Canada continues issuing visa for Indians despite diplomatic dispute over Khalistani extremism

Canadian authorities have not stopped issuing visas to Indian nationals looking to enter the north American country. This comes even though India's foreign ministry has suspended issuing visa to any Canadian citizen, irrespective of their domicile. 

India and Canada have found themselves at diplomatic logger heads, as Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau levied ‘credible allegations’ that Indian government and India's intelligentsia was involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia's Surrey in June, 2023. 

Canada had expelled an Indian diplomat while levying the allegations, following which India in a tit-for-tat move expelled a Canadian diplomat. 

Prime Minister Trudeau has said there is credible intelligence to confirm that agents of the Indian government were involved in the assassination.

On 21 September, BLS International, India's visa processing centres in Canada, suspended services citing operational reasons. This includes centres in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver.

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However, Trudeau has also said that the diplomatic tension only pertains to ‘violation of rule of law’ that a Canadian citizen was killed on Canadian soil. In an interview in New York, PM Trudeau said Canada would continue to do the work it took to keep Canadians safe.

There has been no indication that Canada will stop processing visas for Indian nationals, and it is still accepting new applications.

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to process all 80% of applications within service standards, regardless of nationality, according to CIC News. 

A 2022 report by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) found that international students consistently choose Canada for their education because of its unique reputation for safety and tolerance.

The CBIE found that in 2022, 40% of international students in Canada were Indian. This is despite a similar warning from India’s government in September 2022.

IRCC reports that there were 800,000 international students in Canada in 2022. This means approximately 320,000 Indian students were studying in Canada during the last academic year.

Indians in Canada

According to a CIC News report, India is the largest source country for immigration in Canada. In 2022, there were 118,095 Indians who gained permanent residence in Canada. Of these, 59,503 Indians transitioned from permanent residents to Canadian citizens.

Canada has ambitious immigration targets in the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan. It hopes to admit more than 500,000 permanent residents each year by the end of 2025. The next Plan is expected by 1 November this year, but Minister Miller has said he doesn’t anticipate the targets will be lowered.