As communicated previously with you, the next ICC annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on December 22 from 8 pm to 10 pm ET (5 pm to 7 pm PT) through a videoconferencing platform. Please note that only ICC members who have joined/renewed their membership by December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET will be entitled to attend the upcoming AGM and vote in the election.  

Here, we like to provide the following updates on the upcoming ICC election and AGM: 

• First, we like to correct the nomination deadline from December 1, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET to December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET. 
• In the upcoming election, members will choose two new board members. The election will be held online, starting and ending prior to the AGM. Members will receive a link through email to participate in the election after December 6. Election results will be announced in the AGM. 
• The ICC board of directors has selected an election committee, consisting of three ICC members, to oversee the election process. These individuals are: Ms. Afsaneh Kefayati, Mr. Habib Ghaffari, and Mr. Reza Sohrabi. 
• Instructions to register for the AGM will be shared with the members after December 6. Registered members will receive a link to participate in the AGM. 
• The organizational structure committee has proposed changes to the by-laws. These changes have been approved by the board of directors and will be put for the members vote. In addition, the board of directors are currently working on finding a practical and effective way for submitting motions by the members. Further updates on how members can submit their motions as well as voting on them and the proposed by-laws changes will be provided in future communications. 

Stay tuned for further updates on the upcoming ICC election and AGM! 

Iranian Canadian Congress

The ICC board of directors is pleased to announce that the next ICC annual general meeting (AGM) will be held on December 22 from 8 pm to 10 pm ET (5 pm to 7 pm PT). The meeting will be held on a videoconferencing platform.  

An online election will also be held for the available seats in the ICC board of directors. We encourage all interested members to consult with Section 2 of Article 5 of the ICC by-laws for nomination eligibility, and if eligible, declare their nomination by sending an email to [email protected]. The deadline for sending nomination emails is December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET. The email must include and attach the following: 

• A confirmation by the nominee that he or she has nominated himself or herself, or that he or she has been nominated by others and has accepted such nomination, for election to the ICC board of directors; 
• A confirmation by the nominee that he/she meets the eligibility criteria, as set out in Section 2 of Article 5 of the ICC by-laws; 
• A government-issued ID; and 
• A synopsis of the nominee’s background/biographical sketch and the reasons they wish to serve as a director on the ICC board of directors (maximum 300 words in English. Farsi is optional. This information is to be provided in a MS Word or pdf file format). A passport size photo of the nominee in digital format is also optional. Information and the photograph provided by the nominees will be posted on the ICC website. 

Please note that only ICC members who have joined/renewed their membership by December 6, 2021, at 11:59 pm ET will be entitled to attend the upcoming AGM and vote in the election. For any membership questions, you may contact [email protected] 

Further details such as instructions to register for attending the AGM, and the link for online voting as well as the AGM videoconferencing will be shared with the members in future communications. 

The Announcement of Launching the Third Stage of Art Project 1400: Roots, Culture, and Communal healing/Resilience Building

The Iranian Canadian Congress is proud to announce the launch of the third stage of its Art Project 1400 on December 21, synchronous with the Persian celebration of winter solstice, a long-lasting Persian tradition, Shab-e-Yalda. Our project is about communal healing and Shab-e-Yalda which is the darkest and longest night of the year can symbolically be considered as an occasion in which the Persian families come together for support, healing, and building community resilience to face the longest and darkest night. It is the time for gathering in unity and solidarity and looking forward to a new beginning when the darkness fades out and the brightness of light fades in.

Positioning Principles at Iranian Canadian Congress

The mission of the Iranian Canadian Congress (ICC) is to advance the interests and well-being of Iranian-Canadians. Some have tried in the past to use ICC to pursue aggressive political goals that are inconsistent with this supportive role. Such past efforts were possibly the cause of hesitancy to join ICC for many Iranian-Canadians who do not intend to participate in aggressive political efforts.  

The Iranian Canadian Congress has received reports of dual Iranian Canadian citizens being denied entrance to the United States. We have obtained a report written by the American Immigration Lawyers Association on the heightened scrutiny of individuals of Iranian descent at the US border. According to this document, completing mandatory military service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) can result in inadmissibility to the US under INA 212(a)(3)(B) for having been involved in terrorist activities. Further, the document states that in some cases, the inadmissibility to the US was even extended to the family members (e.g. a spouse) or those who served in other branches of the Iranian military. The document adds that non-US immigrants with IRGC military service should be advised of the high likelihood of being denied admission by the US Customs and Border Protection and returned to their port of origin. 

The ICC is concerned by the findings of this report as many Iranian Canadian males can be potentially affected by the described actions of the US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security. 

If you are a dual Iranian Canadian citizen and have been denied entry to the United States in recent months, please fill this form.