Canadian Visa Processing For Indians Expected To Return To Normal By Early 2024

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada's top immigration body, has addressed concerns about Indian visa processing, which was expected to be impacted by the recent withdrawal of diplomats. Senior IRCC officials have admitted that a reduction in staff in India may result in a backlog of 17,500 'final decisions' within the global immigration system over the next two months.

However, the Canadian government plans to resume normal processing by ‘early 2024,’ according to CIC News, citing officials. This recovery is expected as the relocated immigration staff from India gradually reestablish themselves and resume their duties in Canada and the Philippines.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar suggested that visa services, which had been temporarily suspended due to a diplomatic dispute between India and Canada, could resume “very, very soon” as the security situation improves. He stated that India had suspended visa issuance in Canada because it was no longer safe for Indian diplomats to conduct visa-related work in the country.

In response to India and Canada's ongoing diplomatic standoff, Canada temporarily suspended visa and in-person consular services in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Mumbai. These services are now only available at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi. In response, India had temporarily halted visa processing in Canada about a month before.

In India, IRCC reduced its workforce from 27 to 5 employees. These five IRCC staff members based in Canada will focus on tasks that require a physical presence in India, such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment and key partner oversight. Reduced staffing levels are expected to have an impact on processing times, potentially leading to delays in processing, responses to inquiries and visa and passport issuance for Indian citizens.

The IRCC stated in a statement that Canada has a strong relationship with Indian citizens and will continue to welcome them, whether for visits, work, study, family reunification, or permanent residency.

The ongoing tensions are expected to have an impact on both countries’ service delivery to citizens. Canada has updated its travel advisory for India to reflect current events, warning citizens of potential protests and anti-Canada sentiment. The advisory recommends that Canadians keep a low profile in Delhi and the National Capital Region, avoid crowded areas, travel with someone and notify someone of their travel plans.