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

F. Remembers her sister's words when Canada created special in-migration measures for Iranians after the wild crackdown that followed Mahsa Amini's death in custody after her arrest by morality police in Tehran.

At the time, F. Spent her nights protesting in the streets. She would leave her young daughter at home with her husband and join demonstrations, sometimes hiding on rooftops until dawn as security forces and militia swept through neighbourhoods looking for protesters.

"I felt so lucky not to be arrested, not to be detained," she said.

When the demonstrations subsided, F. Joined an underground network helping injured protesters obtain medical care.

By late 2023, she felt as though the walls were closing in. Her sister, now a Canadian citizen living near Toronto, called with news.

Canada had introduced special measures for Iranian nationals in response to the humanitarian situation following the Woman, Life, Freedom protests. Iranians already in Canada as visitors could apply for open work permits — which allow foreign nationals to work for any employer in Canada rather than being tied to a specific job or company.

"This is maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," F.'s sister told her.

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F. Applied for a visitor visa to Canada and came in January 2024, obtaining the work permit after she arrived. Once here, she applied for a spousal open work permit for her husband.

The Iranian measures did not create a dedicated pathway to permanent residence or family reunification. Separately, eligible foreign workers in Canada could apply for open work permits for their spouses under broader federal rules.

Eight months later, F.'s application to bring her husband to Canada was refused. By then, the rules had changed, sharply limiting eligibility.

Her experience reflects a growing concern among Iranians who came to Canada under the special measures. As Ottawa moves to reduce temporary immigration, permit holders say changing eligibility rules and repeated refusals have made it nearly impossible to reunite with family members and build a future in Canada.

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.

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

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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.

In an email, IRCC said each spousal open work permit application is assessed independently and on its own merits.

IRCC said the tighter eligibility rules are part of broader reforms intended to align temporary resident programs with Canada's labour market needs and manage growth in the temporary resident population. The department stressed that the 16-month rule applies to all nationalities, not only Iranian nationals.

"It was humane to say to people, 'OK, given what's going on there, we'll let you stay and we'll let you work,' but how does that deal with people who have families?" said Lorne Waldman, a Toronto-based refugee lawyer.

Separately, Waldman said Canada's new asylum law also makes people ineligible to claim refugee protection if they have been in Canada for more than a year or visited more than a year before June 2025.

Maryam, another Iranian permit holder, has been trying to bring her husband and teenage son to Canada since arriving in 2024. She said she spent thousands of dollars on recruiters and took a second job to qualify under the new rules.

Her husband's application was refused.

The refusal letter stated that officials were not satisfied he would leave Canada at the end of his authorized stay and cited his strong family ties in Canada.

Maryam said the reasoning appeared to contradict the purpose of a spousal work permit. Her son's study permit applications were also denied, as was a visitor visa application that included a letter asking Canada to let him see his mother.

"I feel like I've wasted two years of my life, far from my husband, my son," Maryam said.

After challenging the latest refusal in Federal Court, Maryam received a settlement offer that would send the application back to IRCC for reconsideration. She said she remains anxious because she has seen other Iranian families receive settlements only to be refused again.

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Many appeared to contain factual errors and cited similar reasons, including concerns that applicants lacked sufficient family ties outside Canada, were not sufficiently established in their home country or might not leave Canada at the end of their stay.

Immigration advocates say the problems highlight a broader weakness in Canada's reliance on temporary programs.

"We just keep running into people living month to month … not being able to put down roots," said Syed Hussan, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network.

"Effectively, they are a pool of precarious, vulnerable migrant workers."

During a recent video call, F. Noticed her husband's hair was getting greyer.

"I was like, 'Oh my God, we are getting older away from each other,'" she said.

F., who works as a line cook at a restaurant in Kitchener-Waterloo, is resubmitting her husband's application based on her new status as a foreign student. She has been accepted into a competitive master's program in social work that starts this fall. 

She said she is grateful for the opportunities she and her daughter have had in Canada and for the community she has found in her new city.

Still, her daughter has been asking why her father hasn't joined them.

It is a question F. Said she cannot answer.

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