The frosty ties between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar may have a bearing on the visa processes of the two countries.
The two have already downsized the number staffers working in each other’s country, which could squeeze operations of their missions further.
Canada has withdrawn more than two-thirds of its diplomats and has reduced the number of local staff at its missions since last September after ties nosedived following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that Indian agents were behind the killing of Nijjar.
In the latest developments, on Monday, India asked Canadian diplomats in New Delhi to leave the country by Saturday after Ottawa said it was probing its Indian ambassador and other diplomats as “persons of interest”, after the killing of the Sikh separatist leader.
In a tit-for-tat move, Canada too asked six Indian diplomats to leave the country after its police collected evidence they were part of an Indian government “campaign of violence”.
“The Government of India has decided to expel the following 6 Canadian Diplomats: Mr. Stewart Ross Wheeler, Acting High Commissioner; Mr. Patrick Hebert, Deputy High Commissioner; Ms. Marie Catherine Joly, First Secretary; Mr. lan Ross David Trites, First Secretary; Mr. Adam James Chuipka, First Secretary; Ms. Paula Orjuela, First Secretary. They have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 PM on Saturday, October 19, 2024,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement.
How people got affected earlier
India, which had termed the allegations absurd, had then suspended issuing visas to Canadian citizens for weeks. Hence, no Canadian citizen could apply for an Indian visa even through Indian missions in third countries.
Since a majority of these visas are cornered by Indian-origin people coming to India to meet their families, the move caused considerable hardships for the diaspora.
However, Indian-origin Canadians who had a valid Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, or a valid long-term visa for India, were not impacted. India resumed visa services in a gradual manner in November 2023, with business and medical visas being prioritized first.