Will Canada rise up to assist Iranians in the face of war?
Current measures are restrictive by design and fall well short of what this crisis demands
Canada has long presented itself as a country guided by fairness, consistency, compassion, and the rule of law. In moments of crisis, those values are tested not by what we say, but by how we respond when people’s lives are upended by forces beyond their control.
That is why the question now facing this country is both urgent and straightforward: will Canada rise up to assist Iranian nationals in the face of war rapidly unfolding before our eyes?
As of March 1, Canada’s response to the war is confined to a narrow and highly limited measure. Certain Iranians already in Canada may apply to extend a valid work permit for up to two years, but that is largely where the special relief ends. There is no equivalent special measure for visitors or study permit holders. There are no broader temporary measures for other Iranian applicants or for family members of Iranian Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
At a time when war is reshaping the legal and practical realities facing Iranian nationals here and abroad, Canada’s current response remains limited to a restricted work permit extension framework for a small group already inside the country. This is far more restrictive than the broader relief used in other recent crises.
What is concerning is not simply that Canada’s response is narrow. It’s restrictive by design and does not consider the war in Iran in any form. At a moment when many Iranians are facing the consequences of war and urgently need meaningful support, Canada’s current response falls well short of what this crisis demands.
A closer look shows the response to Iranians was outdated the moment it took effect. The revised temporary public policy was signed on February 25, just three days before the war began. It was built in response to a different situation, namely the ongoing instability tied to the protests and unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
The policy response to those earlier circumstances was aimed primarily at preserving access to work permit extensions for a limited group of Iranian nationals already here. However, once war began on February 28, the circumstances changed rapidly and materially.
Yet, after more than a month of war with no end in sight, Canada’s response has still not adapted. The result is a framework that neither addresses the conflict nor adequately serves Iranian nationals in Canada or abroad. The crisis is more severe, yet the available relief is more restrictive at a time when Iranians need our support, like the support Canada has provided in other recent wartime conflicts.
What is troubling is that Canada has done more in comparable crises and is not doing so here. In recent humanitarian emergencies, it has extended relief beyond workers to visitors and students, waived application fees, and allowed flexibility where passports or travel documents could not be obtained. In some cases, things have gone further by prioritizing permanent residence processing and creating family-based permanent residence pathways.
Canada has also recognized that, when war or disaster strikes, one practical way to reduce suffering is to facilitate entry for affected foreign nationals abroad so they can reunite with family in Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced such a measure in 2022 in response to the war in Ukraine and, to be consistent, must respond in the same manner to the war in Iran. Currently, no comparable measure exists to reunite Iranians abroad with close family members in Canada.
Against that backdrop, our current approach to the war in Iran is a clear departure from the broader and more responsive measures it has used in other recent humanitarian emergencies and wartime conflicts.
This moment is a real test of whether Canada will live up to the values it invokes in times of crisis and to its position as a global leader in human rights. We see ourselves as a country guided by fairness, compassion, consistency, and the rule of law. We expect our institutions to respond proportionately when war upends lives and leaves people facing insecurity, separation, and legal uncertainty through no fault of their own.
Yet Canada is still relying on a response that is too narrow for the scale of the crisis, too outdated for the present reality, and too limited to meet the urgency of this moment. If we are to answer the question this crisis now poses, IRCC must act urgently with a more proportionate and coordinated response for Iranian nationals here and abroad, one that also aligns more closely with the broader measures Canada has adopted in other recent humanitarian crises.
This country has the means and the experience to do more. The question is whether it will rise up to assist Iranian nationals in the face of war, or continue relying on a response that was outdated the moment it took effect?
* This piece is written on behalf of the CBA’s Immigration Law Section
