Visa Refusals lead to apology from Canadian government
Canadian Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney recently apologized for the decisions of Canadian Visa officers in India to reject the applications of several Indian nationals because of their prior military services.
In a statement, Minister Kenney said, “Canada has the highest regard for India, its Government institutions and processes. The government of Canada therefore deeply regrets the recent incident in which letters drafter by public service officials during routine visa refusals to Indian nationals cast false aspersions on the legitimacy of work carried out by Indian defence and security institutions, which operate under the framework of democratic processes and the rule of law.”
Two weeks ago, a retired Indian constable tried to come to Canada to live with his daughter, and was rejected with a letter stating he “has engaged in systematic attacks on villains and has been responsible for systematically torturing suspected criminals.” The letters were seen as a massive insult to Indian nationals serving their country.
After he complained, other Indian nationals began to come forward saying they too had been denied, accusing Canada of lumping Indian police and military into the same group as suspected war criminals, which Canadian visa officials do not allow to immigrate to Canada.
After the apology was issued, the Indian High Commissioner announced that they would like to put the issue behind them.
Approximately 131,000 residents of India come to Canada on temporary residence or permanent residence visas each year.
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President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
