They came to Canada for safety. Now they’re suspected of supporting the regime they fled
Hundreds of Iranian immigrants in Canada are facing potential deportation after receiving letters questioning their admissibility due to mandatory past service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Applicants argue that this service was compulsory and that they are victims of the regime rather than supporters.
Why it matters
This highlights the complex intersection of national security policies and the rights of refugees who were forced into state-mandated service in their home countries.
“We are hanging from a rope as a family,” he said. “If I leave that rope, open my hand, and fall… at least my family can stay alive.”
Jafari is one of what one advocacy group says is hundreds of permanent residency applicants who received a Procedural Fairness Letter (PFL) from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in August.
The letters indicated applicants may be inadmissible to Canada because of their connection to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and would need to prove otherwise. The Canadian government listed the IRGC as a terrorist organization in 2024.
“I am therefore concerned that you served in the IRGC and that you may be inadmissible to Canada per paragraph 34(1)(f) for being a member of an organization … engaging in terrorism,” the letter said.
Jafari said he didn’t have a choice where he served.
“You can't say, ‘I don't want this,’” Jafari said.
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