application.”

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, made from inside or outside Canada

Not included: electronic travel authorizations (eTAs), temporary resident permits and humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) applications. IRCC says it will add more application types over time.

IRCC sends the decision note and the refusal letter to you or to your authorized representative. To check, go through everything IRCC sent with the refusal: the note is a separate text written by the officer, not the standard wording of the refusal letter.

Two limits to know. IRCC may remove parts of a note to protect secure, private or other sensitive information. And the note gives the final reasons, not the rest of the file.

Going to the Federal Court?IRCC says that if you apply for leave and judicial review, you should state in your application that you have not received the reasons for the refusal, even if you received a decision note. That lets the Court ask for the complete reasons and check whether anything was removed from the note. Court deadlines are short: speak to a Canadian immigration lawyer.

What does a records request add?

Under the Privacy Act you can ask IRCC for the personal information it holds about you. IRCC's own page puts it this way:

“Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and foreign nationals, regardless of where they are located, can request access to their personal information held by federal government institutions under the Privacy Act.”

“There are no fees involved with the processing of a request under this Act.”

For an immigration application, what comes back can include:

• the notes officers recorded on the file, not only the final decision (the GCMS notes, still often called CAIPS notes);
• the case history: when things were received, reviewed and decided;
• the forms, documents and correspondence on the file, if your request asks for them;
• records about earlier applications, if your request covers them.

Not everything is released. The Act lets IRCC withhold some information: for example information obtained in confidence from another government (s. 19), information that could harm international affairs or defence (s. 21) or law enforcement and investigations (s. 22), and other people's personal information (s. 26). When IRCC refuses access to any part, it must say which section of the Act it relied on (s. 16). If you think something was withheld wrongly, you can complain to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Timing is set by law, not promised. IRCC must reply within 30 days of receiving the request (s. 14). It can extend that by up to 30 more days, or longer for translation, by sending you a notice within the first 30 days (s. 15).

Files still in process. The Act does not exclude applications that have not been decided, so you can ask while you wait. A release shows what is recorded on the day IRCC prepares it, and asking does not change or speed up the decision.

Side by side

Find your answer

Four questions. Follow the answer that fits you.

1. 1Question 1: Has IRCC decided your application?

   • Not yet: it is still in processRequest your records
   • Yes: it was refusedGo to question 2

2. 2Question 2: What was refused, and when?

   • A temporary resident application refused on or after 29 July 2025, or a permanent residence application refused on or after 26 May 2026Go to question 3
   • Refused before those dates, or an eTA, a temporary resident permit or an H&C applicationProbably no note: request your records

3. 3Question 3: Did a decision note come with the refusal?

   Look through everything IRCC sent to you or your representative. IRCC says most refusals include one, not all.

   • Yes, I have itGo to question 4
   • No, I cannot find oneRequest your records

4. 4Question 4: Does the note tell you what you need?

   • Yes: it explains the concern, and I can answer it with better evidenceStart with the note
   • No: it is brief, parts were removed, or I want the case history and documentsRequest your records
   • I am going to the Federal CourtSpeak to a lawyer

What do I need? Some common situations

A visitor visa refused in August 2026, with a decision note that names the concern

Read the note first; it may be enough to plan your next application. Request your records if you also want the case history and documents.

A study permit refused in 2024

Refused before 29 July 2025, so probably no decision note. A records request is how you see what the officer recorded.

An application still in process after many months

There is no decision note until there is a decision. A records request shows what is recorded so far. It does not speed anything up.

A permanent residence refusal after 26 May 2026, with a two-line note

If the note is too brief to act on, a records request can add the notes on the whole file and the case history, subject to exemptions.

A refused eTA, temporary resident permit or H&C application

These are not covered by decision notes. Request your records.

You want to challenge the refusal in the Federal Court

Speak to a Canadian immigration lawyer, and tell the Court you have not received the reasons, even if you have a decision note.

Want to do it yourself? It is free. Do it yourself or let us do it?links to IRCC's own page and shows what each way involves.

Sources: IRCC's officer decision notes (opens in a new tab) page and its Privacy Act request (opens in a new tab) page, and the Privacy Act (opens in a new tab). Last reviewed 24 September 2026.