With Canada’s reduction of the number of its diplomats in India from 62 to 21, as demanded by New Delhi, significant impact could possibly be seen on international students and permanent residents from India, as they account for the largest cohort of immigrants by country of origin.
Announcing the departure of the 41 diplomats, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs Mélanie Joly said, “Unfortunately, this mass expulsion will impact our operations, and client service will be affected.”
In a statement released by Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, Joly said, “We will now be forced to pause temporarily all in-person services at Consulates, until further notice.” These consulates are in Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
“India’s decision will impact levels of services to citizens of both countries,” Joly added. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC will continue to accept and process applications from India, but certain application requirements will need to be completed locally or on-site in a secure environment. “As a result, the reduction in the size of the IRCC team will affect service standards for residents of India,” she said.
Five IRCC staff will remain in India and will focus on work that requires an in-country presence such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment and overseeing key partners, including visa application centres, panel physicians and clinics that perform immigration medical exams. The rest of the work and staff will be reassigned across its global processing network.
{{/usCountry}}Five IRCC staff will remain in India and will focus on work that requires an in-country presence such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment and overseeing key partners, including visa application centres, panel physicians and clinics that perform immigration medical exams. The rest of the work and staff will be reassigned across its global processing network.
{{/usCountry}}Joly was joined at the press conference by minister of immigration, refugees and citizens Marc Miller. “The lower numbers of staff will have short-term repercussions, and I believe medium-term as well,” he said. India accounts for the largest cohort of international students and permanent residents in Canada and those applications processes could be adversely impacted. India had already announced in September that it was indefinitely stopping issuance of visas to Canadian nationals.
According to data from IRCC, of the 463,910 study permits issued to international students this year, Indians account for 185065. That was, so far, on target to surpass the record set last year when Indians made up for 225875 out of 548955 student visas. According to IRCC figures 431,645 permanent residents or PRs were admitted in 2021, and India was the top source country, with 127,933. Canada also attracts thousands of temporary workers from India annually.
India had set a deadline of Friday for Canada to pull the 41 diplomats, out of a total of 62, failing which they would be stripped of diplomatic immunity. India has claimed the reason was it wants “parity” with the diplomatic presence it has in Canada.
However, this is the latest rupture in the relationship after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s statement in the House of Commons on September 18 that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of Khalistani figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18. Nijjar was gunned down in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara that he headed in the town of Surrey in the province of British Columbia. Nijjar was considered a terrorist by Indian authorities but no charges had been levelled against him in Canada or were tested in a Canadian court.