The ongoing tensions between India and Canada have added an element of uncertainty to the processing of Canadian visa applications in Bengaluru, especially student visas.
While India has temporarily stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens, Canada has not placed any restrictions on Indians.
When it comes to Canadian visa, students form a bulk of applicants in Bengaluru, followed by families who go as dependents, and then businesspersons and working professionals.
September is one of the three student intake months in Canada, the other two being January and May. Most Indians prefer the September window because the weather is favourable and it is easier to find student accommodations this time of the year, says Kiruthika, associate manager, Croyez Immigration, Koramangala.
Consultants in cities across India help with the visa application process. Majority of the visas are granted by the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi and a few by the Canadian consulate in Bengaluru, Kiruthika adds.
Go ahead for now
iSchoolConnect, an online educational consultancy based in Mumbai, has received “tons of calls from worried parents” in the last five days.
Some are anxious about the current admission season, and others are concerned about the prospects of their children flying to Canada in January.
Vaibhav Gupta, co-founder and chief marketing officer, says, “September-October is when students join for orientation. If they have booked their flight tickets, we are advising them to go ahead.”
But for students eyeing the 2024 admissions, especially in January, consultants are suggesting a backup. “If you are applying to three Canadian universities, also apply to three in the US or UK. This will mitigate risks,” he says.
An immigration consultancy on M G Road is advising students to apply for the 2024 September semester — one, seats for the January intake are filling fast, and two, just in case the stand-off continues longer. The hope is that “the political situation may calm down” a year from now, whereas the January window is too close to say anything for certain.
Scene in Toronto
Vishnu Puthillath, who runs KAN Immigration Services in Canada, spoke to Metrolife on Monday about the situation there. “I live in Toronto. We were chilling and partying last night. The scare is made up by the news. If there were changes, it would show up on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website. There is no cap on Indian visa applications,” he says.
Business as usual
Metrolife spoke to 10 immigration consultants in Bengaluru. Only one, based in Banashankari, has put visa processing for Canada-bound applicants on hold.
However, B K Visas, located in K R Puram, has been fielding two-three calls from anxious students over the past three days. But director Balakrishna says nothing has changed on their end. “We filed more than 26 applications for September intake and are about to file two more for the January admissions.”
Even Kiruthika says her firm is filing five Canadian visa applications and getting two-three approvals on an average daily, which is the normal trend every September.
A visa consultant in Koramangala said Canada was routinely approving applications. “Your study and work profile matters and documents should be strong. That’s all,” she says. Another firm on Infantry Road expects the tensions to cool down “in a month or two”.
A consultant in Marathahalli believes Canada won’t take the ‘harsh step’ of stopping Indian students from entering the country. “They want more students,” he says, adding that Canada is an immigration-friendly nation and its economic growth is driven by immigrants.
Most Indians pursue education in Canada as a means to settle there. “Getting the PR (permanent resident) card is easy if you study there. Not more than 20% Indians return after studying in Canada,” says Vaibhav.
(With inputs by Megha and Meghalok Giri)
Help portal
To ensure the safety of their citizens, both New Delhi and Ottawa have issued travel advisories.
Consultants advise students living in Canada to check Madad (madad.gov.in), a portal used by the ministry of external affairs to
address grievances related to consular services.
What happened
India-Canada relations are strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian national, on Canadian soil in June.
Nijjar was a Sikh leader and head of the Khalistan Tiger Force. India had declared him a terrorist in 2020. India refuted the murder
allegations as “absurd and motivated”.
Trudeau’s speech came a week after he visited India for the G20 Summit. Subsequently, the head of Indian intelligence in Canada was
expelled. India then ousted a senior Canadian diplomat and suspended visas for Canadians at Indian missions globally.
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