CHANDIGARH: The diplomatic spat between Ottava and New Delhi has had a direct impact on Indian students getting ready for enrolment in Canadian universities for the winter session starting in January.
Those applying for permanent residence (PR) are now likely to face delays in visa processing with the withdrawal of Canadian consular services from Chandigarh, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Every year, at least 1.5 lakh students from Punjab go to Canada, Australia, the UK and other countries. Of them, nearly 70% go to Canada. Among the rest, 30%, around 20,000 Indians, mostly from Punjab, go for studies to the UK annually and around 35,000 to Australia.
Each student pays between Rs 15 and Rs 22 lakh per year. An estimated Rs 30,000 crore goes out of Punjab each year on account of student education, said sources.
Education consultants who facilitate student visas say that with the withdrawal of Canadian visa and consular services, their third-party agencies handling passport stamping in various cities might take at least two months to process the visas. The process will now be carried out by the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi.
Shamsher Singh Sandhu, managing director of Canadian Migration Lawyers, said the Canadian authorities are putting up petty objections on files related to permanent residence cases. Students, tourists and work permit holders are being questioned at airports by the authorities and airline staff in India and Canada. Refusals have increased in all categories.