India has reportedly
resumed e-visa services to Canadian tourists and business travellers. India had
temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked
Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country to ensure parity.
Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau's accusations in September of a "potential" role for Indian
operatives in the June 18 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
in British Columbia, ties between India and Canada became severely strained.
In 2020, India classified Nijjar as a terrorist.
India has rejected Trudeau's allegations as
"absurd" and "motivated".
Days after Trudeau's allegations in September,
India temporarily suspended the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens.
India resumed some visa services in Canada last
month, more than a month after they were suspended. while India's relaxation on
visas may have raised some expectations of improved relations, it was not a
breakthrough, as neither side has much incentive to
hasten a return to normalcy, officials and experts in both countries said.
Canada expelled India's intelligence chief in
Ottawa. India quickly responded by halting 13 categories of visas for Canadians
and cutting Canada's diplomatic presence in India, a move Ottawa said violated
the Vienna Conventions.
Then on October 25, New Delhi said it would
resume issuing visas under four categories, a measure Indian officials said
aims to help people of Indian origin travel to India during the wedding season
beginning this month.
"This is not a thaw," an Indian
foreign ministry official told Reuters. "People can read whatever they
want into it."Canada has the largest Sikh population outside Punjab, with 770,000
people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census. India is by far
Canada's largest source of foreign students, accounting for 40% of study permit
holders - a vital source for Canada's fast-growing international education
business, contributing over C$20 billion ($15 billion) to the economy annually.
