India's visa processing center in Canada suspended services Thursday following tension mounting between the two countries after Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen and Sikh militant – Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 Sept. Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” the BLS Indian Visa Application Center in Canada said. It gave no further details.
BLS is the agency that processes visa requests for India.
A day before the India had issued an updated travel advisory urging its citizens traveling in Canada and especially those studying in the North American country to be cautious because of “growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate-crimes.”
Indians should also avoid going to venues in Canada where “threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose anti-India agenda,” the ministry said.
The Canadian government has also issued travel advisory for its citizens visiting India. Canada had updated its travel advisory to India, warning travellers of ‘unpredictable situation' in Jammu and Kashmir.
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