GCMS Notes vs. CAIPS Notes: What's the Difference?

If you have been researching how to get your immigration file, you may have seen both "CAIPS notes" and "GCMS notes" used — sometimes interchangeably. They refer to records from two different systems, and knowing the difference saves confusion when you make a request today.

What were CAIPS notes?

CAIPS stands for the Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System. It was the older system that visa offices outside Canada used to process applications. For years, applicants requested "CAIPS notes" to see what officers abroad had recorded on their files.

What are GCMS notes?

GCMS — the Global Case Management System — is the modern, centralized system that replaced CAIPS. IRCC migrated to GCMS to consolidate processing across domestic and overseas offices into a single platform. Today, the internal record on your file lives in GCMS.

The key difference

• CAIPS is the legacy system, largely phased out as GCMS was rolled out.
• GCMS is the current system used for immigration and citizenship processing.
• The term "CAIPS notes" still circulates online, but for current applications you request GCMS notes.

Which should you request?

For essentially all current applications, request your GCMS notes. The process is the same Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) request regardless of the name — see our step-by-step guide on how to request your GCMS notes from IRCC.