Iranians with in-demand skills 'stuck in the system' of permanent residency delays

Ali Pour Nassari checks his email constantly to see if his application for permanent residency has been accepted.

He's spent seven years in Canada and landed a sought-after job in the competitive film animation industry.

But he said he may have to give up on Canada.

Hundreds of Iranians — despite holding post-graduate degrees, jobs and high-tech skills — face unfair delays when they apply for permanent residency status, advocates say.

"They are stuck in the system," said NDP MP Jenny Kwan in a press conference Tuesday, flanked by Iranian tech wizards, scholars and Eric Wasmund of Global Operations, a Delta engineer eager to hire them.

Kwan says Iranians wait three to 12 times longer to see residency applications processed.

Without his permanent residency, Pour Nassari has lost job opportunities, struggled to buy home and missed family events in Iran, as he fears he may not be able to return without citizenship.

"I always thought Canada would be the country I'd see my future in. But this delay has put doubts in my head," he said.

Factors for delay

Kwan is urging Canada to shorten the approval process to 30 days for people like Pour Nassari

She said he and others have the talent needed to establish Vancouver as a "Silicon Valley North."

In an emailed statement a spokesperson for the immigration ministry said delays are caused by a number of factors including the volume of applications and difficulties verifying information for security checks.

Béatrice Fénelon of Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada said Canada has a "fair and non-discriminatory" that protects the "safety and security of Canadians."

But when it comes to admitting Iranians a six-year-old rift in Canada-Iran diplomatic relations complicates matters.

In 2012, Canada listed Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism and suspended diplomatic relations for a time, closing the Canadian embassy in Tehran.

Since then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been working to re-connect with Iran, but the process is slow and information to clear security concerns has been affected, according to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale who has publicly promised to try to speed up the process.

Despite this, many advocates including the Iranian Canadian Congress say Iranians are unfairly targeted.

Kwan said it dulls Canada's competitive edge when Iranian talent is not retained.

"For their application to take longer than anybody else is wrong," said Kwan. "There's no question that this group of people qualify."

Life in limbo

Reza Bayesteh left Iran at 17 and has lived in Canada since 2011.

The software engineer works in downtown Vancouver. His skills are in demand.

Employers describe him as "hard-working, dependable and exceptionally talented."

He said he keeps extending his work visa, but can't get permanent residency and has no idea why.

"We are looking for answers. We want to find out what is the root cause of the delay," he said.

His wife can't study in her medical field because she doesn't have permanent residency, despite living in Canada for seven years.

Computer scientist Hadis Fard chose Canada because the country seemed more open. But she said it's turned out to be as difficult to enter for her as the U.S.

She's worked full-time for three years and filed for permanent residency in 2016.

She expected to get approval in a few months. But since then, no word.

"Nothing has happened," she said.

"I've built a home away from home. Still I'm not sure if I'm going to stay in the home that I built."