Citizens of Canada are no longer eligible to benefit from Indian visas, after the latter’s authorities have decided to suspend them over “security threats” against diplomats in Canada.
The decision comes in response to Canada’s previous accusations of potential involvement in the assassination of Sikh separatist activists on Canadian soil, VisaGuide.World reports.
BLS International, the company responsible for processing visa applications for India in Canada, addressed a letter to Indian stock exchanges, stressing that visa services have been temporarily suspended until further notice.
“Due to operation reasons, with immediate effect i.e. September 21, 2023, Indian visa services in Canada have been suspended till further notice,” the letter reads, according to a CNN report.
Previously, BLS International confirmed on its website that authorities in India had suspended visa services for nationals of Canada from Thursday, citing an official notice from the Indian mission.
The notice was temporarily removed on Thursday but then reappeared without any explanation.
The Ministry of External Affairs of India stressed that security threats to which the Indian High Commission and consulates in Canada were subject led to the temporary measure of stopping visa issuance across all 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 of External Affairs of India’s spokesman, Arindam Bagchi, pointed out.
He stressed that the Ministry always believed that it is the host government’s responsibility to provide security.
Such an announcement came after India’s Foreign Ministry published a strong travel advisory on Wednesday last week, cautioning its nationals to remain vigilant while in Canada and also warning them of the risk of politically condoned hate crimes.
The travel warning came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that authorities had been investigating allegations of a potential link between Indian government’s agents and the killing of a Sikh Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June.
However, authorities in New Delhi denied such allegations. In addition, they called such comments absurd and motivated.
The foreign ministry of India said authorities in Canada have provided “no specific information” in order to support Delhi’s alleged involvement in Nijjar’s death.
On Thursday, Trudeau called on Indian authorities to work with Canada and permit justice to follow its course.