The most frustrating thing after being refused for a visa or seeing no progress on your visa application is waiting to receive your GCMS file. (Interactive sample GCMS file available here)
Extensions to get GCMS
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) the legislated time frame for processing a GCMS request is 30 calendar days. However, IRCC or any other federal agency, such as Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) or Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) can extend the time limit to respond to a request beyond the 30 calendar days if:
- the request is for a large number of records or requires a search through a large number of records, and the original time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of IRCC
- external consultations are necessary and cannot reasonably be expected to be completed within the original time limit or
- notice to a third party is required to advise him or her that his or her information is the subject of a request
Please note that government institutions are not obligated to notify if there is a delay. If we get notified then we will inform you as well.
We at GcmsNotes.com strive our best to deliver the GCMS notes and other requests in a timely manner, please be advised that there may be delays which are beyond our control. When such delays happen, we will keep you apprised on the status of your request via the online tracking tool.
Tracking number for GCMS Notes
When a request is filed with any federal agency under the Access to Information Act, a tracking number is issued to identify the request. The tracking number issued by the federal agency is only addressed to the original requester (i.e., the designated representative on the consent form) and the notification from the federal agency contains no information about the applicant whose information is being requested.
Furthermore, due to privacy regulations in Canada, federal agencies can only discuss files with the original requester (i.e., the designated representative on the consent form). Which means that the federal agency will not provide any details to the applicant even if the tracking number is provided. For these reasons the tracking number issued by the federal agency is only issued to the original requestor and not provided to applicants.
Also, as of now the Canadian Government or federal agencies do not have a mechanism which allows online tracking of these requests. There are some websites that claim online tracking of GCMS notes, please beware of such claims. Your GCMS Notes contains sensitive information, keep it secure!
