Allegations of border misuse

There has been a reported rise in instances when visitors to Canada, particularly from India, use the country as a transit point to illegally enter the United States. Since Canadian tourist visas have long been easier to obtain (compared to visas for the US), and the two countries shared thousands of kilometres of open border, Canada has become a stepping stone for undocumented immigrants to enter the US. According to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), over 5,000 Indians crossed from Canada into the US on foot without proper documentation in June 2024 alone. This has led Canada to adopt a more cautious approach when it comes to granting long-term tourist visas, particularly to applicants from countries such as India.

Attempt to reduce temporary residents

Canada’s decisions are also driven by domestic concerns regarding immigration. The country has, in recent years, been tightening its policies to limit the number of temporary residents. Concerns ranging from tourist visa entrants overstaying or working illegally have prompted authorities to apply stricter scrutiny to new applicants. This is more so as immigration becomes a hot button topic in Canadian politics, as well as society as large.

Processing delays and backlogs

There are also logistical factors that have guided Canada’s decisions. The sheer volume of visa applications has been overwhelming to deal with, leading to delays in visa processing and a growing backlog. This seems to have prompted immigration officials to apply more stringent criteria for handing out visas, leading to higher rejection rates despite the approval process itself being slower. The Canadian authorities have decided to err on the side of being strict instead of being more lenient while processing a massive number of tourist visas.

Strained diplomatic relations between India & Canada

Finally, the strained relations between India and Canada over the past year or so have definitely played a part in how visas are being processed. Ever since Justin Trudeau, in the Canadian Parliament last October, made allegations that India was involved in the murder of high profile Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar, ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have seen several troughs. While not officially linked to immigration policies, experts believe these tensions may be pushing Canada to exercise caution when it comes to issuing long-term visas to Indian applicants.

This is an archive article published on November 16, 2024

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Why Canada has drastically cut the number of tourist visas it issues to Indians

This comes just months before Canada will do away with automatic 10-year visas, in what signals a significant tightening of the country’s immigration policies

Canada is tightening its immigration policies. (File)

Written by: Anju Agnihotri Chaba

3 min readJalandharNov 17, 2024 11:36 AM IST First published on: Nov 16, 2024 at 02:34 PM IST

Canada has drastically cut down the number of tourist visas it is issuing to Indians, with success rates dropping from around 80% to 20% or even lower, particularly for applicants from Punjab.

This trend, which has been noticed over the past few months, comes months before Canada discontinues the automatic 10-year multiple-entry tourist visas for eligible applicants. Creating significant hurdles for prospective travellers, these developments signal a significant tightening of Canada’s immigration policies.

The precipitous drop in approvals

The first half of 2024 actually saw a slight uptick in the number of tourist visas issued to Indians by Canada, despite rising tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 365,750 visitor visas to Indians between January and July, more than the 345,631 it had issued during the same period in 2023.

But this trend reversed in July-August, and visa success rates have plummeted since. Stricter criteria have left even high-profile applicants — such as well-paid professionals, government officials, and families with substantial assets — facing rejections due to financial reasons.

“A couple working in a bank wanted to visit their permanent resident (PR) son in Canada, but they were rejected on financial grounds, despite having high salaries and valuable property in India,” Gurpreet Singh, an expert in Canadian immigration, told The Indian Express.

He added that the selection criteria for tourist visas have become increasingly unpredictable, with even former US green card holders facing rejections. Applicants also face rejections after waiting for up to four months, adding to people’s inconvenience.

“The reasons for rejections are often vague, with strong profiles suddenly deemed insufficient,” Singh said, citing his own experience. He had filed applications for 25 tourist visas four months ago. The results of only ten have come thus far. Of these, only one person received a Canadian tourist visa.

Impact of discontinuing 10-year visa

Experts believe the discontinuation of Canada’s automatic 10-year multiple-entry tourist visa will further impact approval rates. Previously, this option was popular among Indian applicants, especially those with strong financial backgrounds, solid travel histories, and family ties in Canada. The process for their issuance was relatively straightforward.

But now, much has been left up to the discretion of immigration officers, making the approval proces far more selective. After the 10-year visas are discontinued, frequent travellers will have to reapply for a tourist visa each time they wish to visit Canada — with no guarantee of success.

Also Read | India-Canada tensions: Why latest escalation may be sinking Justin Trudeau’s last throw of the dice

This sudden decline in approval rates, along with the discontinuation of the 10-year visa, has limited entry options for many Indian students and professionals who often saw these as alternatives to student visas and long-term permits.

Behind drop in visa success rates

Experts point to four key factors that have contributed in the decline in visa success rates.

01
Allegations of border misuse
There has been a reported rise in instances when visitors to Canada, particularly from India, use the country as a transit point to illegally enter the United States. Since Canadian tourist visas have long been easier to obtain (compared to visas for the US), and the two countries shared thousands of kilometres of open border, Canada has become a stepping stone for undocumented immigrants to enter the US.

According to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), over 5,000 Indians crossed from Canada into the US on foot without proper documentation in June 2024 alone. This has led Canada to adopt a more cautious approach when it comes to granting long-term tourist visas, particularly to applicants from countries such as India.
02
Attempt to reduce temporary residents
Canada’s decisions are also driven by domestic concerns regarding immigration. The country has, in recent years, been tightening its policies to limit the number of temporary residents.

Concerns ranging from tourist visa entrants overstaying or working illegally have prompted authorities to apply stricter scrutiny to new applicants. This is more so as immigration becomes a hot button topic in Canadian politics, as well as society as large.
03
Processing delays and backlogs
There are also logistical factors that have guided Canada’s decisions. The sheer volume of visa applications has been overwhelming to deal with, leading to delays in visa processing and a growing backlog.

This seems to have prompted immigration officials to apply more stringent criteria for handing out visas, leading to higher rejection rates despite the approval process itself being slower. The Canadian authorities have decided to err on the side of being strict instead of being more lenient while processing a massive number of tourist visas.
04
Strained diplomatic relations between India & Canada
Finally, the strained relations between India and Canada over the past year or so have definitely played a part in how visas are being processed.

Ever since Justin Trudeau, in the Canadian Parliament last October, made allegations that India was involved in the murder of high profile Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar, ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have seen several troughs. While not officially linked to immigration policies, experts believe these tensions may be pushing Canada to exercise caution when it comes to issuing long-term visas to Indian applicants.