Date: 20230324
Docket: IMM-4221-22
IMM-4222-22
IMM-4223-22
Citation: 2023 FC 411
Ottawa, Ontario, March 24, 2023
PRESENT: Madam Justice McDonald
Docket: IMM-4221-22 |
BETWEEN: |
MOUSA KARIMI, ZAHRA AZIZI, ROZHAN KARIMI and ROMINA KARIMI |
Applicants |
and |
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION |
Respondent |
Docket: IMM-4222-22 |
BETWEEN: |
BAHAREH AFJEHSOLEYMANI and VAHID GHASEMI |
Applicants |
and |
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION |
Respondent |
Docket: IMM-4223-22 |
BETWEEN: |
ALLAHYAR BARARI and MARYAM JAHED |
Applicants |
and |
THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION |
Respondent |
JUDGMENT AND REASONS
[1] These are the Reasons in relation to three judicial review applications heard together. On March 24, 2022, the same visa officer [Officer] denied each of the applications for an open work permit under the International Mobility Program [Decisions]. In each case, the primary Applicant was seeking a temporary work permit to come to Canada, with their family, pending approval of their applications for permanent residence as entrepreneurs. Although the personal facts of the Applicants differ, the judicial review applications all raise the same legal issues.
[2] For the reasons that follow, these applications are granted, as I have determined that the Decisions are unreasonable.
I. Background
[3] The primary Applicants are citizens of Iran.
[4] The Applicant Karimi has a master’s degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from Payame Noor University in Iran and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering – Hardware. The Applicant Afjehsoleymani has a doctorate in Dentistry from Guilan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services in Iran. The Applicant Barari has a bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry from Guilan University in Iran.
[5] They have applied to establish a business in Canada called RAD Smart Smile AI Inc. [Smart Smile]. The Applicant Karimi is the Chief Executive Officer and Information Technology Manager; the Applicant Afjehsoleymani is the Chief Science Officer; and the Applicant Barari as the Animal Care Research Lead. The business of Smart Smile is to scan dental images and convert them into recognizable pictures using Artificial intelligence [AI] software developed by the Applicants. They have entered into agreements with several dentists across Canada to use their technology.
[6] The Applicants each received a Start-Up Business Class Commitment Certificate Letter of Support [Commitment Certificate] from Biomedical Commercialization Canada Inc., operating as Manitoba Technology Accelerator, which is a designated business incubator under subsection 98.03(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2002-227 [IRPR].
[7] In August 2021, the Applicants applied for permanent residence under the Start-Up Business Class. Each Applicant also applied for a work permit to allow them to come to Canada while their permanent residence applications were pending. The three work permit applications are the Decisions under review.
A. Decisions Under Review
[8] The three work permits applications were denied for the same reason: the Officer was not satisfied the Applicants would leave Canada at the end of their authorized stays, based on personal assets and financial status and the purpose of their visits. The Decision letters are identical.
[9] The Global Case Management System [GCMS] notes are also identical for each Applicant, with the exception of noting their specific roles in Smart Smile and their Iranian bank information. The GCMS notes for the Applicant Karimi (with the differences underlined) state:
I have reviewed the application.
Taking the applicant's proposed employment into account, the documentation provided in support of the applicant's financial situation does not demonstrate that the applicant is sufficiently established that travelling to Canada with dependents for the proposed employment would be a reasonable expense.
The bank statement provided by Bank Melli does not include transaction history, meaning I am unable to assess source of funds. I am not satisfied LICO would be met for the family unit over a period of 52 weeks.
The applicant has applied under the Start Up Visa Program as the CEO of RAD Smart Smile AI Inc.
Part of the rationale for the urgent business need to travel to Canada pertains to the need for in-person mentorship with the Manitoba Technology Accelerator in Winnipeg. The application also states that due to sensitivity and confidentiality of information, the dentists are not able to share information with the team as long as they are not in Canada and cite a non-disclosure agreement in support of this. However, despite being goverened [sic] by BC Law, the non-disclosure agreement does not prohibit the sharing of information virtually. Therefore, I am not satisfied that there is an urgent business reason that the applicant needs to come to Canada before permanent residence is obtained.
Weighing the factors in this application, I am not satisfied that the applicant will depart Canada at the end of the period authorized for their stay.
For the reasons above, I have refused this application.
II. Issue and Standard of Review
[10] The Applicants argue the Decisions are unreasonable and they raise procedural fairness arguments. As the reasonableness analysis is determinative of these applications, I need not address the procedural fairness arguments.
[11] The standard of review for the Decisions is reasonableness (Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) v Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65 [Vavilov]). As stated by the Supreme Court in Vavilov, a reasonable decision is one that possesses the hallmarks of reasonableness – justification, transparency and intelligibility – within the decision-making process (Vavilov at paras 86, 99). With respect to justification, it is not enough for an outcome to be justifiable. Instead, where reasons for a decision are required, the decision must also be justified, in those reasons, by the decision-maker to those whom the decision applies (Vavilov at para 99).
III. Relevant Regulations and Policies
[12] The applicable sections of the IRPR can be found in Schedule A.
[13] The Start-Up Business Class Work Permit program [Program] eligibility requirements, per the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website, are as follows:
• the applicant must intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec;
• an Offer of Employment to a Foreign National Exempt from a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) [IMM5802] has been completed by foreign national as ‘self-employed’ and the form and employer compliance fee have been submitted to IRCC;
• a Commitment Certificate must have been issued by a designated entity indicating that the work permit applicant is “essential” and there are urgent business reasons for the applicant’s early entry to Canada (i.e. section 8.0 of the Commitment Certificate is completed);
• letter of support linked to a Commitment Certificate has been issued by a designated entity;
• the applicant must have sufficient funds to meet the low income cut off for their family size for 52 weeks.
(https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/foreign-workers/provincial-nominees-permanent-resident-applicants/work-permits-start-business-class-permanent-resident-visa-applicants.html)
IV. Analysis
A. Are the Decisions Reasonable?
[14] As noted, each visa application was denied for the same reasons, being the Officer was not satisfied the Applicants would leave Canada at the end of their authorized stays based on personal assets and financial status and the purpose of their visits. I will address these factors below.
(1) Leave Canada at the End of the Authorized Stay
[15] In the context of this Program, that has as its objective a path to permanent residence, the Officer’s finding that the Applicants would not leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay is contrary to the very purpose of the Program.
[16] This Program was considered by Justice Diner in Serimbetoz v Canada (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship), 2022 FC 1130, where he found as follows in a similar context:
[29] It was unreasonable for the Officer to rely on (a) family ties, and (b) purpose of the Applicants’ visit, to conclude that they were unlikely to leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay. The Program, as described above, has as its primary objective permanent residence in Canada on the basis of start-up entrepreneurship. As such, the refusals on the basis of family ties – absent reasonable justification for this basis of refusal – when the work permit applications were expressly intended as a precursor to a forthcoming permanent residency application, was not only inconsistent with the purpose of the Program, but it was also illogical. Indeed, this is a classic case of dual intent as permitted under s. 22(2) of the Act. After all, the Program allows applicants to come to Canada on a work permit before submitting their application for permanent residence, as long as they have a Commitment Certificate, along with a Support Letter from their designated entity.
[30] For the same reasons, the Officer’s consideration of the purpose of the Applicants’ visit was unreasonable, as guidance from IRCC indicates that work permits allow applicants to enter Canada and begin working while their application for permanent residence is still pending (Application Guide at s. 6.5). This is the exact purpose that the Applicants sought to pursue in their applications, and for which due diligence had already been conducted by the Designated Entity. If the Officer doubted their purpose in coming to Canada was for the establishment and launch of the business, or that a lack of due diligence had been done by the Applicants, that should have been explained. Instead, the Decisions also lacked reasonable justification as a basis for refusal. An example of a reasonable justification for finding that the Applicants were unlikely to leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay could have been, for instance, evidence of prior non-compliance with immigration laws (Gulati v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2021 FC 1358 at para 11; Rosenberry v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2012 FC 521 at para 115). However, there is no indication that any of these Applicants have ever breached an immigration law and no justification was provided for any such concern.
[31] In the absence of any other indication of why the Officer was not satisfied the Applicants would leave Canada at the end of the period authorized for their stay, I find the Officer’s Decisions were both lacking in rationale and justification, given the parameters of the Program and the work permits filed under it.
[Emphasis added.]
[17] The same situation arises here, where the Officer’s reasons do not consider the specific Program under which the Applicants were applying. Given that the very purpose of the work visa is to facilitate the establishment of a business in Canada while a permanent residence application is pending, there should be no reason for the Applicants to plan to leave Canada once their work permits expire.
[18] Furthermore, even if the Officer had concerns despite the Program, the GCMS notes do not provide any explanation to justify these concerns. There is no evidence of any past immigration non-compliance for any of these Applicants. There is also no indication or explanation that the Officer had concerns about the genuineness of the Applicants purpose in coming to Canada, namely to establish Smart Smile.
[19] As noted by Justice Gascon in Aghaalikhani v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2019 FC 1080 at paragraph 21 [Aghaalikhani], “[i]n the absence of evidence suggesting or implying a risk of not leaving Canada, and faced with evidence indicating exactly the opposite, a justification for the Officer’s conclusion to the contrary was required.”
[20] The conclusion of the Officer that the Applicants would not leave Canada at the end of their stays is not justified and is therefore unreasonable.
(a) Establishment in Iran
[21] The Applicants argue it is unclear how the Officer could have concluded there was insufficient evidence of establishment in Iran based upon the documents submitted.
[22] The Applicant Karimi’s application included evidence of his prior work experience and future employment prospects; proof of financial means; proof of property ownership; and strong family ties to Iran. Further, the Applicant Karimi also has an offer of employment upon his return to Iran.
[23] Likewise, the Applicant Afjehsoleymani provided evidence in her application detailing her prior work experience and future employment prospects; her financial means; proof of property ownership; and her strong family ties to Iran. The Applicant Afjehsoleymani also has an offer of employment upon her return to Iran.
[24] Finally, the Applicant Barari also provided evidence of his prior work experience and future employment prospects; proof of financial means and property ownership; proof of ownership of shares in an Iranian company; proof of his Iranian pension entitlement; and strong family ties to Iran. The Applicant Barari also has an offer of employment upon his return to Iran.
[25] The Officer makes no explicit findings on this evidence whatsoever. As noted in Aghaalikhani at paragraph 17 “[w]here parts of the evidence are not considered or are misapprehended, where the findings do not flow from the evidence and where the outcome is not defensible, a decision will not withstand such probing examination.”
[26] For this reason, the Officer’s treatment of the Applicants’ evidence of establishment in Iran is unreasonable.
(b) Personal Assets and Finances
[27] It is useful to briefly summarize the financial information provided by each Applicant.
[28] In his application, the Applicant Karimi included bank account information showing a balance of what would be $80,183.40 CAD. He also provided an employment letter demonstrating his income, as well as the deed for a property owned in Iran.
[29] In the Decision, the Officer states the Applicant Karimi’s proof of funds is insufficient, as it did not meet the Low Income Cut Off [LICO] for a four-person family unit. The Applicant Karimi asserts the 2020 LICO for a family of four is $48,167 CAD annually. The Applicant argues the Officer’s conclusion is not consistent with the evidence demonstrating funds in excess of the LICO minimum, and the evidence of his employment, asset ownership, and monthly income.
[30] The Applicant Afjehsoleymani provided evidence showing a bank account balance of what is $54,077 CAD, proof of her and her husband’s profession in Iran, and the deed for a property owned in Iran.
[31] In the Afjehsoleymani Decision, the Officer also concludes the proof of funds is insufficient and did not meet the LICO for a two-person family unit. The Applicant Afjehsoleymani asserts the LICO for a family of two in 2020 is $32,270 CAD annually. The Applicant contends she demonstrated funds in excess of the LICO minimum and provided substantial evidence of her establishment in Iran through proof of employment, asset ownership, and spouse’s income.
[32] For the Applicant Barari, the evidence is that he has a bank account balance of what calculates to $260,143.43 CAD. He also provided proof of his and his spouse’s work in Iran, along with deeds for several properties owned in Iran.
[33] Despite this evidence, the Officer concludes that the evidence did not meet the LICO for the family unit. The Applicant Barari asserts the 2020 LICO for a family of two is $32,270 CAD annually. The Applicant Barari contends he demonstrated funds in excess of the LICO minimum and provided substantial evidence of his establishment in Iran through proof of employment, asset ownership, and monthly income.
[34] The Respondent argues it was reasonable for the Officer to be concerned about the Applicants’ personal assets and financial status, as there was no transaction history provided with the bank account statements that would permit the Officer to determine the source of the funds. The Respondent submits this lack of transaction history and corresponding source of funds undermined whether the funds were available for use in Canada. The Respondent relies upon Muthui v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2014 FC 105 at paragraph 38 [Muthui], where Justice Strickland held:
The absence of an explanation as to the source of the settlement funds also brings into question whether the funds are really available to the Applicant. That is because, for example, funds could conceivably be transferred from an account of a third party to an applicant’s account to document, for purposes of his or her application, that the required funds were at hand. The funds could then be returned to the third party once a visa was issued. There is, of course, nothing to suggest that this was the situation in this case. I provide this scenario as an example intended only to underscore why such information is relevant, requested and must be provided by an applicant. Other reasons may include ensuring that the source is not from the proceeds of crime or other illegal source.
[35] However, the circumstances in Muthui are different from these cases. In Muthui the applicant had attended an interview with a Canada Border Services Agency officer, who expressly asked her about her bank accounts and where the funds had come from. She was asked to bring documentation showing her transaction history, as there were genuine questions about the veracity of those accounts that were raised with the applicant. The applicant admitted in the interview that she had not been truthful about the bank accounts held by her and her husband in her initial application. The officer also had concerns about the fact that large amounts of money had been transferred from an undisclosed account and the fact that the funds may be encumbered by certain debts, such as student loans and a mortgage.
[36] In my view, Muthui does not assist the Respondent, as the Officer did not request that the Applicants provide detailed banking statements showing a transaction history. Furthermore, the Officer does not articulate any reason to doubt the veracity of the Applicants’ banking documents. The Applicants also provided evidence of their employment in Iran, which would appear to support their financial status. There is no evidence, or explanation in the Decisions, that these funds came from an alternative source or are otherwise not genuine.
[37] The Decisions do not provide any explanation as to why the Applicants did not meet the LICO requirements, especially when the bank account figures were in excess of the LICO for their respective family units.
[38] Overall, there is a lack of justification or transparency as to how the Officer reached the conclusions on personal assets and financial status in light of evidence to the contrary. It appears that the Officer simply and unreasonably failed to grapple with the evidence.
V. Conclusion
[39] I acknowledge that a visa officer has discretion in assessing applications and I accept the detailed reasons are neither required nor expected. However, it is expected that on a reading of the officer’s decision, however brief, the Court can delineate why the officer reached their decision. I cannot do so here. Perhaps most glaring is the Officer’s finding that the Applicants would not leave Canada at the end of their work visas. This finding fails to properly consider these applications within the specific scheme they applied under–which is specifically aimed at individuals intending to become permanent residents in Canada under the entrepreneurship stream. The Program is not designed to be a temporary work visa, but a pathway or a step to facilitate permanent residence, specifically in the context of start-ups.
[40] For these reasons, these judicial review applications are granted.
JUDGMENT IN IMM-4221-22, IMM-4222-22 AND IMM-4223-22
THIS COURT’S JUDGMENT is that:
These three applications for judicial review are granted and the applications shall be reconsidered by a different officer.
There is no question for certification.
"Ann Marie McDonald"
Judge
Schedule A – Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2002-227
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FEDERAL COURT
SOLICITORS OF RECORD
DOCKET:
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IMM-4221-22 |
STYLE OF CAUSE:
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KARIMI ET AL v THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION |
DOCKET:
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IMM-4222-22 |
STYLE OF CAUSE:
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AFJEHSOLEYMANI ET AL v THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION |
DOCKET:
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IMM-4223-22 |
STYLE OF CAUSE:
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BARARI ET AL v THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION |
PLACE OF HEARING:
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HELD BY VIDEOCONFERENCE
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DATE OF HEARING:
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fEBRUARY 1, 2023
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JUDGMENT AND REASONS: |
MCDONALD J.
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DATED:
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March 24, 2023
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APPEARANCES:
Alireza Eftekhardadkhah |
For The Applicants |
Aminollah Sabzevari |
For The Respondent |
SOLICITORS OF RECORD:
Infinity Law Corporation Victoria, BC |
For The Applicants |
Attorney General of Canada Vancouver, BC |
For The Respondent |