The federal government is expanding the list of Iranian government officials who will not be allowed into Canada.
Ottawa first implemented measures under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) in November 2022, banning several senior Iranian government officials from entering Canada.
These measures applied to individuals who held senior Iranian government positions since November 2019.
However, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced Sunday that it would postpone that date until June 23, 2003.
“This revised date reflects the date when the Iranian regime arbitrarily detained Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, and subsequently tortured and killed her in custody,” a CBSA press release said.
It’s unclear how many senior officers will be affected by the expanded measures. CBC News has reached out to the CBSA for clarification.
According to the press release, officials subject to IRPA measures may not only be barred from entering Canada, but may also have their temporary or permanent resident status revoked.
The CBSA said last year it had denied entry to dozens of Iranian regime officials, and since the measures took effect, the agency has investigated about 100 people with Canadian residency status for potential ties to Tehran.
Original Tehran police chief at a Toronto-area gym in 2021 This has led many Iranian-Canadians to claim that Canada has become a haven for senior members of the Iranian regime.
In June, the Canadian government designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization under the Canadian Criminal Code, following years of pressure from advocacy groups and opposition parties.
