Expect general visa delays, Canada warns India following staffing reductions

 Expect general visa delays, Canada warns India following staffing reductions

In light of Ottawa's decision to withdraw its 41 ambassadors from India amid the continuing dispute between the two nations, Canada announced on Thursday that there will be a delay in Indian visa applications.

According to ANI, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is cutting the number of employees it has in India from 27 to 5, in response to India's intention to unilaterally remove immunity for all but 21 Canadian diplomats along with dependents in Delhi by October 20, 2023. "IRCC will continue to accept and evaluate applications from India, but reduced numbers of employees are expected to impact processing times."

However, the authorities guaranteed that the IRCC employees located in Canada would carry out the country's daily tasks in India.

According to media reports from earlier this month, Canada's 62 diplomats in India have been urged to leave by India, or else their diplomatic immunity would be revoked.

The move had signaled a further escalation of the diplomatic spat over the June 18 shooting death of Canadian national Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. India rejected the charge as "absurd and motivated" a few hours after Trudeau said on September 18 that there was a "potential link" between Indian government operatives and the assassination of Nijjar.

Senior diplomats were expelled on a tit-for-tat basis by the two nations. India then stopped offering Canadians any kind of visa assistance and requested that Canada reduce its diplomatic representation there.

By October 20, India will unilaterally revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and families stationed in Delhi, Canada revealed on Thursday.

Canada's Minister of Foreign Languages Mélanie Joly said, "Given the potential effects of India's actions on the safety of our officials, we have facilitated their safe departure from India." This indicates that our diplomats have already gone and are returning home.

The travel warning for Canada's nationals was also revised earlier today, alerting them to the risk of "anti-Canada protests" as well as "intimidation or harassment" in India.

According to the alert, in-person activities at the Canadian consulates general in Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Bengaluru have been temporarily halted. It also said that people might get more consular information and help from the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi.