India resumes issuing e-tourist visas for Canadians
A thaw in relations between the two states.
India has restored electronic visa services for Canadian citizens, an Indian foreign ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity Wednesday, Nov. 22. This comes two months after Canada alleged that the Modi government was involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist in British Columbia.
Thus, Canadians can again apply for tourist and business visas to India. An anonymous source in the Indian Foreign Ministry did not comment on whether this meant a significant warming of relations between the states.
A month ago, India already resumed issuing visas in four of the 13 categories suspended in September: entry, business, medical and conference visas. This was the first step by the Indian government towards Canada in the wake of the international scandal.
Canada has not stopped issuing visas for Indian nationals in retaliation. However, in early October, the Canadian side reported a reduction in diplomatic presence in India — as requested by local authorities. Due to the downsizing of the Immigration Ministry in New Delhi, the processing of applications has been severely slowed down.
