ALL ABOUT GCMS - HOW TO ORDER, READ, & GENERAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED

[caipsnotes]

Hello @legalfalcon
I had requested Gcms through getgcms on 28th Oct 2020 and recently i rcvd 90 days extension email. what is that all about? is it really true as I do see people getting their gcms within 30-35 days. please advice

90 day extension is more of the exception than the norm and is not something that is across the board. You can consider requesting your Gcms Notes from CBSA instead of IRCC and it's likely you will receive the information in 30 days. It costs the same just that the consent form is different.

 

[legalfalcon]

Hi @legalfalcon

Hope you are doing fantastic! Looking for your opinion on my application.

AOR: July 23, 2020 (PNP-outland)
Med passed/Bio request: 11th Sept 2020
RPRF request: 28th Sept 2020
Ghost update: 17th November 2020 (maybe just a glitch)
Biometrics done and enrollment number along with expiry date reflected on my GC key on November 20, 2020 (Although, it says we have not received your fingerprints.)

On Nov 8, 2020, I ordered GCMS notes from getgcms.com.

Meanwhile on Nov 12, I thought of also raising webform to know my VO as well as application status. I asked them specifically to know where my file is placed and if my eligibility has passed or under review. A week later I got a reply saying "We verified the info and can confirm that the application is still in process. All the required docs have been received by responsible office. Due to COVID" generic COVID office closure and limited staff message......."

On Dec 4, 2020, I received a email from getgcms.com saying it will take additional 90 days to receive my GCMS Notes.

I felt strange because

1) They are not telling me about my visa office and eligibility status via webform ( I have seen lots of people getting response on their visa office, eligibility, security, criminality status from webform)

2) Even though people are getting their GCMS notes within 30 days, they asked me 90 days extension on my 25th day of ordering GCMS Notes.

My Question:

1) Is my application under ENHANCED SECURITY SCREENING with CBSA and I am in for a wait of more than a year for security to clear?
----- FYI, I am 24 yrs old with no travel history outside my country Nepal, and stayed in a single address since 18, no research based study- just an
Accountant, no gov jobs etc.) - if this matters

2) Is there any way to know what is going on? Have they parked my file somewhere inaccessible? I know few outland PNPs from July getting PPR.

I could not call IRCC (Outland). So Is there any other way to know the status of my application, at least my VO? Can I get any help from GetGCMS.com to call IRCC to knwo the status ? OR am I just getting paranoid?

Your response would be highly appreciated.

Thanks!

There are rampant delays in the release of GCMS notes, and for that matter for all IRCC operations. You are not the only one who has received an extensions. Also, GCMS notes has nothing to do with the processing of your application. IRCC has clarified this:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1039207796208803841

There are people who requested GCMS notes in late sept and October and are still waiting, have not even received any extensions. An extension merely means that IRCC was unable to meet the 30 days stipulated time frame and needs additional time. It does not mean that there is anything wrong with your application.

Your AOR is July 2020, You have not even crossed the 6 months mark. By this time, with the processing delays, it is highly unlike that your eligibility may have been passed. The average application takes 8-9 month to process, and this was pre COVID.

Unless your eligibility is passed, your security would not have started, so you could not be in enhanced SS.

Also, which VO your application is at, is irrelevant. You are just getting paranoid.

If you are in so much anxiety, you can request your CBSA notes, and they will give your the processing details, the same that the GCMS notes would have provided.

Just wait, and be patient.

As per IRCC's annual 2019 annual report it takes 8-9 months for an application to process.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/annual-report-parliament-immigration-2019.html

How long did it take to process an Express Entry application?
Table 35 displays the time, in months, that IRCC took to process 80% of applications under each program. In 2019, IRCC did not meet the processing standard of finalizing 80% of all applications sourced via Express Entry within six months. The processing time for Express Entry, overall, was eight months. As an alternative measure of processing times, 60% of applications finalized in the 12-month period ending on December 31, 2019, were completed within the six-month service standard.

Table 35: Processing Times for Express Entry applications finalized by year and immigration category, in months

Program	2017	2018	2019
Canadian Experience Class	4	5	7
Federal Skilled Worker	4	6	9
Provincial/Territorial Nominee	6	6	9
Federal Skilled Trades	6	7	12
All Programs	5	5	8

Source: CIC_EDW (MBR) as of January 3, 2020
Data is operational and as such should be considered preliminary and subject to change.

• Processing times refer to the time in which 80% of applications were finalized by IRCC. The processing time is measured from the day a complete application is received until the time a final decision is made by an immigration officer.

 

[Vvek]

It's unfortunate you received a 90 day extension on your Gcms Notes, that is more of an exception than the norm. Usually, before the end of Review of eligibility stage Medicals and Criminality are also passed. At this stage some applicants also receive a request to pay the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF) if it has not been paid upfront. If an applicant receives a request for the RPRF fee then it usually means that eligibility is recommended passed or passed. If your Eligibility is passed by an officer than Security will start after that. If your web form says that Security has not been initiated then most likely Eligibility has not been passed. You can consider requesting your Gcms Notes from CBSA instead and will likely receive it in 30 days and it costs the same except that the consent form is different.

Thank you so much for your reply.

 

[Vvek]

There are rampant delays in the release of GCMS notes, and for that matter for all IRCC operations. You are not the only one who has received an extensions. Also, GCMS notes has nothing to do with the processing of your application. IRCC has clarified this:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1039207796208803841

There are people who requested GCMS notes in late sept and October and are still waiting, have not even received any extensions. An extension merely means that IRCC was unable to meet the 30 days stipulated time frame and needs additional time. It does not mean that there is anything wrong with your application.

Your AOR is July 2020, You have not even crossed the 6 months mark. By this time, with the processing delays, it is highly unlike that your eligibility may have been passed. The average application takes 8-9 month to process, and this was pre COVID.

Unless your eligibility is passed, your security would not have started, so you could not be in enhanced SS.

Also, which VO your application is at, is irrelevant. You are just getting paranoid.

If you are in so much anxiety, you can request your CBSA notes, and they will give your the processing details, the same that the GCMS notes would have provided.

Just wait, and be patient.

As per IRCC's annual 2019 annual report it takes 8-9 months for an application to process.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/annual-report-parliament-immigration-2019.html

How long did it take to process an Express Entry application?
Table 35 displays the time, in months, that IRCC took to process 80% of applications under each program. In 2019, IRCC did not meet the processing standard of finalizing 80% of all applications sourced via Express Entry within six months. The processing time for Express Entry, overall, was eight months. As an alternative measure of processing times, 60% of applications finalized in the 12-month period ending on December 31, 2019, were completed within the six-month service standard.

Table 35: Processing Times for Express Entry applications finalized by year and immigration category, in months

Program	2017	2018	2019
Canadian Experience Class	4	5	7
Federal Skilled Worker	4	6	9
Provincial/Territorial Nominee	6	6	9
Federal Skilled Trades	6	7	12
All Programs	5	5	8

Source: CIC_EDW (MBR) as of January 3, 2020
Data is operational and as such should be considered preliminary and subject to change.

• Processing times refer to the time in which 80% of applications were finalized by IRCC. The processing time is measured from the day a complete application is received until the time a final decision is made by an immigration officer.

Thank you so much for your detailed response. It seems I am just paranoid and stressed about my application.

 

[legalfalcon]

Thank you so much for your detailed response. It seems I am just paranoid and stressed about my application.

It is normal to be stressed. The reason why you are not getting a detailed response to your webform could be that your eligibility may net have started. Many applications are delayed.

There is no need to be concerned.

I would suggest that you just wait it out and be patient.

To read on how webforms responses are and how to decipher them, see https://bit.ly/3qHMvGN

The webform response you received is generic, and just indicates that your application is under progress, that is all. By now your medicals would have bene passed, and reflected in your MyCIC account.

Also your R10 and criminality would have bene passed, if your biometrics are in.

I do not see any concerns.

 

[caipsnotes]

Thank you so much for your reply.

You are welcome and all the best

 

[Vvek]

It is normal to be stressed. The reason why you are not getting a detailed response to your webform could be that your eligibility may net have started. Many applications are delayed.

Yes I thought of the same but then my medicals were passed on 11th September and around 16 days later on 28th sept, they requested RPRF with a ghost update. I thought they only request RPRF, if there is some certainty that my eligibility is fine. I don't know. I hope they will process the application soon.

 

[Vvek]

You are welcome and all the best

Thank you so much !

 

[legalfalcon]

Yes I thought of the same but then my medicals were passed on 11th September and around 16 days later on 28th sept, they requested RPRF with a ghost update. I thought they only request RPRF, if there is some certainty that my eligibility is fine. I don't know. I hope they will process the application soon.

RPRF is requested when the eligibility is recommended passed or conclusively passed. That is a good sign if your are were asked for RPRF. So your Eligibility has started, an should surely be recommended passed.

That is another indicator for you not to worry. Just be patient and soon you will have the details in your GCMS notes.

Also, you can send a webform after a could of weeks and see if you get a different response.

 

[nns14]

90 day extension is more of the exception than the norm and is not something that is across the board. You can consider requesting your Gcms Notes from CBSA instead of IRCC and it's likely you will receive the information in 30 days. It costs the same just that the consent form is different.

You can consider requesting your Gcms Notes from CBSA instead and will likely receive it in 30 days and it costs the same except that the consent form is different.

I requested GCMS on 22 Oct but received 90 extension in November. I requested a second GCMS via IRCC 9th December. I am worried of another extension request by IRCC. Is it ok to request another GCMS but this time from CBSA? Will it be too many GCMS requests in short time?

 

[caipsnotes]

I requested GCMS on 22 Oct but received 90 extension in November. I requested a second GCMS via IRCC 9th December. I am worried of another extension request by IRCC. Is it ok to request another GCMS but this time from CBSA? Will it be too many GCMS requests in short time?

It's not a good idea to make concurrent requests from the same 3rd party and same agency (IRCC, CBSA, CSIS). In doing so the govt. agency may consider the repeat requests as duplicate requests and release only 1 file to all the requests. If you have requested Gcms Notes from IRCC and received an extension and can't wait for the file then it's perfectly fine to go to CBSA; they are different gov't agencies. Requesting from IRCC and/or CBSA is much the same process and costs exactly the same; the only thing different is the consent form. Hope this helps but feel free to ask if you have any questions. There is no adverse effect from requesting Gcms Notes.

 

[simranh]

Hi @legalfalcon, @caipsnotes

Hope you are doing well! Apologies on the longish post, but looking for your opinion on my application.

My AOR is 9th Sept2019, FSW, PNP- OINP. I received my GCMS notes October end and as far as I can tell the application looks ok. There are no adverse comments or notes that I could find. As per the page2 assessment, it looks like security is still not complete. My husband (accompanying) is ex-air force, we have submitted all required documents including detailed military table. Do you think military service can be the reason for delayed security? There are a lot of posts on people being in enhanced security and I don't really understand all the technicalities of this but should I be concerned?

Also, I just received the below response to my web form query -
· Your application was received via your account on September 9, 2019.
· Your application meets the eligibility requirements under the immigration program for which you have applied,

• The background verifications are currently valid.
• The security background verification is currently valid.
• The criminal background verification is currently valid.
• Your application is currently being processed at the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Does "currently valid" means passed?

Your assistance is highly appreciated.

Regards,
Simran

Below are some parts of my GCMS notes

Page 2

ASSESSMENTS
Eligibility: Passed
Security:
HIRV:
Criminality: Passed
Org Crime:
Medical: Passed
Misrepresentation:
Info Sharing: Complete
Other Reqs:
Final:

Under SECURITY section every thins is blank except for UCI no, and name. There is s.15(1) written on the top right of the page. (found this on a number of pages)
Criminality section shows passed
Medical section Passed, had expired on 25th Sept 2020, but now extended to 2021/03/30

Under APPLICATION section
APP 1 and APP 2 show medical expiring and new value as Passed
APP 3 shows Field name: Security, Action: Updated, old value/new value: Blank, Office: CIO
APP 4 shows Field name: Security, Action: Updated, old value:not started, new value:|,Office: CIO
APP 5 shows Field name: Eligibility, Action: Updated, Old value: not started, new value: Passed, Office: CIO
APP 11 shows Field name: Criminality, Action: Updated, Old value:nIn progress, new value: Passed, Office: GCMS-System

Under ACTIVITY section
Activity 1-4 shows medical status passed
Activity 5-12 shows security status blank

Under Notes section
Notes 1 medical extended
Notes 9
Text:
Review type: A11.2 - case processing agent application: xxxxx regulation PNP:FSW,2019-09-09 I have reviewed this application based upon the documents submitted by the applicant and the information contained in the file and note the following. RECOMMENDATION: A11.2:MET R87: APPEARS TO MEET R76:Selection criteria - FSW POINTS: APPEARS TO MEET R76:Selection Criteria - FUNDS: SETTLEMENT FUNDS ARE MET MEDICAL: ALL VALID Ready to Finalize

 

[haihttran]

Hi @legalfalcon, @caipsnotes

Hope you are doing well! Apologies on the longish post, but looking for your opinion on my application.

My AOR is 9th Sept2019, FSW, PNP- OINP. I received my GCMS notes October end and as far as I can tell the application looks ok. There are no adverse comments or notes that I could find. As per the page2 assessment, it looks like security is still not complete. My husband (accompanying) is ex-air force, we have submitted all required documents including detailed military table. Do you think military service can be the reason for delayed security? There are a lot of posts on people being in enhanced security and I don't really understand all the technicalities of this but should I be concerned?

Also, I just received the below response to my web form query -
· Your application was received via your account on September 9, 2019.
· Your application meets the eligibility requirements under the immigration program for which you have applied,

• The background verifications are currently valid.
• The security background verification is currently valid.
• The criminal background verification is currently valid.
• Your application is currently being processed at the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Does "currently valid" means passed?

Your assistance is highly appreciated.

Regards,
Simran

Below are some parts of my GCMS notes

Page 2

ASSESSMENTS
Eligibility: Passed
Security:
HIRV:
Criminality: Passed
Org Crime:
Medical: Passed
Misrepresentation:
Info Sharing: Complete
Other Reqs:
Final:

Under SECURITY section every thins is blank except for UCI no, and name. There is s.15(1) written on the top right of the page. (found this on a number of pages)
Criminality section shows passed
Medical section Passed, had expired on 25th Sept 2020, but now extended to 2021/03/30

Under APPLICATION section
APP 1 and APP 2 show medical expiring and new value as Passed
APP 3 shows Field name: Security, Action: Updated, old value/new value: Blank, Office: CIO
APP 4 shows Field name: Security, Action: Updated, old value:not started, new value:|,Office: CIO
APP 5 shows Field name: Eligibility, Action: Updated, Old value: not started, new value: Passed, Office: CIO
APP 11 shows Field name: Criminality, Action: Updated, Old value:nIn progress, new value: Passed, Office: GCMS-System

Under ACTIVITY section
Activity 1-4 shows medical status passed
Activity 5-12 shows security status blank

Under Notes section
Notes 1 medical extended
Notes 9
Text:
Review type: A11.2 - case processing agent application: xxxxx regulation PNP:FSW,2019-09-09 I have reviewed this application based upon the documents submitted by the applicant and the information contained in the file and note the following. RECOMMENDATION: A11.2:MET R87: APPEARS TO MEET R76:Selection criteria - FSW POINTS: APPEARS TO MEET R76:Selection Criteria - FUNDS: SETTLEMENT FUNDS ARE MET MEDICAL: ALL VALID Ready to Finalize

It looks like your Security is currently in progress or might even be completed since your security info has been redacted from the note. Just stay calm and wait for any Ghost Update and PPR.

 

[mussadsar]

Dear @legalfalcon ,
What does "Received and Obsolete" refers to in the Work Experience Section of GCMS Notes.

 

[legalfalcon]

Dear @legalfalcon ,
What does "Received and Obsolete" refers to in the Work Experience Section of GCMS Notes.

Could you please provide the complete note or post it here, make sure you remove your personal info.