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Visa illustration. (doc.unsplash/Jaimie Harmsen)

Nijjar, a plumber, was also the leader of the remnants of a powerful movement to create an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan. A bloody, decade-long Sikh rebellion shook northern India in the 1970s and 1980s, until it was finally crushed by a government crackdown that killed thousands, including prominent Sikh leaders.

The Khalistan movement has lost much of its political power, but it still has supporters in the Indian state of Punjab, as well as a large Sikh diaspora abroad. Although the active insurgency ended several years ago, the Indian government has repeatedly warned that Sikh separatists were trying to return.

Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller highlighted that in 2022, Indian citizens will account for the largest number of permanent residents, temporary foreign workers and international students in Canada. Miller explained that following India’s decision to lift immunity, Canada’s Immigration Department will significantly reduce the number of Canadian employees in India.

Lower staffing levels, Miller pointed out, would hamper the issuance of visas and permits.

A senior Canadian official said India was firm on the number and rank of Canadian diplomats whose diplomatic immunity would be revoked. India also said it would cancel various permits, such as permits for spouses to work in India and permits to use diplomatic plates on cars.

Nelson Wiseman, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, says there is no point in Canada retaliating for India’s latest actions.

“The expulsion of Canadian diplomats shows how thin Indian skin is; it also shows that they knew they were involved in the murder of a Canadian citizen in Canada,” Wiseman said. “They are trying to distract from Canada’s lack of cooperation in the murder investigation.”