Universities are worried as due to diplomatic tiff, there could be a delay in granting of visas.
NEW DELHI
Indian students studying in Canada and their relatives in India are a little concerned about their education, as relations between the two countries have reached an all-time low. In light of Canada’s deteriorating security situation, India on Friday stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and released a travel advisory for Indian students, professionals, and tourists travelling to the country. Tensions between the two countries continue to simmer diplomatically.
Akash Karthikeyan, 24, an Indian student studying in Canada, said, “We are not facing any problems as of now; the only fear we have is what will happen when we go back to our native country, and we won’t be able to come back and complete our education due to this whole diplomacy as our holiday season is going to start in a couple of months.”
In response to a question about whether the present violence had caused him to rethink his lifestyle, Karthikeyan said, “Canada is a peaceful country to stay in, and there are many Indians who live here, and we don’t feel any discrimination, and we are happy here.” Canada has not stopped issuing any student visas, yet the universities are a bit worried because there is a chance that, because of diplomatic tiff, there could be a delay in the visa sanction. “We are told to consider our plans to start our class in the academic session for next fall or autumn as there will be potential disruption in the spring academic session, which was scheduled to start in January,” said an Indian student aspiring to study in Canada. “I don’t know what to say in such a situation, but we were planning our trip according to January, but now there is a delay, so we will see,” she added. Manoj Arora, 48, whose nephew is living in Canada for his MBA, said Canada’s allegations against India that Indian agencies are involved in the killing of Najjar are baseless. “We have not received any specific information to prove this. Justin Trudeau’s allegations seem politically motivated, as he needs the support of ‘pro-Khalistanis’ for his survival. We support Indian diplomacy, and we will manage the situation accordingly.” According to media reports, more than 10,000 students from India head to Canada every year, which adds a significant amount in the Canadian economy, contributing $4.9 billion in 2021.