Amid the ongoing diplomatic dispute between Canada and India, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that visa processing of Indians looking to come to Canada will slow down for now.
In a press conference in Ottawa on October 19, Miller said that they would be significantly reducing the number of Canadian employees in India.
He said that this was a result of India threatening to remove diplomatic immunity to Canadian diplomats in India.
Miller said the lower staff levels will hamper the issuing of visas and permits.
He also noted that in 2022, India was the top country for permanent residents, temporary foreign workers, and international students in Canada.
On Thursday, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said that 41 of Canada's 62 diplomats in India have been removed, along with their dependents. Joly said exceptions have been made for 21 Canadian diplomats who will remain in India.
Joly said India’s decision will impact the level of services to citizens of both countries. She said Canada is pausing in-person services in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bangalore.
The moves come after Canada’s allegations that India may have been involved in the June 2023 killing of Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in suburban Vancouver.
India has accused Canada of harbouring separatists and “terrorists,” but dismissed the allegation of its involvement in the killing as “absurd”. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had previously called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India, saying they outnumbered India's staffing in Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last month that there were "credible allegations" of Indian involvement in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh leader and plumber, who was killed by masked gunmen in June in Surrey, outside Vancouver.
For years, India had said that Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, had links to terrorism, an allegation Nijjar had denied.
Tit for tat moves
India has cancelled visas for Canadians, but Canada has not retaliated for that.
India previously expelled a senior Canadian diplomat after Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat.
Trudeau has previously appeared to try to calm the diplomatic clash, telling reporters that Canada is “not looking to provoke or escalate.”
India also indicated it would cancel various permits, such as those permitting spouses to work in India and allowing the use of diplomatic plates on cars, officials told AP.
(With inputs from Associated Press)