Amid ongoing rift between India and Canada, there would be a slowdown in visa applications of Indians as Ottawa has removed its 41 diplomats from India. The move has been taken by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Thursday.According to a press statement from IRCC said, Following Indias intent to unilaterally remove immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by October 20, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is reducing its number of employees in India from 27 to 5. IRCC will continue to accept and process applications from India, but reduced staffing levels are expected to impact processing times.Moreover, the country also reiterated that the delay could happen due to the decrease in Canadian diplomatic staff in India. Indian citizens may face delays in overall processing times, responses to enquiries and getting visas or their passports back.Apart from this, the Canadian authorities have also assured that the Canada-based IRCC staff in India will do the day-to-day work required in the country.Quoting the statement, The large majority of applications from India are already processed outside the country, with 89% of Indias applications processed through the global network. The 5 Canada-based IRCC staff who remain in India will focus on work that requires an in-country presence such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment and overseeing key partners.It is to be noted here that Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Friday said, As of now, I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unethically remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by October 20.”Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly says As of now, I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unethically remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by October 20. This means… pic.twitter.com/tbqwk9Wv8u— ANI (@ANI) October 20, 2023
