Canada's Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, has indicated that by the end of 2023, only around 50% of visa applications from Indians will be processed. Initially, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had set an expectation to process 38,000 visas by December. However, due to limited resources in India, the department will now handle approximately 20,000 visas. Consequently, IRCC foresees that there will be around 17,500 Indian applications left pending at the start of 2024.
This development follows Canada's withdrawal of 41 diplomats from India in the midst of a dispute related to the murder of a Khalistani terrorist on Canadian soil. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly made this announcement and assured that Canada would not take retaliatory measures.
The remaining five IRCC staff members in India are currently concentrating on essential tasks within the country. This includes urgently processing applications, printing visas, assessing risks, and supervising key partners like visa application centers, panel physicians, and clinics performing immigration medical examinations.
Senior IRCC officials have stated that the government is striving to return to normal processing for Indian applications by early 2024. While in-person services at consulates in India have been temporarily halted, applications from India will still be accepted and processed.
Tensions between India and Canada had escalated in September after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made allegations of potential Indian agent involvement in the murder of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. In response, India rejected these claims as "absurd" and "motivated" and requested a reduction in Canada's diplomatic presence in India to achieve parity in strength and rank equivalence.
India had also suspended visa services in Canada and for Canadian citizens globally. However, India's High Commission in Ottawa has announced the resumption of services for entry, business, medical, and conference visas, considering recent Canadian measures and a review of the security situation. In the interim, Canada has temporarily suspended visa and in-person consular services in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Mumbai, making them available only at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi.
