Key Points
- India's visa processing centre in Canada withdrew the suspension notice minutes after posting it, before re-publishing it again.
- It follows Canada's allegations India might have been involved in a Canadian citizen's killing.
- Canada also expelled an Indian diplomat, and India followed by expelling a Canadian diplomat on Tuesday.
India on Thursday suspended visa services for Canadian citizens, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, citing security threats to its staff in its consulates in Canada.
The announcement came hours after Canada's high commission in India said it would temporarily "adjust" staff presence in the country after some diplomats received threats on social media platforms.
The steps mark a further escalation of tensions between the two countries after Canada said India might have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen.
"The security situation because of Canadian government's inaction has resulted in disruptions and we have suspended visa applications," Arindam Bagchi, told reporters in New Delhi, adding that all categories of visas, including e-visas are suspended.
BLS InternationalBLSN.NS, an Indian company offering visa facilities, said the notice from the Indian mission in Canada cited "operational reasons" for the suspension of visa services "till further notice".
The statement from Canada's high commission came soon after BLS published the notice that it was suspending visa services for Canadian citizens following a notice from the Indian mission. It then withdrew it minutes later before re-publishing it again.
What is the issue between India and Canada?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this week there is credible evidence that Indian authorities are linked to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. India has rejected the allegations.
Nijjar - a prominent advocate for a separate Sikh state within India named Khalistan - was gunned down outside a temple in British Columbia, in what Canadian authorities described at the time as a "targeted incident".
With both nations expelling a diplomat each, analysts said relations between the two countries have touched the lowest point.
"In light of the current environment where tensions have heightened, we are taking action to ensure the safety of our diplomats," the Canadian High Commission said in a statement.
"With some diplomats having received threats on various social media platforms, Global Affairs Canada is assessing its staff complement in India," it said, referring to the department that manages Ottawa's diplomatic and consular relations.
"As a result, and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to temporarily adjust staff presence in India," it said, without elaborating on what it meant by that adjustment.
Impact on trade ties
After the expulsions of senior diplomats, the two countries issued tit-for-tat travel advisories on Tuesday and Wednesday, with India urging its nationals in Canada, especially students, to exercise "utmost caution".
Canadian officials have so far declined to say why they believe India could be linked to Nijjar's murder.
New Delhi has also not provided evidence leading to its travel advisory that refers to "growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada".
Canada is a safe country, its public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc said hours after India's advisory.
Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the Indian state of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.
The spat is also threatening trade ties, with talks on a proposed trade deal frozen last week.
Canada is India's 17th largest foreign investor, while Canadian portfolio investors have invested billions of dollars in Indian financial markets. Since 2018, India has been the largest source country for international students in Canada.
In 2022, their number rose 47 per cent to nearly 320,000, accounting for about 40 per cent of total overseas students, the Canadian Bureau of International Education says, which also helps universities and colleges provide subsidised education to domestic students.
