Travel from India to Canada experienced a growth of over 100 percent year over year this summer, as per the latest federal data released on Friday.
This surge comes as various countries worldwide continue to ease COVID-19-related travel restrictions. It raises concerns about the potential impact on travel plans of individuals after India announced the closure of visa centers in Canada due to an ongoing diplomatic dispute.
In July last year, there were a total of 28,000 trips from India to Canada. This July, the number significantly increased by 115.9 percent to reach 61,000 trips according to new data from Statistics Canada. However, there was a slight drop from June when there were 64,000 trips from India to Canada.
The increase in the number of trips highlights the potential consequences amid rising diplomatic tensions between India and Canada following the killing of a B.C. Sikh leader in June this year.
On Thursday, India suspended visa services in Canada. The announcement was made through a notice on the BLS Indian Visa Application Center’s website. BLS is the agency responsible for processing visa requests for India.
“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from Sept. 21, Indian visa services have been suspended until further notice,” it stated.
For Toronto resident Rohit, concerns about sharing his worries affecting his application for travel documents have led Global News to identify him by his first name only. He may now face difficulties seeing his elderly parents this year due to the visa suspension.
Rohit, who hasn’t been back to India since 2019, is now uncertain about his travel plans.
“This came out of the blue,” he said. “It totally took me by surprise.”
BLS handles various types of Indian visas, including visitor visas and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, for Canadians. Visitor visas are required for individuals without an Indian passport who wish to travel to India. The OCI Card, as described by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, is a “multiple entry lifelong multi-purpose visa which enables the holder to travel and stay in India, as and when desired.”
This recent development marks the latest escalation in the diplomatic tensions between India and Canada since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there was “credible” evidence of “potential links” between individuals associated with the Indian government and the murder of B.C. Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
Manan Gupta, an immigration consultant at Skylake Immigration in Brampton, expressed that the ongoing tensions between the governments have created discomfort within the Indian diaspora in Canada.
“This is causing a lot of extra disruption and discomfort,” he said.
Many Canadian citizens have relatives in India, making the situation more personal for them.
“This will have a significant impact on many people,” Gupta added. “It will affect ordinary citizens.”
Overall, the number of international trips to Canada increased from 6.1 million in July 2022 to 8.4 million in the same month this year. The majority of international visitors came from the United States, with 3.1 million U.S. residents entering Canada and 3.7 million Canadian residents returning from the U.S.
The highest
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
