Is Canada cutting the number of visas issued to Indians? What MEA says

On the reduction in the number of visas by the Canadian government, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday said, India is monitoring the well-being of its students and professionals who are working in Canada.

"Our concern for their safety and security remains strong," said MEA.

The ties between India and Canada hit a new low this week after Canada's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison on Tuesday alleged that Home Minister Amit Shah ordered a campaign of violence, intimidation and intelligence-gathering targeting Sikh separatists inside Canada.


The MEA has protested in the strongest possible terms, calling the references made by the Canadian minister "absurd and baseless" allegations. India has stated that these will have serious consequences for bilateral ties between the two countries.

India is the top source for temporary foreign workers and international students coming to Canada but a backlog of applications has built since Trudeau's allegations last year.

Canada only has four immigration officials left in India, down from 27 in October 2023. This affects Canada's ability to process visas on-site, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said.

"I have told my colleagues in Parliament that this could get worse before it gets better, and they need to brace for it," he said in an interview last Friday.

That could mean fewer people traveling between the countries for legitimate reasons, he said.