India Suspends Visa Services In Canada Amid Diplomatic Standoff

Indian visa services in Canada have been suspended till further notice “due to operational reasons”, amid a diplomatic row between the two nations over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Vancouver.

“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice. Keep checking the BLS website for further updates,” a ticker at the top of the India Visa Application Center Canada website stated.

The impact of this move is negligible on our financials as the Canadian visa issuance contributes less than 2% to its total annual revenue, said BLS International Services Ltd., the India-listed operator of the website.

India will review Canadian visa operations regularly, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday.

Visa is not being provided to Canadians due to security reasons. Our high commission and consulates are facing a security threat ... The services have been suspended for now," the spokesperson said.

"The e-visas are also temporarily suspended ... Those who have valid visas are free to travel to India," he said, adding that discrimination in the way Canada grants visas has been an issue in the past.

To be sure, Canadian students won't get impacted by the visa restrictions. An advisory has been issued for Indian students in Canada, said the MEA spokesperson.

The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, outside a Gurdwara in a Vancouver suburb in June this year has soured political and economic ties between India and Canada, so much so that both the countries have expelled a senior diplomat each in tit-for-tat moves.

On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged involvement of “agents of the Indian government” in the murder of Nijjar. India has dismissed the claim as “absurd” and “motivated”.

India is a relatively small buyer of Canadian commodities, but it’s a huge factor in the education sector—the country is by far the largest source of foreign students attending Canada’s colleges and universities.

In 2022, Canada issued student visas to 5 lakh international students. Of this, 2,26,450—or 41% of the total—were Indian, according to data from the website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Indian immigration to Canada has tripled since 2013. According to the 2021 Census, 1.3 million ethnic Indians are living in Canada. About 77% of them, or 771,790 people, follow Sikhism.

India has warned its citizens to “exercise utmost caution” while in Canada and hinted that their safety is threatened. The advisory from India’s external affairs ministry said students, in particular, should “remain vigilant,” aiming its message at the huge population of young Indians attending Canada’s colleges and universities.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller rebutted India’s warning Wednesday. “Canada by any standard is one of the safest, if not the safest, country in the world, that is governed by the rule of law. People should read that statement for what it is,” he told reporters in Ottawa. “Canada is a safe country and will remain a safe country.”