In the admissions data of IRCC, Canada's immigration department, a large share of Iranians who recently became permanent residents were granted refugee protection or sponsored by family; protection routes follow separate rules. For skilled workers, Express Entry is the online system IRCC uses to manage their applications, inviting the candidates with the most points to apply, and its report on 2024 lists Iran among the most common citizenships of those invited.

Start with your university records. Express Entry will not score an Iranian degree until an educational credential assessment has measured it against Canadian qualifications. WES, one of the assessing bodies, accepts Iranian transcripts only if the university sends them electronically or seals and stamps their envelope. It warns that because of the current conflict in Iran some institutions may be unable to send documents, and asks anyone affected to contact it. With no visa application centre in Iran, the fingerprints and photo IRCC asks for are given at a centre in another country. Money needs a paper trail too: a federal directive makes banks and other businesses covered by Canada's anti-money-laundering law treat every transaction to or from Iran as high risk, ask about its source and purpose, and report it to FINTRAC, Canada's financial intelligence unit.

The mistake to avoid is planning around options that have since closed. Canada's special measures for Iranians now only let some work permit holders already in Canada extend their permits: visitors and students can no longer use them to switch permits. Business routes that brought many Iranians in recent years are closed to new applicants too: IRCC paused the Start-up Visa, the permanent residence programme for founders of innovative businesses, on June 30, 2026, keeps the Self-Employed Persons Program for cultural and athletic careers on hold, and says a new pilot for entrepreneurs is planned. Check a programme's own IRCC page before paying anyone for a business plan or application.