Canada Immigration: Diplomatic Dispute with India Causes Delays in Visa Processing for Indian Applicants

Key Points:

• Ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India are resulting in delays in visa processing for Indian applicants.
• This dispute arose from allegations made by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing India of involvement in the murder of a Sikh activist in Canada.
• Canada has significantly reduced its diplomatic presence in India, leading to a shortage of staff for visa processing.
• While Canada remains committed to processing all temporary and permanent resident applications from India, reduced staff levels are causing processing delays.
• The impact is most noticeable in extended processing times, delayed responses to inquiries, and longer wait times for visa and passport issuance for Indian applicants.

Introduction:

The diplomatic tension between Canada and India has given rise to challenges in the visa processing for Indians intending to travel to Canada. The ongoing dispute, which stemmed from allegations made by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is leading to slower visa processing times. This blog delves into the details of this issue, the reasons behind it, and its potential impact.

Diplomatic Dispute and Its Consequences:

Canada's Prime Minister accused India of involvement in the murder of a prominent Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada. This accusation has escalated into a diplomatic dispute, with significant consequences for the processing of Indian visas to Canada. As a result of this dispute, Canada has reduced its diplomatic presence in India, with 41 diplomats leaving the country. Currently, only 21 diplomats remain in India.

The Impact on Visa Processing:

Canada's Immigration Minister Marc Miller confirmed that the visa processing of Indians looking to come to Canada would experience slowdowns. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be notably reducing the number of Canadian employees in India, from 27 to just 5. While Canada remains committed to accepting and processing all temporary and permanent resident applications, the reduced staff will lead to short-term repercussions.

IRCC is working to mitigate the impact by adjusting the workload for Visa Application Centres (VACs), which process the majority of applications from India. However, some tasks will need to be handled via email. This means that processing times will increase, and services will slow down for Indian applicants. Applications will take longer to process, inquiries will have extended response times, and visa issuance will face delays.

Maintaining Essential Services:

It's important to note that VACs are operated by third parties and will continue to function as usual. Applicants will still receive administrative support, transmit passports, and submit biometrics at one of IRCC's ten centres in India.

Canada's Commitment to Indian Applicants:

Minister Miller emphasized the importance of newcomers from India to Canada. Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) in Canada will continue to welcome Indian students, and new applications will be processed, albeit at a slower pace than before.

Majority of Applications Processed Outside India:

An IRCC statement indicates that 89% of India's applications are already processed outside the country. The five remaining IRCC staff in India will focus on tasks requiring an in-country presence, such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment, and overseeing key partners.

Expected Delays for Indian Applicants:

As a result of the reduced staffing and the ongoing dispute, Indian clients should anticipate delays in several aspects:

• Overall Processing Times
• Responses to Their Inquiries
• Returning of Visas or Passports

The Impact on Canada's Immigration:

India is a significant source of newcomers to Canada. In 2022, over 118,000 Indians became Canadian permanent residents, accounting for 27% of the total 437,000 new permanent residents welcomed by Canada. Additionally, Canada admitted over 226,000 Indian international students last year, representing 41% of the 551,000 international students received by Canada. In 2022, nearly 60,000 Indians obtained Canadian citizenship.

Conclusion:

The diplomatic dispute between Canada and India is having repercussions on visa processing for Indian applicants. Delays in processing times, inquiries, and visa issuance are expected. Despite these challenges, Canada remains committed to welcoming newcomers from India, who contribute significantly to the country's immigration and education systems.

This issue underscores the importance of diplomacy in immigration processes and the need for countries to maintain effective communication channels to ensure the efficient flow of talent and ideas across borders.

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