The announcement from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration did not explain why Canada was closing its Tehran visa office. It said the change was made to do business “more effectively and efficiently” and said “shifting visa services from one visa office to another is not uncommon.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry expressed anger at the Canadian action and threatened retaliation. After condemning the closure, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said, “If anyone takes action against our national interests, we will take reciprocal actionÖ.We will respond to any action that causes trouble for our citizens.” A few months ago, however, after an Iranian-Canadian youth was killed in Toronto, the Islamic Republic proclaimed that Canada was unsafe for Iranians and urged Iranians not to go there. One would expect that the government would have been pleased that it will now be harder for Iranians to travel to an unsafe land.
The timing of the Canadian move was somewhat embarrassing for the government as the Foreign Ministry announced just last week that it planned to open a new consulate in Canada, presumably on the Pacific Coast where many Iranians live around Vancouver, 2,000 miles from the sole consulate in Ottawa.
If the regime really plans to take reciprocal action, that would mean closing the Ottawa consulate, which would hurt Iranians in Canada far more than Canadians, who are not vacationing in Iran in large numbers and requiring visas.
The US embassy in Tehran was closed in April 1980, and the British Embassy shut its doors last November. With this Canadian action, the three major English-language countries are no longer doing visa business in Iran.
Applications for permanent resident status in Canada had already been shifted to Ankara previously.
The ministry said the Ankara embassy now handles all visa work not just for Turks and Iranians but also for applicants from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan.
The announcement, issued Sunday, said the change for Iranians is “effective immediately.”
This change applies to Iranians living in Iran. Iranians living in the United States or other countries can use their nearest Canadian consulate.