Canada Border Services Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is the federal agency responsible for border enforcement, customs, and immigration control at Canadian ports of entry, including airports, land crossings, and marine facilities. It operates under the Canada Border Services Agency Act (2005) and reports to the Minister of Public Safety. CBSA officers exercise discretionary authority at ports of entry to refuse admission, revoke permissions, or refer travellers for secondary examination, even where valid visas have been issued by consular posts — the latter being a distinct step in Canada's immigration chain.

The CBSA became directly involved in the 2026 World Cup's Iran access dispute when its officers at Toronto Pearson International Airport refused entry to the entire senior FFIRI delegation — president Mehdi Taj, secretary-general Hedayat Mombeni, and deputy Hamed Momeni — on 29 April 2026, despite the officials holding valid Canadian visas . Officers cited Taj's reported former command role in the IRGC, which Canada designated a terrorist organisation in 2024, as the basis for revoking his entry permission on the Tuesday evening before the delegation landed.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand subsequently described the revocation as 'unintentional', characterising it as a bureaucratic process failure rather than deliberate policy . The CBSA has not publicly explained the operational basis for the revocation, nor has it addressed why the security check was applied after the Visa was issued rather than before. The incident placed CBSA at the centre of a diplomatic dispute between Canada, Iran, and FIFA at the most sensitive moment in the run-up to the World Cup.