India Partially Reopens Visa Service For Canadians

India will reopen some visas for Canadians, aiming to ease recent tensions. This decision comes after Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, suggested a potential link between Indian agents and the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an allegation India denies. In response, India had halted the issuance of new visas for Canadians and called for a reduction in the number of Canadian diplomats in India. Canada subsequently withdrew 41 diplomats.

Now, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa has confirmed that it will resume issuing standard entry visas, along with business, medical, and conference visas. This step follows a thorough security review, taking into account recent Canadian measures.

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Canada, on the other hand, is reducing its staff in India from 27 to 5, which may result in processing delays, longer response times, and extended visa processing times. Despite these changes, Canada reassures applicants in India and those with connections in the country that it will continue to accept and process temporary and permanent resident applications.