The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the news in a press conference today.
BLS International, an online visa application centre, on September 21, Thursday said the Indian Mission has suspended India visa services in Canada till further notice.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed the news in a press conference today. They said that due to the inaction of the Canadian government, India is stopping the issuance of visas temporarily. We will review the situation on a regular basis, they added.
Those who have valid existing Indian visas can continue travelling to India, an MEA Spokesperson responded to CNBC-TV18
's question.
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Meanwhile, Jyoti Mayal, President of the Travel Agents Association of India, told CNBC-TV18 that the Indian High Commission has stopped the issuance of visas to Canadian nationals. The Canadian embassy so far claims it is taking applications and issuing visas to Indian nationals.
“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice. Please keep checking the BLS website for further updates,” visa consultancy services firm BLS International said.
The aforementioned message was put up, removed after about an hour and then re-shared quickly thereafter. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will address a weekly press briefing in the evening, where some clarity on the visa issue could be made. BLS International has told CNBC-TV18 that its website witnessed a technical glitch due to which the message did not reflect for a brief period.
Source: BLS International website
The notification essentially means people wanting to come to India from Canada will not be able to avail of visa services until further notice.
It must be noted that platforms like BLS International only facilitate visa services, and do not provide visas. BLS has also clarified that it does not provide Canadian visas and that it directly works with embassies.
Canada so far has given no indication of suspension of visas for Indian nationals. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs could issue a joint statement later today on the status of the visa process.
BLS International's notice comes against the backdrop of an escalating diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist leader in this country.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of "potential" involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June unleashed a diplomatic row with India rejecting the charges as "absurd" and "motivated".
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India also dismissed a senior Canadian diplomat in a comeback move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official.
It must be noted that Canada is home to a large Indian diaspora. According to the Canadian census in 2021, people of Indian origin account for around 3.7 percent of the country's population. Sikh-Canadians are about 2 percent.
There are about 800,000 international students in Canada, out of which 40 percent are from India, as per Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada data.
On September 20, India told all its citizens living in Canada and those contemplating travelling there to exercise "utmost caution" in view of growing anti-India activities and "politically-condoned" hate crimes in the North American country.
In a strongly-worded advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi referred to "threats" targeting Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community that oppose the "anti-India agenda", and asked Indian nationals to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada which have seen such incidents.
With inputs from Parikshit Luthra and Santia Gora.
First Published:
Sept 21, 2023 12:02 PM
IST