Petition for Immediate Action on Unfair Background Check Delays for Iranian Immigration Applicants

To: The Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
The Honourable Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
The Honourable Commissioner of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)

We, the undersigned, are writing to urgently address the ongoing and unjust delays in the background check process for Iranian immigration applicants. This issue has affected countless individuals and families, causing unnecessary stress, uncertainty, and emotional hardship.

While we understand and respect Canada's legitimate concerns regarding national security, it is neither fair nor just to impose prolonged and indefinite waiting periods on all Iranian nationals who are applying for permanent residency. The delays in processing these applications have created a backlog that unfairly punishes innocent individuals who are simply seeking a better life in Canada, contributing to society and seeking safety away from a regime they have no connection to.

We acknowledge that the Government of Canada has allowed many individuals from other countries to enter Canada through temporary visas with less scrutiny or background checks. However, Iranian nationals, who have undergone the same rigorous application process, are unfairly subjected to longer waiting times and more invasive scrutiny. This practice represents not just an inconvenience, but a violation of the rights of individuals who should be treated fairly and equally under Canadian law.

Furthermore, individuals with no ties to the Iranian regime, including those who completed mandatory military service decades ago or those with academic or research backgrounds, are being unjustly targeted. Such actions represent a collective punishment for people who have no involvement in the actions of the regime. The delay in processing their applications is an emotional and financial burden, exacerbated by the uncertainty of their future.

The delay in the processing of permanent residency applications is a direct consequence of negligence within the Canadian immigration system. Iranians who are caught in this unfair situation are now bearing the brunt of errors that were made earlier by the system in granting temporary visas without proper background checks. It is unjust that these individuals are paying the price for the lack of vetting done at earlier stages of their immigration process.

Therefore, we call on you, our elected officials, to:

Immediately address and eliminate the unnecessary delays in processing background checks for Iranian immigration applicants.
Establish a transparent, fair, and just system for background checks that treats all applicants equally, regardless of their nationality.
Expedite the processing of permanent residency applications, ensuring that individuals and families are not left in limbo for extended periods.
Provide a clear timeline for the resolution of all pending applications and address the backlog in a timely and efficient manner.
Acknowledge the harmful effects that these delays have had on the emotional well-being and livelihoods of affected Iranian applicants and their families, and take action to rectify the situation.
Canada is built on the foundation of fairness, equality, and justice. The current treatment of Iranian immigration applicants violates these core values. We respectfully ask that the Canadian government act swiftly to restore fairness and equity for all applicants, and bring an end to this prolonged uncertainty.

Sincerely,