Canada has cancelled hundreds of visas over Iran connections

How could the war in Iran impact Canadians? Omar Sachedina breaks down what you need to know.

Canadian border and immigration officials say they have cancelled at least 239 travel visas over concerns of their holders’ connection to Iranian leadership.

That’s according to the latest numbers released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which are current as of March 5. The government first designated senior Iranian government officials, as well as security and intelligence agents, inadmissible in November 2022. They were barred from the country “for their engagement in terrorism and systemic and gross human rights violations,” according to the CBSA.

Thirty-two people have been reported inadmissible by the CBSA for being senior officials in the Iranian regime.

“Canada’s strong response to suspected senior officials in the Iranian regime remains in place and the CBSA continues to take action to stop them from seeking or finding safe haven in Canada,” reads a Thursday release from the agency.

In 2024, the Canadian government designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – a militarised unit which answers directly to the supreme leader – a terrorist group. The Canadian government claims the group commits “terrorist acts both on its own and in knowing association with listed terrorist entities, such as Hezballah and Hamas.”

How are visas screened?

All Iranian foreign nationals need to apply for a visa to come to Canada. If Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officers identify admissibility concerns related to a person’s application, they can refer it to the CBSA for an in-depth security screening, which can then send the visa back to the IRCC for a final decision.

So far, approximately 17,800 visa applications were reviewed for potential inadmissibility, according to the CBSA.

“Canada’s strong response to suspected senior officials in the Iranian regime remains in place and the CBSA continues to take action to stop them from seeking or finding safe haven in Canada,” reads the Thursday release.

Canada facilitating travel through Mideast

Meanwhile, Canada is facilitating travel for Canadians in the Middle East in the fallout of the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran.

There are more than 110,000 Canadians registered with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in the region. There could be more who have yet to register. Since Feb. 28 – the first day of U.S. and Israeli strikes – nearly 8,000 Canadians, permanent residents and their family members have returned to Canada from the Mideast.

GAC says it has helped nearly 1,000 Canadians and permanent residents from the region to a safe third country. It has also provided transport to citizens of Jordan, Kuwait, Australia, Ireland, Egypt, Denmark, and New Zealand out of the affected zone.

Though it seems requests for help are slowing. Staff at the Emergency Watch and Response Centre received just over 400 calls, which GAC called “the lowest number of calls since the onset of this crisis.”

“At the height of activity last week, we received nearly 1,400 calls per day,” the centre added.