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U.S. policy causing problems for some Iranian-Canadians
U.S. policy causing problems for some Iranian-Canadians
Ali Movassagh watched on FaceTime as his 79-year-old father took his final breaths in a California hospital. He was on life support after months of battling multiple illnesses and the treatment that kept him alive was causing him pain.
“I was with him on the last day, FaceTime, but I could not give him a hug. That’s something that I will never forget,” said Movassagh, apologizing for his tears.
“I think my parents, my father, had the right to see his oldest son before he died.”
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Despite an urgent letter to the U.S. Consulate General from his father’s doctor, Movassagh was not granted a waiver to see his father before he passed away on Jan. 4.
Movassagh, a Vancouver resident born in Iran, was deemed “inadmissible” to the United States in June last year when he tried to visit his parents who are American citizens. A Canadian citizen since 2010, he couldn’t understand why at first, but as time passed, Movassagh learned he wasn’t alone.
Vancouver’s Ali Movassagh, a Canadian citizen since 2010, was deemed inadmissible to the United States on June 30, 2021 as he tried to visit his parents in California.
Sergio Magro/Global News
Since 2019, scores of Iranian-Canadian men – Canadian citizens with no criminal records – have been deemed inadmissible to the U.S. after lengthy interviews with Customs and Border Protection officials.
Some have lost lucrative jobs in the U.S. and had Nexus cards revoked. Others have faced interrogation in other…