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A girl stands outside an immigration consultant office at a market in Amritsar, in the northern state of Punjab, on September 22, 2023.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
With Canada withdrawing 41 of its diplomats from India amid the row between the two countries following the killing of a Sikh separatist, consultants and agents in Punjab apprehend delay in the processing of visa applications for that country. Prospective students from Punjab may bear the brunt of the likely delays, they fear. Canada is the most sought-after country for studying overseas among youth from Punjab.
Canada will be pausing all in-person services at its consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and is now directing all Canadians in India to its High Commission in New Delhi.
“The time of visa processing may be high and it may now take about three months instead of the usual one month,” Kapurthala-based consultant Daljit Singh Sandhu said.
Mr. Sandhu, who works with a company that helps prospective students with visa formalities, said he had been receiving many calls from worried parents. Prospective students may now look for other options, including studying in the U.K., he said.
According to another consultant, parents of many prospective students already feared sending their wards to Canada following several social media posts which claim there are no jobs available in that country.
Moga-based Jiya, who is enrolled to pursue a course in hospitality at a private college in Canada’s Surrey hopes that she will get her visa. Her classes are scheduled to start in January.
Rashpal Singh Sosan, another consultant, said he too had been receiving calls from students on whether they would be able to go to Canada in January, when their classes begin.
In September, India asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its diplomats from the country after a diplomatic row erupted following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. India has strongly rejected the charges.
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