Is there a limit on # of times you can order GCMS notes?

[March2014apply]

Just wondering, is there any limit on # of times one can order GCMS notes?
And is there any negative impact on one's application if you do order the notes, especially repeatedly?

I'm asking cause the wife and I ordered notes on her application as we hadn't heard from the visa office for months, and it turns out they hadn't started processing her application. A few days after ordering, the ECAS status changed to "In Process", so we ordered notes again after that and are awaiting them in another week or so.

My wife and I are considering ordering them every month till she gets a Passport Request.. Is there any harm in doing so, besides the $5 or so, which we think is well worth it...

 

[waiting 2 exhale]

Just wondering, is there any limit on # of times one can order GCMS notes?
And is there any negative impact on one's application if you do order the notes, especially repeatedly?

I'm asking cause the wife and I ordered notes on her application as we hadn't heard from the visa office for months, and it turns out they hadn't started processing her application. A few days after ordering, the ECAS status changed to "In Process", so we ordered notes again after that and are awaiting them in another week or so.

My wife and I are considering ordering them every month till she gets a Passport Request.. Is there any harm in doing so, besides the $5 or so, which we think is well worth it...

there is no limit on number of times you can order notes but you may want to give a gap since if you order two notes one after another in one week visa office might decline to process the second one...

 

[March2014apply]

there is no limit on number of times you can order notes but you may want to give a gap since if you order two notes one after another in one week visa office might decline to process the second one...

Well, as soon as I receive one GCMS notes, I would order the other one, as the ones I receive, are going to be almost 30 days outdated...

So can they really decline to process them? Didn't know that..

 

[bartjones]

There is no limit. Once a month is what we did for the last 6 months of my wife's process. It can be a little frustrating. Sometimes they pull the notes out of the system within a few days of your request and then send them to you 30 days later, meaning the notes are a month old by the time you get them. Other times they pull them out of the system the same day you receive them. Leave a gap of a month or so and you'll get some useful information.

 

[March2014apply]

There is no limit. Once a month is what we did for the last 6 months of my wife's process. It can be a little frustrating. Sometimes they pull the notes out of the system within a few days of your request and then send them to you 30 days later, meaning the notes are a month old by the time you get them. Other times they pull them out of the system the same day you receive them. Leave a gap of a month or so and you'll get some useful information.

This is precisely what I didn't understand actually..

Because the last time, and only time, we've received GCMS notes, they were dated 3-4 days after we made the request, but were sent via email around 30 days after the request... Have no idea why..

I mean, I don't want to sound like I'm moaning here, as just getting notes in itself is a blessing and an initiative I really appreciate by the federal government and the freedom of information act... Very commendable and you'd be hard pressed to find any other country's immigration process to give you that sort of transparency!

But yeah, we're considering ordering notes every month or so considering the time lag that happens between the request and when we get it..

 

[rhcohen2014]

So can they really decline to process them? Didn't know that..

yes, if their system has multple open requests for the same file, they will only process the first request. most likely, you'll get notification that they have more than 1 request open and they will cancel one of them.

 

[mikeymyke]

That's what happened to me. I ordered one set of notes every 2 weeks, and they processed the 1st one, but not the second one, despite paying for the second one. The most you should order is probably once a month.

 

[mcbeth]

Can you not order GCMS free under Privacy Act? I know it's only $5, but it adds up if ordered monthly.

 

[mikeymyke]

Privacy act I believe, doesn't work because the applicant has to be a Canadian citizen or PR also.

 

[Mariac819]

Just out of curiosity, what is the point of requesting the notes every month? Well, aside from just wanting to see what is going on.

 

[mikeymyke]

Gives you updated information about your file. You will know if your application is going in the right direction or not. Also gives peace of mind knowing you've passed certain stages of the application.

For my notes, as soon as I saw they thought our relationship was genuine and "Recommend Interview Waived", that put my mind at ease for a long time, rather than continuously worrying how my application is going.

 

[Mariac819]

Gives you updated information about your file. You will know if your application is going in the right direction or not. Also gives peace of mind knowing you've passed certain stages of the application.

For my notes, as soon as I saw they thought our relationship was genuine and "Recommend Interview Waived", that put my mind at ease for a long time, rather than continuously worrying how my application is going.

That is really cool that they note all that. I am not worried they will think ours isn't genuine but I agree waiving the interview saves time and it would be nice

 

[mikeymyke]

That is really cool that they note all that. I am not worried they will think ours isn't genuine but I agree waiving the interview saves time and it would be nice

Interview waived is HUGE, especially with Singapore visa office. Because people from Singapore VO have to wait an additional 24 months if they're on interview list. That's 2 years. It's absolutely critical for people from Singapore VO to avoid the interview as much as possible.

 

[Mariac819]

Interview waived is HUGE, especially with Singapore visa office. Because people from Singapore VO have to wait an additional 24 months if they're on interview list. That's 2 years. It's absolutely critical for people from Singapore VO to avoid the interview as much as possible.

Oh that is crazy! Yes, I completely understand where you are coming from. If I had to wait 24 months I would be extremely anxious about it also. Well, I am anxious now and I have my fingers crossed we won't be waiting that long. So glad it all worked out for you.

 

[desighee]

I have a question about the consent form that is attached online when ordering notes. Is there a way to electronically sign the document in Adobe Reader? Can I just take a picture of the printed (and signed) form and attach the image to their site? Will they accept that or does it have to be in PDF? I ask because neither I nor my spouse have access to a scanner.