Conscripted, then flagged as inadmissible
Dozens of people who came to Canada seeking protection from Iran's government are now being told they may not be welcome, because of the very institution they say forced them to serve. As of July 6, 2026, 48 people have been reported inadmissible to Canada based on membership in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to the Canada Border Services Agency.
Many of the people affected were conscripted, not volunteers. Under Iranian law, military service is mandatory for men, and refusal can carry serious consequences. But Canadian immigration officials have not treated conscription as an automatic shield from scrutiny.
What the law says
The inadmissibility assessments are made under paragraph 34(1)(f) of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the section covering possible membership in a terrorist organization. Canada designated the IRGC a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code in June 2024, and a separate measure expanded later that year makes senior Iranian government officials who served at any point since June 23, 2003 inadmissible to Canada as well.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says conscription alone does not necessarily result in inadmissibility, and that every applicant is given the chance to present their case with documentary evidence. The department also says membership in the IRGC and service in the IRGC are treated as distinct considerations when a file is assessed.
"It's devastating"
On paper, that leaves room for former conscripts to make their case. In practice, lawyers representing them say the outcome has been consistent, and not in their clients' favour. One lawyer told Global News he has not seen a single case where IRCC or CBSA found that someone conscripted into the IRGC was not inadmissible.
He said the people he represents came to Canada looking for safety, not more scrutiny tied to the regime they were trying to escape. "They came to Canada seeking protection," he said. "And to be told, 'No, we don't want you because you were forced to join the organization,' it's devastating."
Thousands of families could be affected
That estimate points to a much larger group of people whose immigration status could be in question beyond the 48 cases already reported inadmissible as of early July.
For now, the process leaves people who fled Iran's government in a strange position: their time in the IRGC, something they say they had no real choice about, is the same detail now used to question whether they belong in Canada.
Sources: Global News, Iran International
