What does each IRCC portal status mean?
IRCC's application status tracker shows one overall status: Received, In progress or Closed. Each of the four sections IRCC reviews (eligibility, medical exam, background verification and biometrics) shows Not started, Waiting on you, In progress, Completed or Exempted. IRCC says: “Application status updates will only show up after you get an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter or email.” It does not tell you when a decision will be made. (IRCC Help Centre, read 12 October 2026.)
The wording below is IRCC's own, from its Help Centre page “What does my status mean in the application status tracker?” (opens in a new tab) (page dated 28 September 2026, read 12 October 2026). IRCC can change these at any time.
| Status | IRCC's words |
|---|---|
| Received | “Received means we got your application and we’re checking if it’s complete.” |
| In progress | “In progress means we’re still reviewing your application.” |
| Closed | “Closed means we approved your application, we refused your application or you withdrew (cancelled) or abandoned your application.” |
On Closed, IRCC adds: “We’ll contact you before we close your application.”
Under the overall status, IRCC lists the sections it reviews: Eligibility, Medical exam, Background verification and Biometrics. “Each section can have 1 of these statuses”:
| Status | IRCC's words |
|---|---|
| Not started | “Not started means we haven’t started reviewing this section.” |
| Waiting on you | “Waiting on you means we need more information or documents from you.” |
| In progress | “In progress means we’re still reviewing the section.” |
| Completed | “Completed means we finished reviewing that section of your application.” |
| Exempted | “Exempted means you don’t need to complete this section for your application.” |
The same page says: “Application status updates will only show up after you get an acknowledgement of receipt (AOR) letter or email. You’ll get an AOR after we get your application and check that it’s complete.” It also tells you to “check the ‘Your next steps’ section regularly”: that is where IRCC asks for documents, fees or biometrics.
Not every application uses this tracker. IRCC's page Check your application status (opens in a new tab) (dated 25 August 2026) lists which tool to use for each type of application. Only the tracker's statuses are explained above, because only those are defined on an IRCC page we could read.
What can “in process” for 6+ months mean, and what do GCMS notes show then?
On its own, a long “In progress” tells you only that IRCC has not finished reviewing your application; the status page does not say which check is open or what is missing. Your GCMS notes are a snapshot of what was recorded on your file at the time IRCC processed your request — not a live tracker. They will not give you a decision date. What they can show, subject to what IRCC withholds, is which stage your file reached, which checks are recorded as outstanding, and whether anything was asked of you that you never answered.
The notes are the officer's working record: the checks and their recorded status, officer remarks, correspondence, and which office holds the file. What CAIPS / GCMS notes are explains the document itself.
What a long wait can look like differs by programme. Our When an application goes quiet pages cover each one, with the free checks to make first:
- Express Entry permanent residence (FSW, CEC, FST): AOR received, then months of silence. Your notes can show which checks are recorded as complete, and which are not.
- Study permit still in process: Intake dates do not wait. Your notes can show whether the delay is a missing document, medicals, or a check still running.
- Work permit still in process: Employer waiting, start date slipping. The notes can show whether the hold-up is the LMIA, your documents, or a check.
- Spousal and common-law partner sponsorship: A hard wait. Your notes can show whether the relationship has been assessed as genuine, and whether an interview is being considered.
- Visitor visa or Super visa still in process: The trip is approaching and nothing has moved. The notes can show whether the file has even been opened yet.
IRCC publishes its current processing times itself and changes them often, so this page does not state any.
How long does a GCMS notes request take? The 30-day clock on your records request
If you request your own records: The Privacy Act gives IRCC 30 days from receiving the request to reply. IRCC can extend that by up to 30 more days (longer for translation) if it sends a notice. If we file the request for you: The law gives IRCC 30 days from receiving a request to reply, and lets it extend that by sending a notice. No one, including us, can make IRCC reply before its legal deadline. If IRCC is late, a complaint is the lawful route.
Requesting your own records is free, and anyone, anywhere in the world, can do it in their own name. What we charge for is doing it for you, and reading the notes if you want that. See our services and what the fees cover.
The extension rules, IRCC's own past reply times, and the complaint route if IRCC is late (to the Privacy Commissioner for a Privacy Act request, with the law quoted) are in How long do GCMS notes take?.
