Instead of boarding a flight to join her husband working in California, Shima Ramezani Tehrani said she arrived at Pearson International Airport Saturday night to learn that it could be months before she is able to see him again.

Tehrani, an Iranian-born permanent resident of Canada, said three days ago her husband departed for the U.S. to start a new job in Silicon Valley.

But when she went to Pearson Airport on Saturday night to get on a flight to join him, she was informed that she would not be permitted enter the United States.

“The gentleman at the Air Canada counter took my passport and my (permanent residency) card to U.S. border control and he came back. He said, ‘I’m sorry, the visa that took three months to issue was now cancelled,’” Tehrani told CP24 Sunday.

Tehrani is one of many people around the world who are being denied entry into the United States under a new travel ban imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order to authorize a 90-day travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Trump says the order, which includes a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program, is a necessary step to stop “radical Islamic terrorists” from coming to the U.S.

The move has sparked protests at airports around the United States.

“President Trump can and should be concerned about the security of the United States but this rule is affecting many innocent people, including me and my husband, who is a scientist and would be an asset to the United States,” Tehrani said.

She said that she and her husband went through vigorous screening just to obtain the visas that have now been cancelled.

“The process was so long. We went through so many interviews, background checks and security checks,” she said.

Tehrani added that because she can’t go to the United States and her husband would not be permitted back in the U.S. if he leaves the country, the couple is unable to see one another.

“Obviously I was so upset at the beginning but after a couple of hours, I thought that it wouldn’t help. It wouldn’t help in any way,” she said.

“We are still so shocked that we don’t know what we are going to do.”

Speaking to CTV News Toronto via Skype Sunday, Tehrani’s husband Farid said that if his wife is unable to come to the United States, he will have no choice but to leave the country.

“We have no idea when this is going to be resolved,” he said.

“The value of our marriage is more than anything, including this job, which I tried hard for my entire life to get… This is my dream job but I wouldn’t sacrifice my married life.”

In a tweet sent out Sunday, Pearson Airport warned travellers about the ban. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office said Saturday that the U.S. has given assurances that Canadians with dual citizenship will not be rejected from crossing the border.

At a news conference Sunday, Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen said that Canadian permanent residents are still allowed to travel to the United States as well, according to officials there. However he said that Canadian officials continue to seek clarity about the specifics around travel for permanent residents.

-With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press