Here are the steps we followed. Referenced/linked the CanadaVisa post at the end of this post that we followed (posted in 2017).
Details on us that might matter:
Outland spousal sponsorship for PR. Sponsor is a Canadian citizen living IN Canada full time. PA is a UK citizen.
1. PA filled this form out, printed it, signed and dated it in blue ink, scanned it and emailed it to the sponsor: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/access-information-privacy/forms/request-5744.html
3. Check off “I have read, understood and agree with the above Privacy Notice” then hit “Continue”.
4. Department: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
5. Check off “I agree that I have read and understand these steps”
6. Status (in our case the Sponsor is a Canadian Citizen).
8. Are you requesting information concerning a deceased individual: No.
9. Select the category that best describes you: Member of the public.
10. How would you prefer to receive the requested records: e-mail.
11. What type of information are you requesting: Access to Information Act (as the PA in this case is outside of Canada and the Sponsor is applying on their behalf.)
12. Which type of records do you wish to request: Immigration/Citizenship Records.
14. Other Documents: We chose to upload the PA’s passport.
15. Check off “I am not a Robot” and “I certify that the information Provided is true and wish to submit this request” then hit “Continue”.
16. Make your $5.00 payment and submit the application. We used the Sponsor's Visa Debit card, so that option of payment for sure works.
This is the original CanadaVisa post that I followed, though it’s a bit out of date with the current form I made choices on what to select from this post: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/how-to-order-gcms-notes-step-by-step-process.513893/
Timeline: We submitted on September 1st 2023, received an email to Sponsor's email address on October 4th 2023.
Details on us that might matter:
Outland spousal sponsorship for PR. Sponsor is a Canadian citizen living IN Canada full time. PA is a UK citizen.
1. PA filled this form out, printed it, signed and dated it in blue ink, scanned it and emailed it to the sponsor: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/transparency/access-information-privacy/forms/request-5744.html
- Section 1 - Sponsor’s information.
- Section 2 - PA’s information.
3. Check off “I have read, understood and agree with the above Privacy Notice” then hit “Continue”.
4. Department: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
5. Check off “I agree that I have read and understand these steps”
6. Status (in our case the Sponsor is a Canadian Citizen).
- Surname: Sponsor’s last name.
- Given Name(s): Sponsor’s first and middle name
- Street number, street name, city, province, country, postal code, phone number,email address: All of Sponsor’s address + Information.
8. Are you requesting information concerning a deceased individual: No.
9. Select the category that best describes you: Member of the public.
10. How would you prefer to receive the requested records: e-mail.
11. What type of information are you requesting: Access to Information Act (as the PA in this case is outside of Canada and the Sponsor is applying on their behalf.)
12. Which type of records do you wish to request: Immigration/Citizenship Records.
- Surname: Last name of PA.
- Given Name(s): PA’s first and middle name.
- Date of Birth: PA’s birth date.
- Unique Client Identifier: XX - XXXX - XXXX (what you use to sign into the PR Portal, should be included in any emails from IRCC to the PA as well)
- What type of record would you like to request: Permanent Residence.
- Which specific information are you looking for: Status Update of File/Reasons for Refusal/Officer’s Electronic Notes
- File Number: Application number (again, should be included in emails sent from the IRCC. This is the same one for both the Sponsor and PA correspondence).
14. Other Documents: We chose to upload the PA’s passport.
15. Check off “I am not a Robot” and “I certify that the information Provided is true and wish to submit this request” then hit “Continue”.
16. Make your $5.00 payment and submit the application. We used the Sponsor's Visa Debit card, so that option of payment for sure works.
This is the original CanadaVisa post that I followed, though it’s a bit out of date with the current form I made choices on what to select from this post: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/how-to-order-gcms-notes-step-by-step-process.513893/
Timeline: We submitted on September 1st 2023, received an email to Sponsor's email address on October 4th 2023.
