He went to Iran to help his sick mom. Now he’s stuck amid war as his application to return to Canada is caught in limbo

The 36-year-old IT technician has just received a new open work permit that authorizes him to work here until 2028, and said his employer is eagerly waiting for his return. But he also needs a valid temporary resident visa to be admitted to Canada.

His visa application has been sitting in the queue since May 7 for security screening, which the Immigration Department says has no set processing timeline.

This week, Khodabakhsh and his parents fled bombing in Tehran for the village where they had a safe place to stay — a trip that normally takes four hours but turned into an 11-hour ride because many heeded Israel’s warnings to leave Iran’s capital.

“We are still in the village but the situation is getting worse. Around Iran, financial systems are going down. Gas outages and food shortages are getting worse. It is not a great time to be here right now.”

Khodabakhsh said his parents applied for a visa to visit him in late 2022, and the security assessment for the retired couple is still in process.

“I appreciate the security screening but I have been approved for a study permit, for a postgraduate work permit and now another work permit in six years,” said Khodabakhsh. “What if this visa application is going to take two years? I will lose my job, my home and everything in Canada.”

With an undergraduate degree in computer science from Iran, Khodabakhsh worked in IT before he decided to take a leap of faith in 2019 for a master’s degree in fine arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design to pursue his passion for photography.

However, after graduation, he fell back on his old profession to earn a living while waiting for a shot at permanent residence in Canada. He last visited his parents, both in their 70s, in 2022 and decided to take an extended leave to care for his mother after her recent medical treatment.

Khodabakhsh thought his temporary resident visa was going to expire with his old work permit in July 2025 but only found out it was already invalid when he was at the airport to board a return flight to Canada in early May. He applied immediately for a new visa on May 7.

The Immigration Department said all applications are assessed for admissibility, which includes a security screening to ensure foreign nationals who pose threats to the health, safety and security of Canadians are kept out of the country.

Officials said Khodabakhsh’s visa application currently still falls within the estimated processing time for Iran, which is 80 days, but added that each case is different and the time it takes to process may vary.

“As security screening is conducted by agencies outside IRCC, we are unable to provide average processing times,” the department said in an email. “Processing times can be extended when additional information is required from applicants.”

Even the office of his local MP Maggie Chi (Don Valley North) wasn’t able to help.

“There is no specific timeline for this stage of the process, as it involves multiple entities, including government agencies in the applicant’s home country or in other countries where they have previously resided,” it said in an email.

“While we would very much like to assist further, (the Immigration Department) has informed us that it has limited control over the duration of these external processes.”

Khodabakhsh said he still has a car loan and rent for his basement apartment to pay, and his wife’s salary as a supervisor at a bakery won’t cover all the costs. 

“It is not just the financial stress but the mental distress from the uncertainty,” he said. “I’m stuck in Iran. The war just started last week. I’m not sure what’s going on and when I will be with my wife again.”