India suspends visa services for Canadian nationals

India temporarily halted visa services for Canadian citizens
This move comes amid a growing dispute between the two nations
Previously, BLS International had posted that India had suspended visa services

Visa services for Canadian citizens in India have been temporarily halted due to concerns regarding “security threats” against Indian diplomats in Canada.

This move comes amid a growing dispute between the two nations, triggered by Ottawa’s accusations that New Delhi may have had a hand in the assassination of a Sikh separatist activist on Canadian soil.

BLS International, the agency responsible for processing Indian visa applications in Canada, conveyed in a letter to Indian stock exchanges that visa services have been put on hold “until further notice.”

“Due to operation reasons, with immediate effect i.e. 21 September 2023, Indian visa services in Canada have been suspended till further notice,” the letter, sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, and the Metropolitan Stock Exchange, read.

Previously, BLS International had posted that India had suspended visa services for Canadian citizens starting Thursday.

This suspension was based on a notice received from the Indian mission.

Interestingly, the notice was briefly taken down on Thursday before reappearing without any accompanying explanation.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs clarified that concerns over “security threats” affecting the Indian High Commission and consulates in Canada prompted the temporary suspension of visa issuance across all visa categories.

“The issue is of incitement of violence, the inaction by the Canadian authorities, the creation of an environment that disrupts the functioning our high commission and consulates, that’s what’s making us stop temporarily the issuance of visas or providing visa services,” the ministry’s spokesman, Arindam Bagchi, said.

“We have always believed that it is the host government’s responsibility to provide security,” he told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday.

The announcement came after India’s foreign ministry issued a strong travel advisory on Wednesday, cautioning its citizens to stay vigilant while in Canada and alerting them to “politically sanctioned hate crimes.”

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