India Resumes Visa Services for Select Categories in Canada After a Month-Long Suspension
Move Follows Progress on Security for Indian Diplomats, But New Zealand Expresses Concern Over Reduced Canadian Presence
Reversing part of the decision made a little over a month ago to suspend Canadian visas in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusations of an Indian government role in the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India has decided to resume visa services in Canada for a select few categories as of Thursday.
Out of the 14 types of visas that India gives to Canadian nationals, only four have been restarted so far: entrance, business, medical, and conference. This information was released by the Indian high commission in Ottawa in a media statement on Wednesday.
The high commission, as well as the general consulates in Vancouver and Toronto, will once again provide visa services.
The high commission did not go into great detail about the reasons for India's decision to reevaluate its intention to stop issuing visas on September 21.
It has been agreed to restart visa services for the following categories with effect from October 26, 2023, after a careful examination of the security situation that takes into account certain recent Canadian steps in this respect, according to the press release.
S. Jaishankar, the minister of foreign affairs, had said on Sunday that visa services may return to New Delhi soon if there was significant progress made in guaranteeing the security of Indian diplomats stationed in Canada. After removing forty-one of its diplomats from India, Canada on October 20 announced a temporary suspension of in-person activities at the consulates general in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chandigarh. Additionally, Canada has issued a warning that this may impact Indian visa services.
Along with other prominent Western democracies, New Zealand expressed worry on Wednesday over India's decision to request that Canada remove 41 of its ambassadors based on the idea of equal power and rank. "We are worried that a significant number of Canadian diplomats have left India as a result of India's insistence that Canada scale down its diplomatic presence there. Seems like we need more diplomacy, not less, at this point.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand said in a post on X that "we expect all states to uphold their obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including in relation to the privileges and immunities of accredited staff."
India has maintained that its demands for rank and number parity fall fully within the bounds of the Vienna Convention.
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