Iranian conscripts in Canada face inadmissibility after IRGC terrorist listing
Hundreds of permanent-residence applicants who served compulsory military duty in Iran have received procedural fairness letters warning they may be barred from Canada because of ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Following Canada’s 2024 decision to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group, immigration officials issued procedural fairness letters to hundreds of permanent-residence hopefuls who completed Iran’s compulsory military service. One applicant, Farzin Jafari, finished his service in 2011 and now faces possible removal, fearing for his wife and infant daughter. The Unheard Conscripts Advocacy Network reports that few, if any, letter recipients have been approved, and many have been denied entry.
Legal experts explain that the IRGC does not keep records of former conscripts, making it hard to demonstrate lack of affiliation. The government maintains the review is a standard legal step, not a blanket exclusion of all former conscripts. A temporary pause on deportations to Iran remains in place due to safety concerns amid regional conflict.
Why it matters
The case highlights how terrorism designations can affect refugees and reshape immigration policy for thousands.
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