IRCC has rewritten its program delivery instructions for the temporary public policy covering Iranian nationals. The textual change is small. For one group of applicants it is the difference between eligible and ineligible.
The issue is the requirement to have remained in Canada.
The earlier text
The previous version set the condition this way: the applicant must have arrived in Canada on or before 28 February 2025 and remained in Canada until the submission of their application.
Read literally, any departure from Canada — including a short trip — broke the requirement.
The revised text
The new version anticipates that exact situation and answers it differently. It tells officers they may encounter cases where an applicant was issued a work permit on or before 28 February 2025 but did not continuously remain in Canada since that time.
The reasoning it offers is notable. Because some Iranian temporary residents have held valid status since the protests and political repression of late 2022, the instructions state it is reasonable that clients may have left for short durations and returned.
The operative result: short absences (one to two weeks) may be accepted, with the overall intent of the policy being that clients have generally maintained temporary residence in Canada.
What did not change
Three points are identical in both versions and should not be confused with the change above:
- You must be in Canada with valid temporary resident status when the decision is rendered. An applicant may leave while the application is pending, but must be in Canada with valid status at the moment of decision to benefit from the policy.
- Departing Canada ends temporary resident status, under section 47(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and subsection 183(4)(a) of the Regulations.
- Applications cannot be made at a port of entry.
The new verification step
The revised instructions add a verification tool. Officers should be satisfied the applicant is in Canada and, beyond the documents provided, may consult the Entry/Exit Program.
If entry/exit results show the applicant has left Canada, the officer should send a request for proof of status before making a final decision.
That cuts both ways. Verification is tighter. But it also creates a procedural safeguard: an officer cannot refuse on the strength of an exit record alone, and must give you the opportunity to respond first.
Who this matters for
- Anyone who took a short family or business trip. Under the strict reading, that could previously have removed them from the policy.
- Anyone already refused on this basis. The stated ground of refusal is worth revisiting.
- Anyone yet to apply. Retaining travel records and evidence of valid status now carries added weight.
Note that “one to two weeks” appears in the text as an illustration, not as a fixed ceiling. The governing test the instructions set is whether the applicant has generally maintained temporary residence in Canada.
Source
IRCC program delivery instructions for the temporary public policy concerning Iranian nationals, comparing the earlier and revised versions.
