Canada has ordered the deportation of Bagher Ardeshir Larijani, a member of Iran's once powerful Larijani family, turning him into the latest individual affiliated with the Islamic Republic being removed from the country.
As part of efforts to remove Iran's regime-affiliated individuals from Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) had earlier requested the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to conduct hearings on five individuals with senior positions in Iran’s government.
However, Bagher Larijani does not seem to be one of those five individuals, as he is being removed from Canada not for his affiliation with Iran's rulers, but for his failure to spend at least "730 days in the preceding five years in Canada".
A brother of Iran's US-designated Expediency Council chief Sadegh Amoli Larijani and former Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, the 62-year-old national of Iran "was landed as a permanent resident (PR) of Canada in September 2017," a Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board document shows.
Larijani, a former advisor to Iran's health minister, arrived in Canada along with his wife and son and "qualified for permanent residence as a skilled worker through his experience as a doctor," the IRB said.
The document reveals that he "spent some time in Canada with his family every year from 2017 until 2022. He last returned to Canada on October 15, 2022, just 12 days before his PR card was about to expire. He underwent an admissibility examination at Vancouver International Airport and was issued a Departure Order for failing to reside in Canada for at least 730 days in the preceding five years" as required under the law.
Larijani's son "is now a Canadian citizen, and his wife has a Canadian citizenship application in process. The Appellant’s daughter who also became a permanent resident in her own right in 2017, has been residing in the United States for the past several years," it added.
The hearing for Bagher Larijani was held on November 29, 2023, and the IRB made its decision on January 25, 2024, according to hearing documents seen by Iran International.
The Canadian government has started deporting Iranian regime-affiliated individuals in response to ongoing appeals from the Iranian diaspora to bar regime-affiliated officials from entering the country, particularly in light of the Iranian authorities' brutal crackdown on the nationwide Woman, Life, Freedom protests in 2022.
"Canada stands with the people of Iran, who continue to fight for their rights,” the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) told Iran International. “The Government of Canada has taken action to stop senior members of the Iranian regime from seeking or finding safe haven in Canada.”
However, it said it does not provide comment or details on specific individual cases as an individual’s border and immigration information is considered private and protected by the Privacy Act.
While the Justin Trudeau government adopted sanctions in November 2022, barring individuals linked to the Iranian state from entering Canada, the first deportation order was initiated in February 2024.
The policy previously resulted in deportation orders for Majid Iranmanesh, a science advisor, and Seyed Salman Samani, a former deputy interior minister, according to Global News.