Farzin Jafari is confronted with a difficult decision: either stay in Canada and risk separation from his wife and infant daughter if he is found inadmissible and forced to return to Iran, or leave voluntarily to secure their safety. Jafari is among many permanent residency applicants who were issued Procedural Fairness Letters (PFLs) by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada in August. These letters suggested that applicants may be ineligible for entry due to ties with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), classified as a terrorist organization by Canada in 2024.
Jafari expressed his lack of choice in serving in the IRGC, emphasizing that he was a victim of circumstances. Mandatory military service in Iran is compulsory for all men over 18 years old, and individuals have no control over the branch they serve in. Failure to comply with this requirement can result in imprisonment by the Iranian government.
After completing his mandatory service in 2011, Jafari worked as a software engineer in Iran before immigrating to Canada in 2021 with his wife to start a family. Despite facing potential repercussions for openly criticizing the Iranian regime and advocating for the designation of IRGC as a terrorist entity, Jafari remained committed to his stance.
The designation of IRGC as a terrorist group by the Canadian government in June 2024 led to a wave of PFLs being issued to applicants with past IRGC affiliations. The process of proving non-membership in the IRGC post-mandatory service has proven challenging for conscripts, as the organization does not maintain records of former members.
Many conscripts, including Jafari, served involuntarily under duress, as highlighted by immigration lawyer Arghavan Gerami. She raised concerns about the expectations placed on applicants to resist conscription and emphasized the need to differentiate between involuntary conscripts and voluntary IRGC members.
Amidst uncertainties and fears of potential deportation to Iran, individuals like Jafari are left in limbo, awaiting decisions on their admissibility to Canada. The temporary suspension of removals to Iran provides a brief respite, but the future remains uncertain for those caught in the complexities of proving their innocence in association with the IRGC.