Diplomatic strain raises visa worries
MUMBAI : Deteriorating diplomatic ties between Canada and India have sparked concerns about the visa prospects for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, students and workers heading to the North American country every year. Companies with tie-ups with universities and offices in Canada are worried that scrutiny of applications from states such as Punjab and Haryana will increase and immigrant visas will be harder to come by. “This will show up in the visa approvals in the long term.
The success ratio of student visas for Canada is just 60% and may come down further. Students focusing on just Canada need to keep other options," said Ankur Dhawan, president of upGrad Abroad, a unit of edtech statup upGrad. The concerns arose after Canada and India expelled each other’s diplomats on Tuesday.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that agents linked to the Indian government may have played a role in the murder of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. Canada’s intelligence agencies are pursuing the matter, leading to a diplomatic spat between the two countries. Tensions between the two have already hurt the economic relationship, with Canada calling for a pause in talks with India for a free trade agreement.
“Immigration visas will be a larger concern than student visas. Canadian authorities increased their scrutiny over the last year on applicants’ documents, and now that will increase," said Ankit Mehra, co-founder and chief executive of GyanDhan, a non-banking financial company (NBFC). GyanDhan has seen a threefold increase in loan applications from those heading abroad between 2021 and 2023.
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