Amid the ongoing diplomatic dispute between Canada and India, Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller has confirmed that visa processing for Indians looking to come to Canada will slow down. The reason behind this slowdown is India’s request for Canada to reduce the number of diplomats stationed in India. Currently, only 21 diplomats remain in India, as 41 have already left. This dispute stems from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing India of the murder of a prominent Sikh activist in Canada on September 1812.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller has confirmed that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will significantly reduce the number of Canadian employees in India, from 27 to just 5. Despite this reduction, Canada will continue to accept and process all temporary and permanent resident applications. However, clients may experience short-term delays due to the lower staffing levels. IRCC aims to mitigate the impact by adjusting workloads at Visa Application Centres (VACs), which handle most applications from India. Some tasks will be handled via email. Rest assured, Canada remains committed to welcoming newcomers from India, including students and permanent residents
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller has confirmed that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will significantly reduce the number of Canadian employees in India, from 27 to just 5. Despite this reduction, Canada will continue to accept and process all temporary and permanent resident applications. However, clients may experience short-term delays due to the lower staffing levels. IRCC aims to mitigate the impact by adjusting workloads at Visa Application Centres (VACs), which handle most applications from India. Some tasks will be handled via email.
The remaining 5 IRCC staff in India will focus on critical tasks that require an in-country presence, such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment, and overseeing key partners. Indian clients can expect delays in overall processing times, responses to inquiries, and the return of visas or passports.
India is Canada’s leading source country for newcomers. In 2022:
Over 118,000 Indians became Canadian permanent residents (27% of new permanent residents).
Canada welcomed over 226,000 Indian international students (41% of new international students).
Nearly 60,000 Indians became Canadian citizens.
Published: Oct 20, 2023
