The federal government has taken the extraordinary step of initiating proceedings to revoke the Canadian citizenship of Tahawwur Rana, a Chicago-based businessman accused by U.S. prosecutors of helping to mastermind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
According to documents obtained by Global News, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) served notice to the 65-year-old that his 2001 grant of citizenship will be cancelled on security grounds. Canadian law allows revocation when naturalised citizens are found to have misrepresented material facts or engaged in acts contrary to Canada’s national interest—including terrorism.
Rana immigrated to Canada in 1997 and later set up an immigration consultancy in Toronto. He was convicted in the United States in 2011 for conspiring to attack the offices of a Danish newspaper and is currently fighting extradition to India, where authorities allege he played a logistical role in the Mumbai assault that killed 166 people.
![Canada moves to strip citizenship of alleged Mumbai attack plotter Tahawwur Rana]()
Citizenship revocation is rare—fewer than 70 cases have proceeded since 2017—and the decision signals Ottawa’s tougher line on individuals linked to international terrorism. Revocation would render Rana a foreign national and expose him to removal once his U.S. and Indian legal matters conclude.
Companies and individual travellers looking for clarity on Canada’s complex immigration environment can turn to VisaHQ, an online platform that streamlines visa and travel-document applications. Its Canada resource centre (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers up-to-date guidance on admissibility rules, helps users identify potential security or documentation issues, and provides tools to assemble fully compliant paperwork.
For multinational companies that rotate executives through Canada or employ dual citizens, the case is a reminder that security-related disclosures on immigration forms are scrutinised long after landing. Employers should review their compliance processes to ensure employees’ travel histories and affiliations are fully and accurately declared.
According to documents obtained by Global News, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) served notice to the 65-year-old that his 2001 grant of citizenship will be cancelled on security grounds. Canadian law allows revocation when naturalised citizens are found to have misrepresented material facts or engaged in acts contrary to Canada’s national interest—including terrorism.
Rana immigrated to Canada in 1997 and later set up an immigration consultancy in Toronto. He was convicted in the United States in 2011 for conspiring to attack the offices of a Danish newspaper and is currently fighting extradition to India, where authorities allege he played a logistical role in the Mumbai assault that killed 166 people.
Citizenship revocation is rare—fewer than 70 cases have proceeded since 2017—and the decision signals Ottawa’s tougher line on individuals linked to international terrorism. Revocation would render Rana a foreign national and expose him to removal once his U.S. and Indian legal matters conclude.
Companies and individual travellers looking for clarity on Canada’s complex immigration environment can turn to VisaHQ, an online platform that streamlines visa and travel-document applications. Its Canada resource centre (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) offers up-to-date guidance on admissibility rules, helps users identify potential security or documentation issues, and provides tools to assemble fully compliant paperwork.
For multinational companies that rotate executives through Canada or employ dual citizens, the case is a reminder that security-related disclosures on immigration forms are scrutinised long after landing. Employers should review their compliance processes to ensure employees’ travel histories and affiliations are fully and accurately declared.
