'There's No Plan B': Manitobans With India Travel Plans Left In Limbo

Munish Kumar's plans to fly to India to visit family he hasn't seen in seven years are up in the air, as the Indian government is halting visa services for Canadian citizens following a diplomatic dispute between the two nations.

Kumar planned on taking off with his wife, their three children and his sister on Oct. 7, and spent $12,000 on six plane tickets last April.

But a day after India suspended visa services for Canadians, Kumar said he's not sure what they're going to do.

"We are in now … trouble," he told CBC on Friday. "We have spent so much money on our tickets."

India suspended visa services Thursday, days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were "credible allegations'' the Indian government was involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, on Canadian soil in June.

Nijjar, who has been wanted by India for years, was active with a group supporting the push for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India called Khalistan — an issue that has divided Hindu nationalists and Sikh separatists for decades. He was killed outside a temple in Surrey, B.C.

The Indian government cited security concerns at visa offices in Canada as the reason for suspending visas.

Some Manitobans are in travel limbo with cancellation of Visa services

Featured VideoTravel plans of some Manitobans have come to a standstill after India halted its visa services in Canada on Thursday amid a diplomatic rift between India and Canada.

BLS International Services Canada, India's visa application centre, is still offering passport renewal services, permanent residency applications and OCI (overseas citizenship of India) applications.

OCI cards are available to Canadians of Indian origin who formerly held an Indian passport, along with their children and spouses. Cardholders don't have to get a new visa each time they visit the country.

The personal impact of India's suspension of visa processing

Featured VideoCanadians 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.

But people who don't already have an OCI card or a visa, like Kumar, won't be able to travel until the suspension ends.

"[The Indian government has] to think about the public. Now we have to suffer," he said outside the BLS location in Winnipeg.

Winnipegger Amit Bindra isn't sure if he'll be able to go to the two weddings he planned to attend in India in December. He said lots of Indo-Canadians start making plans to travel this time of year — often months in advance.

"There's no plan B — you just gotta wait and see and hope both the countries can resolve the issues," he said.

About 80,000 Canadian tourists visited India in 2021, making them the fourth-largest group, according to India's Bureau of Immigration.

Meanwhile, almost one in five recent Canadian immigrants were born in India, making it the leading country of birth for recent immigration to Canada, Statistics Canada said last year.

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