Amid visa suspension, grandfather awaits arrival of his one-month-old grandchild born in Canada

Expressing concerns about the temporary suspension of visa services, Ravinder Singh Makhija’s son, Sahib Singh Makhija, said, “My sister is an Indian citizen and hence she can come to India but the small child doesn’t have an Indian visa.”

Reacting to videos on social media that claim that Indians are not safe in Canada, Sahib Singh Makhija said, “There is a vast difference between what we see on social media and the reality. I have never felt safety concerns for my family. I think the police and the machinery of both countries are good enough to take care of their people.” He, though, added that problems can arise because of statements made by leaders in the public domain.

Virmeet Singh Maini, president of the Poona Automobile Dealers Association, said the escalation of tension in India-Canada relations will bring difficulties for people who are looking to immigrate. But he also feels these hurdles are temporary. Maini expressed disappointment in Justin Trudeau’s stance. “India should take this up at international forums. We shouldn’t bow down in front of first-world countries,” Maini said.

Pune resident Kamal Multani’s son recently became a Canadian national after studying and working there for years. Talking about his son’s plans to visit India, Multani said, “He was planning to come here in February next year. I am pretty sure that this issue will be resolved by then but the backlog resulting from the suspension of visa services now might lead to some delay… He and his fiancé were going to book those tickets but they have put that on hold now.”

Multani shared that his son is planning to get married next year in June. “My wife and I thankfully have our visas already,” he added.