The children of some of Iran’s most outspoken state leaders live in the West – Nationally
Eshagh Ghalibaf studied at an Australian university and vacationed in Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Dubai and Istanbul before looking to Canada.
He is also the son of a hardline member of the Iranian regime, which has killed thousands of protesters and is now attacking its neighbors with missiles.
Although his father, who is the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, said the Islamic Republic would defend itself “to the end,” it appears his son avoided mandatory military service.
Documents obtained by Global News show that when Eshagh applied to immigrate to Canada he was asked for details of any military service. He wrote, “none.”
As the Iranian regime suppresses its opposition and its policies around the Gulf countries in response to the US and Israeli war, their sons and daughters are living comfortably.
They are from North America and Europe, and include the children of some of the outspoken defenders of the Iranian government.
This is a sore point for many Iranians, who mocked the regime during a protest in Tehran in January, chanting, “Their child is in Canada, our child is in jail,” according to a video of the incident.
High-ranking government officials have also moved overseas, including more than 22 who are suspected to have moved to Canada, some with their children.
The Canada Border Services Agency has been trying to deport them since 2022, but with little success. Only one has been removed from the country so far, although others are facing trial.
Following a complaint by Global News, the Immigration and Refugee Board on Tuesday identified the latest Iranian citizen the CBSA has referred to deportation proceedings for being a “senior member” of the regime, Abbas Omidi.
But activists say it is deeply troubling that the regime’s children enjoy Western freedoms while Iranians have few rights under a system imposed by their parents.
The son of Iran’s longtime foreign minister Mohammad Jarad Zarif, for example, lives in Manhattan, according to an online petition to have him deported.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, Beirut, Lebanon, September 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein).
The daughter of Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, also lives in the United States, the Guardian reported.
Since the assassination of the supreme leader Ali Khomeini, Larijani has emerged as a key figure in the government, insisting that his government will not surrender.
Recently, he has been in the headlines warning the US to “be careful not to be wiped out.” His nephews live in Canada and the United Kingdom, the Guardian reported.
“The list goes on,” said Maral Karimi, a professor in the department of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University.
“It’s normal. I mean, right here in Toronto, where I live, it’s one of their strongholds. Many of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and other government dignitaries live in Toronto, either themselves or their families, or both.”
An engineer by training, Eshagh Ghalibaf, the son of Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, 38, has applied to immigrate to Canada twice, according to records, and was most recently rejected in 2024.
He did not respond to questions sent by Global News.
His father recently rejected calls for a ceasefire, writing on social media that “we believe that we must hit the attacker in the mouth so that a lesson can be learned.”
The son’s whereabouts are unknown at this time, but in a case filed in court in Canada as part of the attempted immigration, he wrote that he had a temporary stay in Australia until 2022.
Documents filed in the Federal Court in his case indicate that he applied for a study visa in Ottawa in 2013 but after it was rejected, he enrolled at Melbourne University.
Although Iranian men are required to serve two years in the army when they turn 18, documents in his case show that he never did.
Instead, according to his Canadian immigration file, he visited more than a dozen countries, listing the purpose of his travels as “tourism.”
Bank records he filed in court show payments to sushi and Vietnamese restaurants, car rentals and Spotify subscriptions.
In 2019, he applied to immigrate to Canada, then filed a lawsuit alleging that the federal government is taking too long to approve him.
“The delay has a direct impact on many aspects of my life,” he wrote in an affidavit filed in Federal Court as part of his application to immigrate to Canada.
“I have already said no to two new construction projects in Iran in the past two years that I would have participated in as a local manager,” he said.
“This would have given me a higher income and a better job, however, as these opportunities require a long-term commitment, as I am still unsure when I will finally receive my PR, I had to decline.”
Iranian Basiji men carry a fake missile, a cleric behind, at a demonstration in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 10, 2025. Photo by Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM.
He said he has two properties in Tehran but “lost the opportunity to develop them” due to the uncertainty of his arrival in Canada.
“This made me lose a lot of money,” he said.
He said he had told potential employers in Canada that he would arrive within six months, but continued to wait for his immigration papers.
“The delay in processing my PR [permanent residence] the request has caused the loss of great opportunities in life,” he wrote.
“Moreover, I have met a wonderful woman in Iran who I feel we can build a life together.
“This puts a huge psychological burden on my daily life.”
In its defense, the government said the delay in immigration approval was the result of a “security screening requirement.”
Without mentioning his father, the Federal Court wrote in its 2023 decision that “very little has happened” in processing his request.
“This happened despite asking several times about this matter at the office of the member of Parliament, Pierre Poilievre,” wrote the judge.
The file shows that an employee in the Conservative leader’s travel office in Ottawa repeatedly contacted Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada about the case.
A spokesman for Poilievre did not respond to a request for comment.
Iranian community and supporters gather in Ottawa in solidarity with protesters in Iran, after the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, September 25, 2022. ICANDANI PRESS/Justin Tang.
After his attempt to immigrate was reported by Iran International, activists launched a petition asking Ottawa to ban him from Canada.
On February 21, 2024, immigration minister Marc Miller said the government had rejected his application for permanent residency.
Another online petition launched in January 2026 calls for Australian border authorities to deport him. It has collected more than 125,000 signatures on the site change.org.
The campaign’s organizer could not be reached for comment, but the petition called him a symbol of “gross inequality and injustice.”
“While ordinary Iranians suffer under a brutal regime, these fortunate families are safe, far from the consequences of their actions,” the statement said.
Firing him was not just about “removing one person, but about sending a strong, unequivocal message to the Islamic Republic and its affiliates that hypocrisy and injustice will not be tolerated.”
“We call on Western governments to hold the privileged families of the Islamic Republic accountable for their indirect role in supporting and abetting a system that tortures its people.
“Protecting their way of life while ordinary Iranians are fighting for freedom is unacceptable.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
