File Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upon his arrival at Bharat Mandapam convention center for the G20 Summit.
Credit: Reuters Photo
New Delhi: India has resumed electronic visa services for Canadian nationals after a two-month pause, sources said here on Wednesday.
This is the second time a relaxation in visa services for Canadian citizens was announced after last month’s decision to resume services in four distinct visa categories including medical visa and conference visa.
The announcement comes hours before the virtual G20 meeting, likely to be attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau had triggered a diplomatic spat between New Delhi and Ottawa by alleging the "potential involvement of Indian agents" in the killing of Canadian Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar was declared a terrorist by India in 2020. The killing took place in British Columbia in June this year.
India suspended the visa services on September 21 after a diplomatic row ensued.
New Delhi rejected Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated". Days later, India announced it was temporarily suspending the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in India.
Since then India has repeatedly asked Canada to come down hard on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil. The issue was not only raised in several forums but also discussed in bilateral meetings.
On October 26, India resumed four types of visa services – entry visa, business visa, medical visa and conference visa.