Open Work Permit Refused?

GCMS (Global Case Management System) notes are the internal digital records used by IRCC. They contain the exact, typed comments made by the immigration officer who reviewed and rejected your open work permit. You need them because they reveal the specific weaknesses in your application, allowing you to fix them before reapplying.

No. The standard refusal letter uses generic checkboxes. It will give you vague reasons like “purpose of visit” or state you “do not meet requirements.” It does not provide the specific details or doubts the officer had regarding your documentation or eligibility history.

Yes. PGWP refusals are often highly technical. The notes will tell you exactly why the officer believed you lost your eligibility—such as identifying a specific semester where you dropped to part-time status or questioning the accreditation of your study program.

By law under the Access to Information Act, IRCC is required to process the request within 30 days. However, depending on the government’s current backlog and the volume of requests, processing often takes between 35 to 40 days.

Absolutely not. Requesting your notes is a legal right under Canadian law. It is a completely standard procedure, and immigration officers do not penalize applicants for wanting to understand the reasons behind their refusal.

We strongly advise against this. If you reapply without knowing the exact reasons for your refusal, you cannot fix the underlying issues in your file. Submitting a new application blindly almost always results in a second rejection and lost government fees.

No. Individuals applying from outside of Canada cannot request their own notes directly. The request must be submitted by a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, or a registered Canadian business acting as your representative.

The notes usually include a detailed paragraph explaining the officer’s exact thought process. The officer might note that your bank statements looked fabricated, that your spouse’s job letter was missing crucial details, or that you failed to provide proof of a mandatory medical exam.

Yes. “Purpose of visit” is an incredibly broad refusal reason. The GCMS notes will break down exactly what the officer meant by this—whether they doubted you actually intend to work, questioned your ties to your home country, or found your application illogical based on your background.

You can choose to request just the electronic notes, or the notes alongside copies of your entire physical application file. We generally recommend requesting just the electronic notes for faster processing, unless you have lost track of the exact documents you originally submitted to IRCC.

A BOWP allows you to keep working while waiting for your permanent residence (PR) application to be processed. If refused, the GCMS notes will clarify if the officer found a critical error in your PR application’s Completeness Check or if your current work permit expired before you submitted the application.

After retrieving your GCMS notes, we review the officer’s internal comments alongside your original application. We then provide a concrete, realistic assessment of what went wrong and advise you on exactly what additional documents or explanations you need to include for a successful reapplication.