As of July 29, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is including officer decision notes with refusal letters for certain temporary resident applications. These notes provide applicants with more clarity on why their application was refused.
Who gets them
- Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs), excluding eTAs and TRPs
- Visitor records
- Study permits
- Work permits
These notes are only provided for applications submitted through IRCC’s legacy system (like GCKey or MyCIC), which was used before the launch of the new IRCC Portal in 2021.
Why it matters
Until now, detailed refusal reasons were only available by requesting GCMS notes, which required a formal Access to Information request. These could only be filed by Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or individuals physically present in Canada. Now, many applicants will automatically receive key details without needing to make a separate request.
How it works
The officer’s notes are sent with the refusal letter to the applicant or their representative. IRCC may redact some content for privacy or security reasons. Applications filed through the new IRCC Portal are not yet eligible for this feature.
