GCMS & CBSA & CSIS Notes +
CAD $59.00
What are GCMS & CBSA & CSIS Notes +?
GCMS & CBSA & CSIS Notes + consist in four separate requests:
- The GCMS Notes, containing all details of your application, including the immigration officer’s notes, requested from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC),
- The CBSA Notes, containing all details of your application, including the immigration officer’s notes and information regarding security, requested from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA),
- The CSIS Notes, containing information on your security screening (when it was requested, if it is still in processing or when it was completed), requested from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and
- The Documents, containing copies of all documents attached to your application, requested from IRCC.
Please note that it is possible that no information (Notes) is released from CBSA and/or CSIS if your immigration or citizenship application submitted to IRCC was not referred to CBSA and/or CSIS.
Why order them?
With your GCMS Notes, if your application is ongoing, you can check its processing status and see if anything is wrong with it, and take proactive steps to improve it. If your application is already closed but was refused, you can get the details of the reasoning behind the refusal.
GCMS Notes from CBSA contain information regarding security that would be redacted under statutory exemptions if GCMS Notes are requested from IRCC.
By requesting both from IRCC and CBSA, you will decrease the risk of delay in receiving your Notes, as the requests are made to two separate government agencies and processed independently.
CSIS Notes can help you figure out what is happening with your security screening and why your application is getting delayed.
With the Documents, you can also check if you or your representative have not made any mistakes/omissions in the documents submitted alongside your application.
How long to receive them?
The Notes are received from IRCC, CBSA & CSIS approximately within 30 to 40 days. The Documents usually take longer to deliver, and depend on each applicant.
Please note that this service consists of requesting your Notes from a government agency, which entails a possible risk of processing delay by the government agency. We cannot speed up the processing of your request and are not responsible for any delay caused by the government agency.
What do I need?
Your UCI and file/application number. After completing your order, you will receive pre-filled consent forms that will need to be signed to be able to submit the requests on your behalf.
A photo identification document to validate identity and signature for each adult and validate identity for each minor included in the consent form, such as a passport biodata page, permanent residence card, driver’s licence, etc.).
What does this service include?
The service only includes requesting your Notes and Documents, and delivering them to you via e-mail, as received from IRCC, CBSA & CSIS.
IRCC Document Retention Policy
In accordance with IRCC’s guidelines for the retention and destruction of information, documents (not GCMS notes) are typically destroyed two years following the agency’s final administrative action. If it has been more than two years since IRCC notified you of a visa refusal, it is possible that they destroyed the records. Depending on the application, the visa office, and the method of submission, some applications are uploaded into IRCC’s system, so they may still have access to them after two years.
