Farzin Jafari is currently confronted with a difficult decision: whether to remain in Canada and await a decision regarding his family’s residency status or potentially leave his wife and young daughter in Canada if he is deemed inadmissible and required to return to Iran.
Jafari is among numerous permanent residency applicants who were issued Procedural Fairness Letters (PFL) by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in August. These letters notified applicants of potential inadmissibility due to their association with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the necessity to provide evidence to the contrary. The IRGC was designated as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government in 2024.
Despite his circumstances, Jafari emphasized that he had no choice in his service within the IRGC. He stressed, “You can’t say, ‘I don’t want this.'” He clarified, “I’m not IRGC. I’m a victim of IRGC.”
The IRGC, a military branch in Iran, holds significant authority under the country’s supreme leader and mandates compulsory military service for all Iranian men over 18 years old. Failure to comply with this service can result in restrictions on civil rights and potential imprisonment by the Iranian government.
Jafari completed his mandatory military service in 2011 and subsequently worked as a software engineer in Iran before relocating to Canada in 2021 with his family. Concerns for their safety in Iran prompted their move, and Jafari has actively protested against the Iranian government and the IRGC since arriving in Canada.
Following the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist entity by the Canadian government, Jafari and his wife submitted their permanent residency applications. The possibility of being deemed inadmissible due to Jafari’s past mandatory service has cast a shadow of uncertainty over their future in Canada.
Hundreds of applicants faced similar challenges after receiving PFLs in early August, according to Nahid Rahmati from the Unheard Conscripts Advocacy Network. The advocacy group aims to support individuals conscripted into the IRGC within the Canadian immigration system.
The process of proving non-membership in the IRGC post-mandatory service has posed a significant challenge for conscripts, as there is no official registry of individuals who have left the organization. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada acknowledged the complexities of these cases, emphasizing that each situation is unique.
Immigration lawyer Arghavan Gerami highlighted that many conscripts served under coercion and that expecting them to resist conscription was impractical given the Iranian regime’s track record of human rights abuses. She stressed the importance of distinguishing between high-ranking IRGC officials and those who served involuntarily.
Amidst the uncertainty, Canada has temporarily halted the removal of inadmissible individuals to Iran due to ongoing conflicts in the region. This temporary pause offers a glimmer of hope for individuals like Jafari, who are anxiously awaiting decisions that could impact their lives and families.
As Jafari navigates this challenging period, he expressed the gravity of his situation, describing it as “a very desperate situation.”
