As the entire world knows currently India and Canada are involved in a diplomatic dispute and both countries have slowed down the immigration process. Amid the ongoing rift between Canada and India, Marc Miller who is the Immigration Minister of Canada, recently asserted that the visa processing for the Indians has been slowdown for now. This major development took place after the Indian government requested the Canadian government to reduce its diplomates residing in India. Since Marc Miller announced the slowdown immigration process for Indians, people have been keen to know each and every imperative aspect of this decision. What would be its consequences? Everything has been explained in the following sections. Keep reading this article. Swipe down.
The Immigration minister of Canada, Marc Miller announced the slowdown of the process to grant visas to Indians on Thursday, October 19, 2023. The minister also went on to address the reason for this major change. He said that India’s request to reduce the number of diplomats was the reason for slowing the process of immigration for Indians. However, it said that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will continue to accept and process the immigration applications of Indians but the number of staff has been reduced which would affect the processing times.
IRCC stated, “Following India’s intent to unilaterally remove immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by October 20, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is reducing its number of employees in India from 27 to 5. IRCC will continue to accept and process applications from India, but reduced staffing levels are expected to impact processing times.” Now people are getting worried about how this decision of the Canadian government will impact them. However, the reduction in Canadian diplomats stationed in India will surely affect Indian citizens in various services such as passport issuance and visa processing.
However, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada also stated that the necessary task will be continued by the staff. “The large majority of applications from India are already processed outside the country, with 89% of India’s applications processed through the global network. The 5 Canada-based IRCC staff who remain in India will focus on work that requires an in-country presence such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment, and overseeing key partners,” Following India’s request to reduce Canadian diplomats from there, 41 diplomats have been called back by the Canadian government. There were a total of 62 Canadian diplomats stationed in India.