Amid escalating diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, the Consulate General of Canada office in Chandigarh has temporarily suspended its services, starting from Friday. Official sources have confirmed this development. Services for Canadians and those requiring consular assistance will now be accessible at the High Commission of Canada’s office in Delhi.
A notice was posted on the door of the Consulate General of Canada office, located on the 4th floor of the Elante Office Complex in phase 1 of the Industrial Area. The notice provided information on the temporary suspension and instructed individuals to contact the Consulate Section at the High Commission of Canada in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, for their consular needs.
Although the office remains physically open, services such as visa processing and consular assistance have been halted, and there is uncertainty about when these services will be resumed.
This abrupt suspension of services has caught some visa applicants off guard. Those who had arrived to submit their documents and provide biometric fingerprints at a visa facilitation service centre, which typically forwards applications to the relevant embassies, were not informed about this suspension. The facilitation centre operates on the ground floor of the same complex.
Applicant’s Father Sharan Singh from Abohar, who had applied for a Canadian study visa, expressed surprise and frustration upon learning about the closure of services. He had submitted his son’s documents for a Canadian study visa the previous week and had an appointment scheduled for the day, but he received no prior information about the office’s closure.
Mankirat Kaur Mother of the applicant from Samana, was similarly caught off guard. She had an appointment scheduled for the day to submit documents and provide biometric fingerprints.
It’s worth noting that the number of Indian applicants seeking Canadian visas has been on the rise, surpassing applications for immigration to other countries, according to available data. The diplomatic tensions between the two nations have led to the temporary suspension of services at the Consulate General of Canada office in Chandigarh, affecting individuals with pending applications and those seeking consular assistance.
