In the wake of growing diplomatic tension between Canada and India, the services of the Canadian Consulate General office in Chandigarh have been temporarily suspended from Friday, official sources said.
The services will now be available at the Delhi office of the Canadian High Commission, they said.
A notice has been placed on the office door on the 4th floor of Elante Office Complex, Phase-1, Industrial Zone. It read: “We have temporarily suspended consular services at the Consulate General of Canada in Chandigarh. Please contact the Consulate Section, High Commission of Canada, 7/8 Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021”.
A security staff at the consulate office said the office was open, but services were closed. “We put a notice here. We do not know how long services will remain suspended,” he said.
However, applicants who had arrived to submit their documents and provide their biometric fingerprints to a visa facilitation service center, which then forwarded their applications to the relevant embassies, were caught off guard. The entertainment center is on the ground floor.
Gurwinder Singh of Fazilka, who had applied for a Canadian study visa, was surprised to find that the services had been suspended.
“I submitted my documents for a Canadian study visa last week. My appointment was scheduled for today. I have no information that the Canadian Consulate General office has been closed here. “No one informed me about this, and if such an event happens, the affected candidates should be informed,” Singh said.
Another visa applicant, Manjeet Singh from Sangrur, was given an appointment on Friday to submit documents and provide his biometric fingerprints.
According to the data, the number of Indian applicants seeking a Canadian visa appears to be higher than those aspiring to migrate to other countries.
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