 "India to resume some visa services in Canada from Thursday: High Commission")
India on Wednesday said it will resume some visa services in Canada with effect from Thursday.
In a post on X, the High Commission of India in Canada said that services for entry visa, business visa, medical visa, and conference visa would resume from October 26.
“Emergency situations will continue to be addressed by the High Commission and the Consulates General as it is being done currently”, the official statement added.
The development comes days after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday that India is looking at resuming visa services for Canadians "very soon" if it sees progress in the safety of its diplomats in Canada.
Earlier on Sunday, Jaishankar said that India invoked diplomatic parity due to concerns over “continuous interference” in its “internal affairs” by Canadian personnel.
His comments signal the government’s move to draw the red line on the issue of diplomatic parity, a day after the US and UK backed Canada.
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The ties between India and Canada nosedived after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged on September 18 that there was a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.
New Delhi strongly trashed the charges. Days later, it announced temporarily suspending issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in India.
The development came notwithstanding fresh tensions over India’s decision to ensure parity in diplomatic presence with Canada by expelling 41 Canadian diplomats.
The Canadian government has announced the withdrawal of 41 diplomats from India and halted its visa and consular services in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bengaluru consulates. The services are now available only at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi.
India temporarily stopping the visa services a few weeks ago was the concern over the safety and security of its diplomats in Canada and that Ottawa's inability to provide a secure environment to the Indian officials challenges the most fundamental aspect of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
His remarks came days after Canada pulled out 41 of its diplomats from India.
Tensions flared between the two countries last month following Trudeau’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. India rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
India rejected Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated". Days later, it announced temporarily suspending issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in India.
India had also asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services for Canadians.