TORONTO – The suspension of Indian visa companies for Canadians this week has prompted uncertainty amongst many who had hoped to journey to India within the close to future.

The information got here Thursday as India‘s visa processing centre in Canada halted companies for Canadian residents, with India saying it anticipates Ottawa will scale back its diplomatic presence within the nation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instructed Parliament earlier within the week there have been “credible allegations” of Indian involvement within the June killing of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

“Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 Sept. Indian visa services have been suspended 1/8 until 3/8 further notice,” acknowledged the BLS Indian Visa Application Center in Canada on its web site.

Here’s what the visa centre closure might imply for India‘s sizable diaspora neighborhood in Canada, which is now caught in the midst of rising diplomatic tensions between the 2 nations.

What companies does the centre provide?

With workplaces in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Brampton, Ont., Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Surrey, B.C., BLS is the company that processes visa requests for India, together with for entry, vacationer, pupil and employment visas.

Its companies are divided into three predominant classes: passports, non permanent visas and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) playing cards. Those eligible for OCI playing cards are individuals of Indian origin who previously held an Indian passport, together with their youngsters and spouses.

It’s primarily a “lifetime visa for India,” the workplace states on-line. Cardholders are “granted multiple entry, multi-purpose, lifelong visa for visiting” the nation.

But it cautions that OCI standing is “not to be misconstrued as ‘dual citizenship,”’ as India forbids its residents from holding citizenship of a international nation concurrently.

Under regular circumstances, it often takes about two to 3 months for the workplace to course of OCI purposes, whereas single entry visas would solely take a couple of week to approve, stated immigration advisor Pragati Sharma.

It will not be clear what number of Canadians maintain OCI standing, however Indian media experiences counsel there have been roughly six million cardholders worldwide as of 2020.

Are present OCI or visa holders affected by the workplace’s closure?

The suspension will not have an effect on Canadian residents who already maintain OCI playing cards, or these whose single entry visas have already been processed, stated Sharma, who operates Westlink Immigration in Winnipeg.

However, any Canadian who deliberate on travelling to India however had not but been granted an OCI or visa is out of luck for now, she stated. That contains those that already utilized however had not but seen their submission processed.

“There are lots of calls I was getting this week because of the situation. People are worried how this is going to impact their applications, those who have already submitted those applications,” Sharma stated.

“There is a rift between two countries and obviously they have taken some steps, so this is definitely going to impact Canadians.”

How impactful might this be?

With Canada house to round 1.4 million residents of Indian descent, in accordance with the 2021 census, journey between the nations is frequent.

In 2021, 80,000 Canadian vacationers visited India, making them the fourth-largest group, in accordance with India‘s Bureau of Immigration. Meanwhile, Canada stays a gorgeous vacation spot for Indians, particularly college students. In 2022, practically 300,000 Indians have been pursuing larger training in Canada.

“This, of course, is going to affect those who are travelling in the next few months,” Vinay Kanetkar, director of the University of Guelph’s Canada India Research Centre for Learning and Engagement, stated in an electronic mail.

The restrictions come at a time when many Indian expats typically make the journey again house. Sharma famous that there are a sequence of Indian festivals which start in October, together with Diwali the next month.

“People tend to go back during these festival seasons and they like to visit their family. That would be a big issue,” she stated.

“They have to cancel those plans. Obviously, there will be uncertainty during this period.”

Almost one in 5 latest Canadian immigrants have been born in India, making it the main nation of delivery for latest immigration to Canada, Statistics Canada stated final 12 months.

What about these travelling from India to Canada?

Thus far, it seems India‘s suspension of companies could have no impact on these looking for to journey to Canada, in accordance with Sharma. That is regardless of India having urged warning for its residents planning to go to Canada, citing safety dangers.

“I got so many calls this week, those people who have submitted an application for a study permit, work permit, like all those things, how this is going to impact them,” she stated.

“There is nothing as such I’m aware of, to be very frank.”

– With recordsdata from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Sept. 22, 2023.