Canada’s shifting rules keep Iranian families apart, permit holders say

Of note:

…Immigration lawyers, consultants and affected families say thousands of Iranians made major life decisions based on a humanitarian program that offered temporary protection but no dedicated path to permanent residence or family reunification.

According to records obtained through an access-to-information request by immigration consultant Rami Mamar, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 86,255 permits and extensions for Iranian nationals under the special measures between February 2023 and Jan. 31, 2025. Most — 73,012 — were work-permit extensions.

CBC obtained IRCC data showing 15 spousal open-work-permit applications for Iranian nationals were approved in 2024, 10 in 2025 and that 10 were awaiting decisions in 2026. The department did not provide the number of refusals.

“There are quite a few of them and these people are really suffering,” said Yalda Ghani, an immigration consultant in Toronto. 

Since early 2025, Canada has narrowed eligibility under the broader spousal open work permit program. Foreign workers seeking open work permits for their spouses must now have at least 16 months remaining on their own permits. Eligibility is also limited to highly skilled workers or those in management, professional and certain designated occupations. 

“We are seeing refusals everywhere,” Ghani said. 

Source: Canada’s shifting rules keep Iranian families apart, permit holders say