India to resume visa services for Canadians

By Nadine Yousif,BBC News, Toronto

Getty Images The entrance gate of the High Commission of India is pictured on October 3, 2023 in Ottawa, Canada.  Canada sought to maintain its full diplomatic presence in India on Tuesday, after New Delhi reportedly ordered Ottawa to withdraw 40 diplomats in a dispute over the assassination of a Sikh separatist.Getty Images

Relations between Canada and India hit an all-time low after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar

India will resume visa services for Canadians after they were interrupted following a major diplomatic row in September, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa has announced.

At the time, India said the move was due to “security threats” disrupting the work of its Canadian missions.

But the suspension comes amid a serious dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

Ottawa accuses India of being behind the killings – an allegation New Delhi has called “absurd”.

On Wednesday, officials said they would resume issuing some visas after reviewing the security situation at their missions and in light of recent Canadian measures they did not name.

They added in a statement that “further decisions, if any, would be intimately based on an ongoing assessment of the situation.”

Services are expected to resume on Thursday and will apply to entry visas, as well as business, medical and conference visas.

Entry visas are specific to “persons of Indian origin” and their spouses and children, according to the website of the Consulate General of India in Toronto. They also apply to the immediate family of an Indian citizen.

It is unclear whether the resumption of services will apply to Canadian tourists, who would require a specific tourist visa.

Relations between India and Canada hit an all-time low after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is investigating credible allegations of Indian involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader who was shot and killed in Surrey, British Columbia, in June.

Police at the time spoke of a “targeted killing”, but no suspect has yet been identified.

Mr. Trudeau called for India’s cooperation in the ongoing murder investigation, while emphasizing that Canada is not seeking to deepen the rift with India.

Canada recently withdrew dozens of its diplomats from India, after the country threatened to strip them of diplomatic immunity.

India has said Canada has many more diplomats in Delhi than it does in Ottawa, and has demanded parity since the row between the two countries erupted.

But the Global Affairs website, which lists Indian diplomats in Ottawa, suggests they had about the same number.

Twenty-one Canadian diplomats remain in India.

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