Visa Delays Loom for Indian Applicants Amid Diplomatic Changes in Canada

According to experts, the move to significantly reduce Canada’s diplomatic representation in India may have a detrimental effect on how visa requests for Canadians are processed. So, if you are one of those people who are looking to book direct flights from Canada to India, you might wanna know first why Visa Delays Loom for Indian Applicants Amid Diplomatic Changes in Canada

Canada maintains a substantial diplomatic presence in New Delhi in addition to its consulates in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Mumbai due to the overwhelming demand for visas. Due to Canada’s accusation that Indian government operatives were involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, reports indicate that India is asking Canada to expel 41 of its ambassadors.

Services for obtaining visas between India and Canada have been severely hampered as a result of the uproar following the assassination of a leader of the Sikh separatist movement. Since New Delhi stopped processing visa applications toward the end of last month, more than 40 diplomats are currently being asked to leave the country. The staff reduction could, however, result in a delay in the services for handling Canadian visas.

The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, sparked a diplomatic dispute last month by claiming that there were “credible allegations” linking Indian government personnel to the murder in June. India has called the accusation “absurd” and responded with a variety of punitive actions.

Although the ongoing tensions between the two countries have not yet had an impact on Canadian visa processes here in India, any considerable reduction in diplomatic staff will undoubtedly jeopardize the procedure.

It implies that Indian nationals applying for visas to Canada may have to wait longer for their applications to be accepted.

Canadian Government Reaction to this Matter

Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, said on Tuesday (October 3) that Ottawa wanted to talk about the situation “privately,” but Ottawa has not responded.
Ironically, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s shocking and explosive claims against India about the assassination of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June caused tensions between the two countries to surge this month.

“The Indian government and we are in contact. We take our diplomats’ security very seriously, Joly informed the media.

We believe that confidential diplomatic contacts are better, so we will continue to speak in secret, she added.

Canada has not yet released any evidence to support the accusations that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered. The country has indicated that it wants to “work constructively with India” in regard to the allegations.

According to a Financial Times report from Tuesday, India had requested Canada remove 41 of 62 ambassadors stationed at its missions in the nation.

According to reports, New Delhi also threatened to revoke the Canadian envoys’ diplomatic immunity if they continued to serve after the October 10 cutoff date.

Trudeau emphasized on Tuesday that Canada was not “looking to escalate the situation with India” and that Ottawa intended to remain in New Delhi to support Canadians. You can visit Flyopedia.com for flight offers from USA to India.

India Pursuing Diplomatic Parity

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeks “parity” in the number and rank of diplomats in all bilateral missions.

They outnumber India’s diplomatic representation here by a wide margin…There has been diplomatic interference from Canada in our internal issues. Parity in status and diplomatic influence is wanted, and this is being taken into consideration. We expect the population of Canada will fall. On September 21, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated that discussions were ongoing.

India stopped issuing visas to nationals of Canada on September 18, the day after Trudeau made his surprising remark.

Bottom Line

In light of these recent diplomatic changes in Canada, concerns have arisen about potential visa delays for Indian applicants. The changes in diplomatic relations may impact the processing times and approval rates for visas, affecting anyone wanting to enter or exit Canada. As a result, those planning to book flights from Toronto to Delhi should stay up to date on the latest news and consider using reliable online travel websites like Flyopedia to handle any potential difficulties in securing their travel plans.

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