Canada has drastically reduce down the variety of vacationer visas it’s issuing to Indians, with success charges dropping from round 80% to twenty% and even decrease, notably for candidates from Punjab.
This pattern, which has been observed over the previous few months, comes months earlier than Canada discontinues the computerized 10-year multiple-entry vacationer visas for eligible candidates. Creating important hurdles for potential travellers, these developments sign a big tightening of Canada’s immigration insurance policies.
The precipitous drop in approvals
The primary half of 2024 truly noticed a slight uptick within the variety of vacationer visas issued to Indians by Canada, regardless of rising tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 365,750 customer visas to Indians between January and July, greater than the 345,631 it had issued throughout the identical interval in 2023.
However this pattern reversed in July-August, and visa success charges have plummeted since. Stricter standards have left even high-profile candidates — reminiscent of well-paid professionals, authorities officers, and households with substantial property — dealing with rejections because of monetary causes.
“A pair working in a financial institution needed to go to their everlasting resident (PR) son in Canada, however they have been rejected on monetary grounds, regardless of having excessive salaries and worthwhile property in India,” Gurpreet Singh, an knowledgeable in Canadian immigration, instructed The Indian Specific.
He added that the choice standards for vacationer visas have develop into more and more unpredictable, with even former US inexperienced card holders dealing with rejections. Candidates additionally face rejections after ready for as much as 4 months, including to individuals’s inconvenience.
“The explanations for rejections are sometimes obscure, with sturdy profiles immediately deemed inadequate,” Singh stated, citing his personal expertise. He had filed functions for 25 vacationer visas 4 months in the past. The outcomes of solely ten have come so far. Of those, just one particular person obtained a Canadian vacationer visa.
Influence of discontinuing 10-year visa
Consultants consider the discontinuation of Canada’s computerized 10-year multiple-entry vacationer visa will additional impression approval charges. Beforehand, this feature was standard amongst Indian candidates, particularly these with sturdy monetary backgrounds, strong journey histories, and household ties in Canada. The method for his or her issuance was comparatively simple.
However now, a lot has been left as much as the discretion of immigration officers, making the approval proces way more selective. After the 10-year visas are discontinued, frequent travellers must reapply for a vacationer visa every time they want to go to Canada — with no assure of success.
This sudden decline in approval charges, together with the discontinuation of the 10-year visa, has restricted entry choices for a lot of Indian college students and professionals who usually noticed these as alternate options to scholar visas and long-term permits.
Behind drop in visa success charges
Consultants level to 4 key elements which have contributed within the decline in visa success charges.
- 01
Allegations of border misuse
There was a reported rise in cases when guests to Canada, notably from India, use the nation as a transit level to illegally enter the US. Since Canadian vacationer visas have lengthy been simpler to acquire (in comparison with visas for the US), and the 2 international locations shared hundreds of kilometres of open border, Canada has develop into a stepping stone for undocumented immigrants to enter the US.
Based on the US Customs and Border Safety (CBP), over 5,000 Indians crossed from Canada into the US on foot with out correct documentation in June 2024 alone. This has led Canada to undertake a extra cautious method in relation to granting long-term vacationer visas, notably to candidates from international locations reminiscent of India.
- 02
Try to cut back short-term residents
Canada’s choices are additionally pushed by home considerations relating to immigration. The nation has, in recent times, been tightening its insurance policies to restrict the variety of short-term residents.
Issues starting from vacationer visa entrants overstaying or working illegally have prompted authorities to use stricter scrutiny to new candidates. That is extra in order immigration turns into a sizzling button subject in Canadian politics, in addition to society as giant.
- 03
Processing delays and backlogs
There are additionally logistical elements which have guided Canada’s choices. The sheer quantity of visa functions has been overwhelming to cope with, resulting in delays in visa processing and a rising backlog.
This appears to have prompted immigration officers to use extra stringent standards for handing out visas, resulting in greater rejection charges regardless of the approval course of itself being slower. The Canadian authorities have determined to err on the facet of being strict as an alternative of being extra lenient whereas processing an enormous variety of vacationer visas.
- 04
Strained diplomatic relations between India & Canada
Lastly, the strained relations between India and Canada over the previous yr or so have undoubtedly performed a component in how visas are being processed.
Ever since Justin Trudeau, within the Canadian Parliament final October, made allegations that India was concerned within the homicide of excessive profile Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar, ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have seen a number of troughs. Whereas not formally linked to immigration insurance policies, consultants consider these tensions could also be pushing Canada to train warning in relation to issuing long-term visas to Indian candidates.
