India has made the decision to restart visa services for specific categories of Canadian citizens, including Entry Visas, Business Visas, Medical Visas, and Conference Visas. This development follows the recent suspension of visa services to Canadians due to diplomatic tensions between India and Canada.
The Indian High Commission of India in Canada issued a notification on Wednesday, explaining that the decision to resume visa services was made after conducting a comprehensive review of the security situation, taking into account certain recent measures implemented by Canada in this context. The reinstatement of visa services is scheduled to take effect from Thursday, October 26.
Earlier, on Sunday, India's External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, expressed his willingness to resume visa issuance if Indian diplomats in Canada were provided with safety and security in accordance with the Vienna Convention. The cessation of visa services in Canada had been prompted by concerns about the safety of Indian diplomats while performing their duties in visa issuance.
This suspension of new visa issuance for Canadians had been initiated in September, following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement that he had "credible" information suggesting the potential involvement of Indian government agents in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau's statement implied that the "agents of the Indian government" might have been responsible for the murder. In response, India dismissed these allegations as "absurd" and "motivated."
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India issued an official statement rejecting Trudeau's statements, both in the Canadian Parliament and by their Foreign Minister.
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