Canadian Court Orders Visa Review for Former Bushehr Nuclear Plant Manager

A Canadian Federal Court judge ordered authorities on September 1, 2026, to decide Naser Mansoursharifloo’s visa application within 60 days. The order followed roughly 911 days of security screening.

The applicant, an Iranian citizen, filed for a visitor visa in January 2024. His case remained unresolved after government records marked it as “approved pending info from partners” about six weeks after filing.

The file then stayed in limbo. By an August hearing, it had spent about 911 days in security screening, while more than two years passed without a final decision.

The court’s intervention addresses the delay. It does not decide whether the applicant may enter Canada.

The applicant’s nuclear-sector background kept the file under scrutiny

Mansoursharifloo holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering. He previously served as a project manager at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and later became head of engineering at Islamic Azad University in central Tehran.

That professional history placed his application in a security-screening process that extended well beyond the initial file update. The case materials connect the scrutiny to his work at the nuclear facility, although the court’s order required a decision rather than resolving the underlying security questions.

The applicant’s employment history spans engineering, higher education and Iran’s nuclear sector. His former role at the plant became a central feature of the visa review.

The ruling addresses delay, not admission to Canada

The order compels the government to make a decision within 60 days of the September 1 ruling. It does not grant the visa, determine that Mansoursharifloo is admissible, or require officials to approve his application.

The case challenged prolonged security screening. The court found that the government had not provided enough evidence to explain why the review had lasted so long.

That distinction leaves the underlying application open. Officials must now reach a decision, but the result could still depend on the security and admissibility assessments that remain part of the file.

The ruling therefore gives the applicant a deadline, not an immigration status. A decision could approve the visa, refuse it, or address admissibility through the applicable process.

Authorities now face a 60-day deadline

The deadline runs from the court’s September 1 order. It converts a file that had remained pending since January 2024 into one requiring a formal government decision.

The ruling also closes the immediate dispute over whether officials had to act. The court ordered action after the August hearing, when the screening period had reached about 911 days.

Mansoursharifloo’s next immigration step will depend on the decision authorities issue within that period. The court’s order does not itself authorize travel, entry or work in Canada.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.