India asks Canada to bring transparency in student visa processing

Amid the ongoing diplomatic standoff over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, India has asked Canada to bring predictability, transparency and speed in visa processing of Indian students given their preference and contribution to its economy.

 

“Canada is also one of the most-favoured destinations for Indian students for higher education. In the context of this and the contribution of Indian students to its economy, we call upon Canada to bring in predictability, transparency and expeditious processing in visa processing of Indian students. Issues of Indian students studying in Canada should also be appropriately addressed, including housing, incidents of intimidation and safety, etc.,” India said during the 12th Trade Policy Review discussions of Canada at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

 

According to the latest available estimates by India Tourism Statistics Report for 2022, Canada was the second most-preferred destination for Indians to study abroad with 1.8 million students travelling to the country.

 

In its submission at the WTO, India also expressed concern particularly on high tariffs imposed by Canada in sectors like textile, apparel, gems and jewellery, and leather and footwear. “In these sectors, Canada is mostly import-dependent and developing countries mainly have been exporting these goods to Canada. We call upon Canada to bring the tariff rates on these sectors lower, thus reducing barriers to trade,” it added.

 

India also joined other delegations to express concern with regard to certain non-tariff barriers in the form of lack of progress in mutually acceptable certification procedures and mutual equivalence of accrediting bodies by Canada. “For example, to ease trade in fishery products, we have been pursuing Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to negotiate mutually acceptable zoo-sanitary certificates since long time. Similarly, organic products sold in Canada are required to be certified in accordance with the Canadian Organic Standards by certification bodies accredited to the CIFA unless these are imported from a country with which the CFIA has entered into an equivalence agreement. The Indian side has been pursuing in this regard for a long time,” it added.

 

India’s bilateral trade in goods was worth $9.36 billion in 2023 and trade in services is estimated to be about $10 billion. Balance of Trade in Goods has been in India's favour. In 2022, India was Canada's 10th largest trading partner. Major items of India's exports to Canada include pharmaceutical products, electronic goods, jewellery, gems and precious stones, seafood, engineering goods, and auto parts. India's major imports from Canada include minerals, pulses, potash, newsprint, iron and aluminium scrap, industrial chemicals, and gemstones.

 

Canada is the 17th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of 5.29 billion Canadian dollar from April 2000 to March 2024, which represents 0.57 per cent of the total FDI inflows into India. Canadian pension funds have cumulatively invested over 75 billion Canadian dollar in India and see India as a favourable destination for investments.

 

There are 600 Canadian companies having presence in India, and more than 1,000 companies are pursuing business in the Indian market. Indian companies in Canada are active in various sectors, including IT, banking, pulp and fibre, natural resources, health science, and financial services, among others.