After India suspended issuing visas in Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs said that security issues at Indian mission offices in Canada were the reason for the same. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said this in his weekly media briefing today, saying that the Indian offices in Canada are facing security threats and therefore are unable to work properly.
Bagchi said that the Indian consul offices in Canada are facing security threats after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that the Indian govt was behind the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He said that the offices are unable to work properly due to the inaction of the Canadian authorities, and therefore they are unable to process visa applications.
He said, “You are aware of the security threats faced by our high commission and consulates in Canada, this has disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly, our high commission and consulates are temporarily unable to process visa applications.”
The MEA spokesperson added that the Indian government will be reviewing the situation on a regular basis.
India high commission and consulates in Canada are temporarily unable to process visa applications as security threats have disrupted their normal functioning: MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi pic.twitter.com/QeIpnWhfJL
— OpIndia.com (@OpIndia_com) September 21, 2023
This was the first official confirmation that India has suspended visa services in Canada. Earlier today, BLS International, a company that runs India visa application centres in Canada and many other countries, said that Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice due to operational reasons. A message on its website said, “Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice. Please keep checking BLS website for further updates.”
BLS International is an Indian company that provides outsourcing services for diplomatic missions worldwide. The company provides visa, passport, consular, and citizen services.
BLS International has also made a filing with Indian stock exchanges regarding the development, where it said that “Due to operation reasons, with immediate effect i.e. 21 September 2023, Indian visa services in Canada have been suspended till further notice.”
The company added that it will have negligible impact on their financials as the Canadian visa issuance business contributes less than 2% to BLS International’s total annual revenue.
