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The number of Iranians asking for temporary visas to Canada went from 24,000 in 2016 to 78,001 in 2018, says the report. “And the percentage of visas resulting in a (refugee) claim has risen from one to two per cent of visas issued in 2014 to four to five per cent of visas issued in 2018.”

In response, border officials have turning down a much larger percentage of visa requests. “Visa offices are taking steps to refine decision-making to reduce the percentage of adverse outcomes,” said the report. “The goal is to continue to facilitate the travel of genuine travellers, while refusing visas to applicants who will not depart Canada at the end of their stay.”

It’s hard to say if Iranian riots and bombings of the past two months will lead to even more Persians applying for refugee status while they’re on Canadians soil, says Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland, author of Lexbase newsletter, who obtained the internal report from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

“The question is whether refugee claims from Iranian students, workers and visitors will hike. Economic conditions in Iran have deteriorated. There is the usual fear of the (Iranian) regime. And now, possibly, also fear from the air, if an American counter-strike gets real.”

For his part, Esmaeilpour believes the impetus will remain strong for Iranians to try hard to gain entry to Canada.

“Canada is among the best countries for immigrants, and the Iranian people are on average highly educated. So they are making informed decisions about where to immigrate and where the best prospects for them are. The USA, a previously popular choice, has become extraordinarily difficult to apply to, and many are discouraged because of the political climate itself. Many of these individuals also have relatives or friends in Canada, so it makes sense that they are coming here.”

dtodd@postmedia.com

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