Indians seeking Canada visa may soon face delays as diplomats are asked to leave

Visa services between India and Canada have been severely impacted amid furore over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader. New Delhi stopped processing visa applications late last month and has now asked more than 40 diplomats to leave the country. The reduction in personnel could however lead to delays in Canadian visa processing services.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had sparked a diplomatic crisis last month after claiming that there were ‘credible allegations’ linking Indian government agents to the June murder. India has dubbed the assertion ‘absurd’ and retaliated with a slew of restrictive measures. 

People familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times that the latest developments have not affected Canadian visa processing services just yet. However they flagged noted that a significant reduction in diplomatic personnel would certainly have an impact.

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Meanwhile, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on Tuesday said that the country wanted "private talks with India to resolve a diplomatic dispute".

“We are in contact with the government of India. We take Canadian diplomats' safety very seriously and we will continue to engage privately because we think diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private," Reuters quoted Joly as saying to reporters. 

Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The country has said it wants to "work constructively with India" regarding the allegations.

India has reportedly told Canada that it must repatriate the diplomats by October 10. Canadian officials however have refrained from directly addressing the claim. 

Trudeau on Tuesday said that his country was not “looking to escalate the situation with India” and insisted that Ottawa wants to remain on the ground in New Delhi to help Canadians.

(With inputs from agencies)