Meetings & Outreach

To address the unintended consequences of the IRGC listing on forcibly conscripted individuals, UCAN has engaged in sustained advocacy through direct communication, legal education, parliamentary engagement, and public campaigns. Our work aims to inform decision-makers, strengthen legal pathways, and build broad support for protective policy measures.

Some of the measures taken so far include:

1. Elected Officials & Experts Outreach

• Meetings & Communications with Members of Parliament: Held in-person and online briefings with MPs, including but not limited to, Ali Ehsassi, Tom Kmiec, Melissa Lantsman, and Vincent Ho to highlight the impact of IRGC listing on forcibly conscripted individuals and to seek support for corrective policy action. In addition, engaged all other Members of Parliament through emails and phone calls to raise awareness, share evidence, and build broader support for protective measures for affected individuals and their families.
• Consultations with Legal and Human Rights Experts: Engaged with immigration lawyers and human rights advocates, including Lorne Waldman, Maureen Silcoff, Ali Esnaashari, Sadegh Bigdeli, Kaveh Shahrouz, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Ardeshir Zare Zadeh, and several others to explore legal pathways, counter misinformation, and strengthen advocacy.
• Regular Communications: Sending weekly emails to the offices of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship sharing the personal stories of affected conscripts. Also, we have engaged with other organizations in charge like the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Note: For copies of responses received from the organizations we have engaged, please contact us by email.

2. Parliamentary Engagement & Legislative Action

To advance protections for forcibly conscripted individuals, UCAN launched two petitions and engaged with parliamentary processes to raise awareness and advocate for corrective measures. One petition, led by Dr. Sadegh Bigdeli, gathered 5,225 signatures, while the other, sponsored by Tom Kmiec, collected 3,212 signatures. Although both were unfortunately paused due to the dissolution of Parliament, they successfully built public support and drew significant attention to the issue.

• Petition e-5272, submitted and certified in the 44th Parliament of Canada, calling for clear protections for forcibly conscripted individuals. 

• Change.org petition calling for immediate ministerial guidance to protect forcibly conscripted individuals. 

• Shared information and raised awareness regarding Bill C-350 (44th Parliament), An Act to amend the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code, and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, with the aim of advocating for an exemption for forcibly conscripted individuals.

3. Legal Education & Expert Outreach

• Legal webinar led by Lorne Waldman, Maureen Silcoff, and Ali Esnaashari, focusing on the risk of inadmissibility of the former IRGC conscripts and the legal pathways for resolution 

• Webinar by Lev Abramovich, Immigration Lawyer: Judicial Reviews, Mandamus, and s.34(1) Inadmissibility (June 7, 2025), addressing IRGC listing complexities and IRCC considerations. 

• Borderlines Canadian Immigration Law Podcast (#166 – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), hosted by Steven Meurrens, featuring:

• • Ali Esnaashari, Immigration Lawyer (Barrister & Solicitor)

• • Kaveh Shahrouz, Lawyer and Human Rights Advocate