An Iranian man is contesting the federal government’s decision to deny him a permit to study at a Montreal university because he is considered a danger to Canada’s security.
Reza Jahantigh’s lawyer says his client was upset when he learned of the refusal and will seek a judicial review in the Federal Court.
This move by the Immigration Department last month is the latest indication that Ottawa is tightening restrictions on academics considered to pose a risk to national security.
In October 2019, Mr. Jahantigh applied for a study permit to pursue a doctorate in computer engineering at the École de Technologie Supérieure de Montréal.
Mr. Jahantigh, whose research is related to blockchain technology, completed the first sessions of his program online from Iran, starting in 2020. However, the program requires him to attend classes in person remainder of his doctorate.
Lawyer Samin Mortazavi, who represents Mr. Jahantigh, says he has found no evidence that the student’s activities pose a danger to Canada.
“I don’t see any security problem,” Mortazavi said in an interview. He’s just a typical PhD student. »
Mr. Jahantigh cried for two or three minutes straight when he was told of the license denial, Mr. Mortazavi said: “He couldn’t even talk to me. »
A safety hazard
In December 2022, after waiting more than three years for his study permit application, Mr. Jahantigh asked the Federal Court to intervene and order the Department of Immigration to make a decision.
Last September, the day before the court application was heard, a Canadian immigration official in Ankara, Turkey, released a letter saying the department had reasonable grounds to believe Mr. Jahantigh could be inadmissible. in Canada under federal immigration law because he “represents a danger to the security of Canada.”
The official, who was not named, noted that Mr. Jahantigh, now 33, declared his service in the Iranian army as a technician from June 2016 to March 2018. Mr. Jahantigh then became a full-time employee at a private company, rising to the position of senior software engineer.
The immigration officer expressed concern about “the work you might have done” at the company, his previous work as a research assistant and “possible future areas of research while completing your undergraduate studies.” doctorate which can be considered as sensitive areas of research.
“There is no requirement that a person inadmissible to Canada for security reasons be personally involved in acts of violence,” the officer’s letter states. The threat need not be direct; rather, it may be based on distant events that indirectly have a real possibility of harming the security of Canada. »
Mr. Mortazavi said Mr. Jahantigh, like other young Iranians, was expected to complete a few years of military service.
Additionally, the private company that hired the young man is involved in video game development and not in work related to the Iranian government, the lawyer added.
The immigration officer gave Mr. Jahantigh 30 days to submit additional information.
On December 18, the ministry confirmed its preliminary findings and rejected Mr. Jahantigh’s permit application on security grounds.
Canada tightens restrictions
Ottawa warns that hostile nations are attempting to exploit key segments of the Canadian economy to advance their own strategic military, intelligence, security and economic interests. Canada has published research security guidelines aimed at protecting institutions and intellectual property.
In a judgment rendered last week, the Federal Court upheld a decision refusing a study permit to a Chinese man who had been declared inadmissible to Canada for security reasons.
In this case, the court confirmed that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Yuekang Li could engage in an act of espionage against Canada.
Mr. Li, who wanted to study at the University of Waterloo, had earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from a Chinese university with close ties to that country’s defense industry.