India resumes e-visa services for Canadians amid row
November 22, 2023
India restored electronic visa services for Canadian nationals on Wednesday, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa said.
“Indian eVisa facility has been restored with effect from 22 November 2023, for all eligible Canadian citizens,” the Indian High Commission in Ottawa wrote on X.
Last month, India resumed services for entry, business, medical and conference visas for Canadian nationals. But tourist visas for Canadian are yet to be restored.
India suspends visa services after tensions esclate
India suspended visa services in Canada afterCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September that his government was probing "credible allegations" tying Indian agents to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar, a dual Canadian citizen, was a prominent organizer in the Sikh community in Canada and a proponent of the separatist Khalistan Movement.
The Sikh separatist leader, whom India claimed had links to terrorism, was gunned down outside a Sikh temple in June.
The restoration of e-visa services is being seen as a major de-escalatory move by India after relations between the countries took a nosedive following the allegation.
Canada withdrew diplomats amid tensions
As tensions escalated, Delhi asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in India, with Canada ultimately withdrawing 41 diplomats and their families from the country.
Canada stopped consular services in India and said visas could only be processed at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi.
New Delhi worries about Sikh separatist groups in Canada that have long strained ties between the two countries. It has accused Canada of harboring separatists and "terrorists."
India's government has outlawed the Khalistan Movement as a security threat. There have been periodic episodes of violence related to the movement over decades in India.
rm/jcg (Reuters, AP)