A Federal Court judge has permanently stayed citizenship revocation proceedings against an Ontario pharmacist, ruling that immigration officials acted unfairly by waiting nearly a decade to pursue allegations tied to residency misrepresentation.
A Federal Court judge has set aside the revocation of an Ontario pharmacist’s Canadian citizenship, finding that a lengthy delay by immigration officials made the process unfair and amounted to an abuse of process.
Nermine Magdi Ibrahim became a Canadian permanent resident in 2003 and a citizen in 2007. Her citizenship was revoked in November 2024 after immigration authorities alleged she may have misrepresented her residency history when applying for citizenship.
In a decision released in December, Justice Avvy Yao-Yao Go ruled that officials had flagged Ibrahim’s file for investigation in 2014 and completed that investigation the same year, but did not inform her of potential revocation proceedings until 2023. The judge found the delay significantly harmed Ibrahim’s ability to defend herself, including by limiting her ability to obtain older records needed to respond to the allegations.
The case originated after the Canada Border Services Agency received information related to alleged citizenship fraud schemes involving Ibrahim’s late husband. The court noted there was no evidence Ibrahim herself was implicated in a fraud scheme, but immigration officials proceeded with misrepresentation allegations based largely on her LinkedIn profile and overseas employment verification that was not adequately disclosed to her.
The judge also criticized the approach taken by officials in the revocation process, finding they improperly placed the burden on Ibrahim to prove she was physically in Canada during the relevant period, rather than requiring the minister to establish misrepresentation on a balance of probabilities.
Rather than sending the matter back for reconsideration, the court permanently stayed the revocation proceedings, concluding that further process would add delay and deepen the unfairness.
The decision restores Ibrahim’s Canadian citizenship and ends the revocation case.
