After a month-long halt, authorities from India have announced that the High Commission in Ottawa and the consulates-general in Toronto and Vancouver will begin processing select visa categories from 26OCT onward.
The update was shared on X (previously known as Twitter) on 25OCT. The notice stated that entry, business, medical, and conference visas would be among the services reinstated.
The announcement added, "Emergency situations will continue to be addressed by the High Commission and the Consulates General as it is being done currently. Further decisions, as appropriate, would be intimated based on continuing evaluation of the situation."
Open Jaw reported India's visa processing centre in Canada suspended services on 21SEP. At that time, a statement by the BLS Indian Visa Application Center in Canada read, "Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 Sept. Indian visa services have been suspended [until] further notice."
CBC News reported that in late SEPT, Indian officials in Canada suspended visa services after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India might have been involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist in British Columbia.
Following the suspension, Trudeau alleged that India breached international law. He further stated that the prospect of withdrawing diplomatic immunity "is something that all countries in the world should be very worried about."
The High Commission of India in Ottawa announced that the decision to reinstate the processing of select visa categories had been made after thoroughly evaluating the security landscape and considering recent Canadian measures.
At a press conference on 25OCT, Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan expressed his contentment over the resumption of visa services. However, he noted that it would have been preferable if the situation had been circumvented altogether.
Sajjan also mentioned that the federal government has been seeking more collaboration from India regarding the investigation into the death of Singh Nijjar.
India refutes any involvement in the shooting.
