The agency (BLS), which typically processes visa requests for India, was busy through the morning after the Indian government suspended visa services for citizens of Canada
BLS International in Surrey, B.C., Canad has been seeing a steady flow of people holding brown folders and stacks of paperwork since September 21.
The agency, which typically processes visa requests for India, was busy through the morning after the Indian government suspended visa services for citizens of Canada.
Many of the people waiting on September 21, reported cbc.ca, had appointments and were looking for answers, despite the suspension.
“It’s a very complex situation, but if we cannot travel, we are the ones who are going to suffer, not the diplomats,” Manbir Singh, who was trying to get his paperwork done before travelling to India for family weddings in November and January, was quoted saying.
BLS has locations in other cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Brampton, Ontario. Roughly 80,000 Canadian tourists visited India in 2021, making them the fourth-largest group, according to India’s Bureau of Immigration
Other have more urgent needs. He said: “There are also people who don’t have [health] coverage here who might want to go back to India for better service. Those are the people who are going to suffer the most.”
Many visiting the agency said they were increasingly on edge over the deepening conflict between Canada and India. The suspension means that Canadians who don’t already have visas will not be able to travel to India until services resume.
The conflict “has left us all distraught”, according to Santosh Sandhu, who had already paid for flights in October but couldn’t get an answer from BLS on September 21 about whether her visa would come through.
Canadians hoping to travel to India have been hit hard by India’s sudden decision to suspend visa services. The Indian government says it’s due to security concerns at visa offices in Canada.
“Whenever we deal with international disputes, it’s the ordinary people who find themselves caught in the crossfire,” said immigration lawyer Raj Sharma. “That diaspora is now stranded in Canada.” Sharma said the visa suspension would effectively freeze aspects of tourism, business, trade and international study.
BLS has locations in other cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Brampton, Ontario. Roughly 80,000 Canadian tourists visited India in 2021, making them the fourth-largest group, according to India’s Bureau of Immigration.
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