{"id":129060,"date":"2023-10-26T10:10:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T14:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/canadas-processing-capacity-for-indian-visa-applications-reduced-by-half-as-delhi-resumes-some-services\/"},"modified":"2023-10-26T10:16:53","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T14:16:53","slug":"canadas-processing-capacity-for-indian-visa-applications-reduced-by-half-as-delhi-resumes-some-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/immigration.ca\/fr\/canadas-processing-capacity-for-indian-visa-applications-reduced-by-half-as-delhi-resumes-some-services\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada\u2019s Processing Capacity For Indian Visa Applications Reduced By Half As Delhi Resumes Some Services"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada will be able to process only half of the expected number of visa applications from India between now and the end of the year due to the diplomatic spat between the two countries.<\/p>\n

Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a hearing on Tuesday that India\u2019s decision to expel Canadian diplomatic staff means only five people are left to process applications in the country.<\/p>\n

It means that only 20,000 of the expected 38,000 visa applications will be processed through to the end of December.<\/p>\n

While some of the capacity can be picked up by Canada\u2019s global processing network, \u201cthere are some things we have to be on the ground for\u201d, Miller said.<\/p>\n

The problem arose when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau angered India by accusing it of killing of a Canadian Sikh in Vancouver in June. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan activist, was a designated terrorist in India.<\/p>\n

\n

Read More<\/b><\/p>\n

Immigration From Hong Kong Spikes As IRCC Eases Restrictions<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/b>Ontario Plans New Intake Of Foreign-Trained Physicians For Streamlined Credential Recognition Pilot<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/b>Immigration From India To Drop As Canada Pulls Out Personnel<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI understand and appreciate that our relationship with India can create some fear about what your status is in Canada, whether you\u2019re a student, permanent resident or Canadian citizen,\u201d Miller told the Citizenship and Immigration Committee hearing on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job as immigration minister is to make sure that people feel safe in a country that is there to protect them, especially against a foreign power. That is our primary responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller went on to describe the problem as a \u201creally unfortunate diplomatic issue\u201d and said the Canadian government was \u201cstanding up for its principles\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not an expert on the government of India but we know the measure that it took that we believe breach international law in making Canada reduce its capacity to operate in India,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n

India Resumes Some Visa Services<\/h3>\n

Meanwhile, India will partially resume visa services to Canadians from today after suspending them over a diplomatic spat.<\/p>\n

Visa services for entry, business, medical and conferences will resume, the Indian high commission in Ottawa announced.<\/p>\n

Services were suspended on September 21 after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of killing of a Canadian Sikh in Vancouver in June. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan activist, was a designated terrorist in India.<\/p>\n

As Indo-Canadian diplomatic ties continue eroding<\/span><\/a> into the second month of their international dispute, business groups postulated that companies are getting caught in the crossfire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very big shock and setback for the business community because this kind of episode creates a lot of uncertainty about what\u2019s going to happen next,\u201d said Satish Thakkar, chair of the Canada India Foundation.<\/p>\n

Prior to the public declaration by Trudeau, reports Chris Hannay of the Globe and Mail, Ottawa cancelled a trade mission and suspended trade talks, which business groups had expected would at least produce an interim free-trade deal by the end of 2023.<\/p>\n

Since then, business groups have entered increased stages of uncertainty as the crisis deepens.<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness wants clarity, stability and predictability, and those three things have not been there,\u201d said president of the Canada India Business Council, Victor Thomas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many ways, we\u2019re still trying to figure out how we navigate this new period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roughly half of India\u2019s lentil imports, for example, come from Canada. As diplomatic tensions rise, so does the uncertainty surrounding the grain\u2019s supply and prices in India.<\/p>\n

India is Canada\u2019s eighth-largest trading partner, with Ottawa generating $5.6 billion in exports (primarily in resource extraction or agriculture) to the country in 2022. This is a fraction of what Canada sends to the US or China.<\/p>\n

The Canadian economy is also largely dependent on Delhi through the Indian diaspora, 1.3 million members of which identify themselves as Canadian in the 2021 census.<\/p>\n

The tech industry in Canada may suffer too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of tech industry in Canada that relies on support from India,\u201d says Dalhousie University professor Robert Huish.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s likely going to be tensions that come up in that way too, so we can probably say that in Canada there will be fewer business dealings with India going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

India\u2019s suspension of visa services is of particular concern, according to Matthew Holmes, senior vice-president of government relations and policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor service-intensive industries, such as IT, that are also based on talent, this may become an acute concern before long,\u201d Mr. Holmes said.<\/p>\n

International Students Also Have Cause for Concern<\/h3>\n

If the visa-processing issue continues, said Holmes, it could affect Canada\u2019s push towards attracting international students.<\/p>\n

With around 40 percent of its 800,000 international students coming from India, the use of international students as a labor source for local businesses may suffer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill Canada be the top destination to send someone next fall?\u201d Mr. Thomas said. \u201cDo they continue to come back when they\u2019re looking at options beyond that?\u201d<\/p>\n

It was reported late last month by the ICEF Monitor that Canadian educational institutions are bracing themselves for a possible decline in the number of Indian students coming to Canada.<\/p>\n

Travel might be hampered the other way too.<\/p>\n

\n

Watch video:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n