After the departure of 41 Canadian diplomats from India, Canada has decided to temporarily halt all in-person services at its consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. This decision was announced by Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly on Thursday. It came as a response to India's warning that it would revoke the diplomatic immunity of the Canadian diplomats if they remained in the country beyond October 20.
Minister Melanie Joly emphasized that India's decision would impact the level of services offered to citizens of both nations, particularly because only 21 diplomats, along with their families, remain in India. She assured Canadians requiring consular assistance that they could still access in-person services at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi. Alternatively, they can contact the Commission through phone or email.
Canada has also updated its travel advisory for India, urging its citizens to "exercise a high degree of caution" across the country. This advisory specifically highlights the need for caution in and around Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Mumbai due to the suspension of in-person services at the Canadian consulates in these cities.
Marc Miller, the Canadian Minister for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, acknowledged that the withdrawal of diplomats would impact the level of service delivery Canada could offer in India. However, he clarified that the ten Visa application centers in India, which are operated by third-party contractors, would remain unaffected by this change.
Furthermore, Miller stated that Canada would reduce the number of embassy staff handling immigration matters, with the remaining staff focusing on tasks that cannot be relocated out of the country. This "core staff" would primarily concentrate on dealing with the current diplomatic complexities, trade, and business-related matters. Commercial programming for businesses will continue, albeit at a reduced capacity, and Canada will continue to employ locally engaged staff.
Miller also affirmed that Canada would maintain its commitment to accepting and processing all temporary and permanent resident applications from India, albeit with a possible delay in the processing times.
The strained diplomatic relations between India and Canada trace back to September when India requested Canada to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in the country, aiming for parity in the number of diplomats posted in each other's capitals. The number of Canadian diplomats in Delhi was significantly higher than that of Indian diplomats in Ottawa.
Minister Melanie Joly accused India of violating the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations with its actions and further escalating bilateral tensions. She asserted that Canada would not reciprocate in kind and would continue engaging with India.
This diplomatic rift was exacerbated when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested a potential link between the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Indian government. Najjar was killed in June outside a gurdwara in Canada by two unidentified assailants.
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